The global
travel network.

So inpired by the work Dani & Evan are doing which is documented on this interesting YouTube channel called "BENTON HOMESTEAD". Dani and Evan are a young American couple who moved to the beautiful island of Omishima in the middle of Japan- not far from the famous Shimanami-Kaido cycling route. They came to Japan on a (new) startup visa program with a plan to renovate old houses into guest houses (decorated with many of the salvaged antiques found in the houses) and reuse abandoned farmland into bee farms, as well as fields to grow organic vegetables and peppers. As well as beekeepers, artists and talented renovators they are also picklers and have started selling their honey, vegetables as well as starting to create pickles to sell. They document their projects so well on the channel and have helped many other people navigate the tricky paperwork to find nearby abandoned properties for them to move into as well. If you are thinking of traveling to lesser known, off-the-beaten tra...

Bianca Graulau is a Puerto Rican journalist who has written extensively (muckrack.com/bianca-graulau) on marginalised communities and the environment with a focus on the Americas. This video (by and of her) looks at the impact of tourism in Oaxaca Mexico, and is a really deft piece of work highlighting the challenges writers can face reporting comprehensively on some of the issues around tourism. While I can’t speak to the situation specific to Oaxaca, though take my word for it they’re a big deal in Southeast Asia lol, but these challenges are global, and sometimes I don’t think general readers really understand just how much self-censorship is required by the writer to avoid issues such as harassment, arrest, and deportation—even when writing about a supposed soft issue like tourism. Anyways, if you have an interest in this kinda thing, it is definitely worth the 20 minutes of your time you’ll need to watch it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLEuid8jUhQ