Wanderlust Magazine
I recently had the pleasure of being invited to the Wanderlust Magazine Tour Guide Awards 2018. This was a particularly special award ceremony for Wanderlust Magazine as it was their 25thAnniversary.
Dreamt up 25 years ago by husband and wife team Paul Harrison and Lyn Hughes on a trip to Ecuador, the magazine has gone from humble beginnings to one of the most important travel magazines on the shelf today. Lyn recounted how she and Paul were travelling to Ecuador and, fed up with the lack of travel magazines, started sketching ideas out for a magazine on the back of sick bags and using a biro borrowed from an air hostess. The name was established almost immediately with Paul commenting “Once you’ve got wanderlust in your blood, you’ve got it for life.” Despite being told by WH Smith that there was no market for a travel magazine, they persisted and released the magazine with a print run of 5000. 5 months later in April 1994, the magazine is sold out and can now be found on the shelves of WHY Smith, and it is onwards and upwards. It is also available online https://www.wanderlust.co.uk
Sadly Paul contracted cancer in 2001, and battled this dreadful disease until 2004 with not a grumble or complaint when he passed away. Gifted photographer and writer, he was a natural traveller, with boundless enthusiasm and curiosity, and a passion for communicating his enjoyment of travel to others. He was always quick to credit the importance of travel guides for showing the real spirit of a place. It was therefore a fitting tribute to him for Wanderlust Magazine to commence an annual award to commemorate the best tour guides from around the world.
Bill Bryson and travel writing
The award ceremony was held at the Royal Geographical Society and hosted by photographer and guide Paul Goldstein. Another highlight of the evening was a discussion between the founder, Lyn Hughes and the well known travel writer Bill Bryson. I have to confess that, although I have been well and truly bitten by the Wanderlust Bug, I find most travel writers fairly dull, and rarely do I feel encouraged to visit anywhere these writers recommend. . I do make an exception of Bill Bryson. I find his almost Britishly dry sense of humour very similar to mine, and he writes engagingly well on most places.
The Nominees
We then moved onto an interview with the 10 guides shortlisted. They were all very different, from a wildlife expert in the Galapagos to a leader of African Safaris, from Devon to the far East, but the one common denominator was their passion for their craft, for ensuring that all of their visitors experienced the unique characteristics of the place that they were visiting. Equally as important as thee visitors are the indigenous people. They must also benefit from the tourism coming to their region. When one looks at the sometimes damaging effects that tourism can have, from over-occupancy in Barcelona and Venice to the environmental damage to places like the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand and Boracay in the Philippines, it is so refreshing to see that the local impact is treated with such respect. One of the slogans of one the award winning companies is that “we love changing lives”, and the lives being changed are both tourist and local.
One of the presenters commented that, in this day of online reviews, it is so common for a bad review to be written but so rare for credit to be given where it is due for an exceptional experience. Each of those nominated had been so because of the exceptional service that they had given, even to the most difficult and bloody minded of guests. It was so wonderful to see people driven by passion, dedication and a unique sense of their duty to their clients.
The Winner
The winner was announced as Julie Gabbott, who has led trips all over the world. The judges commented on her humour, empathy with her all of her clients and her organisational skills. She leaves behind her a trail of happiness wherever she goes.
I have yet to go one a holiday with a tour guide, but after this evening, it has certainly rocketed to the top of my wish list, probably to India. This is without a doubt the best way to fully experience the local way of life, to really connect with another place and people.
Bravo the tour guides and Bravo to Wanderlust Magazine for creating such a special award.