'Kind Travel,' 'Balanced Travel': Journeying With Purpose

Embark on a profound journey with Andres Adasme of Kind Human and Amanda Burk of Balanced Travel, as we discuss the essence of 'rooting travel' and balanced tourism. Discover how you can forge connections with ancient cultures, and contribute to a sustainable global community.

Andres explains traveling with purpose, where each itinerary is crafted to educate the heart and nourish the soul through hands-on experiences with remote communities in the Andes. Amanda then shares her expertise on marrying adventure with social responsibility, offering practical advice wherever your wanderlust takes you.

This episode is a compass pointing toward kindness and enrichment, with memories from a ceremony in Peru to a majestic glacier, to a life-changing family trip in Germany.
Andres and Amanda honor local cultures and the environment, in an episode that helps transform not just your travel plans, but your world perspective.
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Andres Adasme is the founder and expedition leader of Kind Human, one-of-
a-kind immersions in the ancient world.andres@kindhumantravel.com
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Amanda Burk is the creator of Balanced Travel, a digital community that encourages mindful travel experiences that go beyond tourism.  Focus is on integration through local cultures, sustainability, and work-life balance.

Its collective,The Guild, connects travelers to a global group of travel and hospitality experts. Also Consider Airbnb Experiences,  gorunningtours.com,  athelink.com, birdingpal.org.
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Podcast host Lea Lane  has traveled to over 100 countries, and  has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember  (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and  'one of the top 100 Indie books of  the year'). She has contributed to many guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
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Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has produced over 100 travel episodes! New podcast episodes drop on the first of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and  wherever you listen. Check them out.

Travel vlogs of featured  podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now drop on YouTube the 15th of every month! Please follow, rate and review us.  

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Transcript

Lea Lane: 0:27

We're living in extraordinary times. We're traveling all over the world, but trying to keep up with the ever-increasing pace of new technologies, we often lose touch with the rhythms of nature and also with the wisdom of our ancestors, which is linked to those rhythms. We're so busy taking Instagram shots that we're often unaware of the moment, of our surroundings and our heritage. On this episode, we have two guests who specialize in a new type of travel and show us how to reconnect as we travel. We'll be speaking to Amanda Burk, the creator of the tour company Balanced Travel. Our first guest, Andres Adasme, is the co-founder of Kind Human, a tour company with the goal of non-touristic travel. They believe in immersing yourself in the daily life of a remote community, living the local traditions and reconnecting with the roots of our shared humanity. Welcome, Andres, to Places I Remember.

Andres: 1:22

Thank you so much, Lea. I'm delighted to be here speaking about what is my passion, what brought me here to Peru.

Lea Lane: 1:28

Well, we're delighted to have you. I know you're near Cusco right now in Peru, so I think it's a wonderful place to talk about spirituality and all the beauties of nature. I know your area well. Now, your travel company's mission is, in its name Kind Human. I think of it as from humankind to kind human. Why did you choose that name?

Andres: 1:53

Well, that's a great question, Lea, you know that that is exactly what you mentioned. It's about turning the humankind upside down and rewire. So the name is coming to change that humankind into a kind human. But not only that. It's about being rooted and connected to what we are, what we were as human beings, and be connected in the most pristine in the beginnings of what we are. Not ever forget that we are humans, we are part of nature.

Lea Lane: 2:22

Now you call it rooting. Travel rather than touring. Please define rooting.

Andres: 2:27

Because, look, I think that touring around the planet just strolling right is very irresponsible in the way that the travel industry is a very, very powerful way of connecting with people, making contact, making change our minds. So I believe that, instead of just strolling around the planet, we should be more connected and in this case speaking about soft traveling, you know, and in this case this is slow and soft it's about connecting with our roots, where we are, where we came from. It's more connected as a tree, bringing the roots as deep as we can. That is a very important concept that is coming from the Andean people here in the south of Peru.

Lea Lane: 3:13

You share the belief that the smallest and most remote communities are the keepers of the most authentic wisdom? Tell us more about that.

Andres: 3:20

Correct. You know, in my experience living here in Peru for the last 20 years in fact, I am Chilean by birth because of my interest, I went to this very far secluded community called Choquecanta, where I made more than just friends, I made family and I started for many ways connecting back with our roots, and probably the most deep one was with this community that are 450 families only four hours away from Cusco, and this place connected me in that deep level. That is being grateful, and these people are still grateful every day for harvesting, for seeding, for the rain, for the night, for your house, for your animals. Go back and rewind myself in terms of just moving forward.

Lea Lane: 4:08

And you use that philosophy in your tours. You take people to small communities and try to engage with the people and help the people. And how does that work with a tour?

Andres: 4:19

That's exactly the point behind these itineraries in a connection with the families and with local people. So the idea is that the guests are going to receive, are going to be enriched. So these kind of journeys are an education of the heart. Be sustainable, you need to love, so these people love their place, the main way of connecting back with what we are.

Lea Lane: 4:40

What specifically, for example, would you be doing during a day, part of a tour? Would you be in the community working with?

Andres: 4:47

Yes, it's also working a social plan in the community, working with yes, it's also working a social plan. So our guests are invited to be part of that work that we're going to be planning day by day, not only when our passengers arrive. So the activities in the day by day. For example, one day we're going to have the crops, farms, right, and all the ancient techniques of farming. So we're going to spend the whole day with a family that is taking us to their field, probably an hour away from town. So we're going to spend the whole day with a family that is taking us to their field, probably an hour away from town.

Andres: 5:18

So we need to hike to this spot where we're going to get our hands in the field, in the soil, and feel that it's not about going only to the supermarket and open a fridge and take the lettuce. You put the hands. So that's the first experience, right, and then it's sharing with them the moment to be there in earth, because it's not only about you know harvesting and go home. They make a little ceremony, they take care of their land right, they know if it's going to be rainy or not, they know where they are, what it means that you understand your field, your environment, the weather conditions, and that is also part of this experience.

Lea Lane: 5:53

Is it a difficult experience in terms of how physical do you have to be? I assume you have to be mobile, Look it is for everyone.

Andres: 6:00

It's not that it's going to be a really challenging experience to move around. No, it's not. We're going with local families that sometimes they go with their kids, you know, in their bags, with their animals. So, day by day, we want to explore these different ways that they connect to what they are. You know, also, seeing the sky, right, understanding how the rhythm, the cycles of the sky are also landed from these people. You know in the past, their architecture, mythology, symbology, et cetera.

Lea Lane: 6:28

Sounds very organic, everything together in nature and community, which is a very nice way to learn and to enjoy. Now you mentioned soft tourism. I've never heard that. It's a beautiful expression, I don't know. Is it popular and I just haven't heard it, or did you make it up?

Andres: 6:44

I think I just make it up. I love it Soft is because I don't want to be invasive to this community. It's not that I'm going to get thousands of people going there, so the point is to protect. It's a fine balance between how many people should I bring to this community.

Lea Lane: 7:02

How many people is ideal, do you think?

Andres: 7:04

I think that it could be maybe one group of 12 maximum every 45 days, so not even once a month, right? One group of 12 maximum every 45 days, so not even once a month, right? So also, it's good to go in the dry season between March and September and October, right to see the sky, to understand the Milky Way, that connection with the night is also amazing.

Lea Lane: 7:24

I know Dark sky travel is so popular. It's beautiful, so soft.

Andres: 7:29

It's also a term right, that being not aggressive with the community, supportive and collaborative reciprocity. So this is about that core of kind human Well, I know of soft adventure.

Lea Lane: 7:41

That's something I enjoy. It's not too hard. I would go like river rafting and then level three or something. But the soft travel here is a different concept that I really like. I know about travel slowly, slow travel. That's a wonderful concept.

Lea Lane: 7:56

I have been doing it myself more and more. It's a part of the sustainable tourism family. It takes you around without rushing. You take in the sights, you get to know a place better, you eat the food, listen to the music, listen to the stories. So it's very connected to what you're saying and I've been doing that. As I said, I recently went to a town called Spello in Umbria in Italy and spent instead of going around and around all over the place, we spent two weeks in one place. It's a tiny town, got to know the people there, benefited from that. I reduced the carbon footprint, I had a deeper understanding, I found out what the locals love. So I am all in on this, and this summer we're renting a house in the Finger Lakes and staying even longer. So this idea of sustainable travel and being aware is very, very much on people's minds now, and it should be. Where are you going besides Peru? What are the plans for future tours?

Andres: 8:55

Well, future tours are also moving into destinations that are going to be connected with the same philosophy of the kind human in Peru. So that means that not every destination in the world will be much for what we offer. So for now, we're planning moving along the different cultures in the Andes, that means in the Andes range, all around, all around. So we're going to start now with Guatemala, right? So Guatemala and the Mayas, the heart of the Mayas and the Petén area in the northeast. It's very, very secluded yet, yes, beautiful.

Lea Lane: 9:31

You might see a jaguar. (You probably can, very secluded yet yes, beautiful, you might see a jaguar. You probably can see a jaguar.

Andres: 9:35

Yes, you might, yeah, you might. So it's a very unexplored and super interesting area. Of course. Then the other one, close to Mexico, right with the Aztecs and Toltecs and Olmecs, right, and then, if you go much to north, Anasazi, right In the border of Mexico and planning doing this saga of the Andean. Ancient civilizations were all looking for the roots of humankind, so in this case, the spine of America, right. It's intertwined and interconnected with this ancient site and and civilizations. They're all also speak the same language in terms of astronomy, architecture, right, so they're all connected in some way. And then moving, you know, farther, of course, one of my interpersonal interests from the beginning is Egypt. So the next destination also will be Egypt. So it will be Peru, Guatemala and Egypt as a triangle of ancient civilizations, and followed by the saga of the Andes, that will be Anasazi, Aztecs, Olmecs, Mayas, Incas, Paracas and Tiahuanacos in Titicaca, Tiahuanacotas and Mapuche in the south of Chile and Argentina.

Andres: 10:58

That's the full spine.

Lea Lane: 10:59

That's wonderful. It's a very interesting area of the world. I know we have featured many episodes that talk about spiritual travel, green travel and so forth. About nature, we've talked about the gorillas in Rwanda, where I went recently that episode 81. Safaris in the Serengeti in episode 26,. Green travel in episode 12. Gardens in episode 68. Parks in 63. Regenerative travel in episode 45. We've given many examples of festivals in episodes 8, 19, 31, and 43, and spiritual travel in episode 30, for example. So I am very interested in what you're doing and I think it's important in this busy world of ours to stop to think about our past, to appreciate nature and honor it, and we can achieve it through tours like yours. So thank you for Kind Human. I would like to ask you though the name of the podcast is Places I Remember. So, Andres, do you have one special memory you want to share with us of travel? It could be anything at all in your life. We'd love to hear it.

Andres: 12:03

Well, I have to say that, in terms of what it connected me with this place in the Andes, a little beyond traveling, just exactly what we offer in Kind Human is an experience that I have here in the Andes that I was invited to a Carpay. Carpay is an initiation ceremony in the feet of a huge glacier in the south of Peru, close to Cusco, that is called Auzangate. So I was invited by a local pampamisayo, that is a Nquero, local shaman. It's, in worldwide words, shaman which is rough, but it's a Nquero, a pampamisayo, that is a Nkero, a local shaman. Okay, it's in worldwide words, shaman which is rough, but it's a.

Lea Lane: 12:40

Kero, okay, a Pampamisayo, a spiritual leader of some sort? Yes, exactly.

Andres: 12:44

And I was led by him to the feet of this mountain. For one day I spent half of the night myself in the middle of nowhere, connecting with not only the big glacier. That was no moon night, absolutely dark but not only that I was looking at the most beautiful constellations and Milky Way, because that was a dark, clear night as I never seen in my life. And, of course, being there by myself in the feet of this huge mountain, close to 18,000 feet high, it makes you feel so tiny but so humble at the same time. So it was a huge memory in my head about going to a place that is new for me but at the same time so close and connecting me in an even deeper level to what beyond this is still alive. This is part of the ancient culture, you know, part of the ancient culture.

Lea Lane: 13:43

What a beautiful memory. Thank you for sharing and thank you for creating Kind Human Travel.

Andres: 13:49

Thank you so much for the invitation.

Lea Lane: 13:59

We've just talked about kind travel. Now let's talk with hospitality professional and travel blogger, Amanda Burk, the creator of Balanced Travel, a digital community that encourages mindful travel experiences that go beyond tourism, with a strong focus on local cultures, sustainability and work-life balance. Welcome, amanda, to Places I Remember. Thank you for having me Well tell us about your company. What does it do exactly?

Amanda: 14:26

Well, actually we are looking to foster a strong community where we bring like-minded individuals together that enjoy traveling and more immersive experience. So really getting your feet wet and learning about the destination that you're in, that means something a little bit different for everyone. Some people it does mean actually volunteering. It means checking out the grocery stores, seeing the schools or going to farmer's market. Immersive means something different for everyone, but I think really the goal is putting together like-minded individuals that want to kind of bring more to travel than just what the brochures might say.

Amanda: 15:12

(Balance travel is that how you would define it? Sure and balance the way that word came about when we were brainstorming for the name for the blog. I come from the luxury travel market and sometimes that word can turn people off. I think balance is a luxury and that just kind of evolved from that because, while luxury does have certain connotations, for some people like me, just having a comfy bed is luxury. I may not need a butler service, but you know, and it's very important, I think, when we're traveling, to find that balance, finding that connection with ourself, and we're getting something to bring back to our lives and to our day-to-day interactions, bringing people together and building a community around like-minded individuals that are interested in exploring more, a new way to travel and you do learn so much more. There's so much to learn about different communities and people.

Lea Lane: 16:14

Let's further discuss your three major elements of balanced travel. First, ecotourism. What can travelers do to reduce the negative impact that tourism can have on the environment?

Amanda: 16:24

Being more aware of the destinations that you're going to. We recently spoke and did a blog about sustainability practices with just toiletry items and just like when you go to a hotel and you think, oh, I'll just bring back all those lotions and shampoos and things. Those bottles are not able to be recycled. A lot of hotels now you'll find are going to vessels or larger items that can be refilled and I think just being a little more mindful of something as simple as that is don't bring back 20 bottles, and that might sound simple, but it all adds up. A perfect example of what ecotourism can be just awareness, and you can compliment a hotel or a lodge that does it, or ask one that doesn't do it to do it.

Lea Lane: 17:12

Exactly that's what you can do, just in a tiny way.

Amanda: 17:15

You don't have to change the world in one little step, and in our community, we're not about preaching to people or telling people they're doing it wrong. It's just sharing like-minded ideas and principles and learning from each other and how we can do better and how we can make a difference. And that's a great point, Like you said, letting businesses know what you like and what you don't like. All of this together. No one has one correct answer.

Lea Lane: 17:42

Exactly, I think. When you have a tour operator, you can ask for green hotels, that kind of thing. Just speak out, be mindful, be aware. Now tourism has become an essential aspect of economic growth and development. Many places rely on tourism dollars to survive. How can travelers practice social responsibility when they travel?

Amanda: 18:01

Being very aware of the communities and the areas that you're going to, perhaps knowing there's things that they need. If you're going to another country, for example and it's not about being the savior. Big businesses are trying to make a difference. Some hotels, for example, do offer programs like Pack for Purpose, and if you're going into a certain country, they may have items or things that they need that you can bring with you on your program or even Amazon lists. Some smaller communities, like Acomal, where I'm in now in Mexico, the schools are funded mainly by donations, and so there's things that you wouldn't necessarily know about unless you've already been to the area, or you know someone that's been to the area. But they have an Amazon list for things that the kids need at the school. So throw some crayons in your bag or some construction paper are ways that we can make a difference. We are going for vacation and it does mean something different for everyone. There is spend some time on the beach dropping off some donated items at a school. It makes everyone feel good.

Lea Lane: 19:11

Absolutely. Schools love when you come in and spend a day speaking English or whatever language with the students. I've done that in the Dominican Republic. Small thing, but it makes you feel so good too. It balances out your trip. You can have the most luxurious or wonderful trip, but it adds to it when you help out.

Amanda: 19:28

It does, and it's a great thing to expose our son to. We've been very blessed that we've really exposed him to the world abroad. I mean we've traveled since he was born. I feel like the immersive, the kind travel that you've been speaking as something that we've really just become very passionate about in these past few years.

Lea Lane: 19:48

It's wonderful. The third element of balanced travel, as you say, it is local culture, focusing on it. How do we focus on it? What can we do? Small things again to go local?

Amanda: 19:59

Sure. To speak of Mexico and where I am. I have just been so blessed to be surrounded by the Mayan community here. When you allow yourself to be immersed in a culture -- not everyone has several months or several weeks to spend on vacation -- If you know that you're going somewhere and reading up and educating yourself on the history somewhere new, educate myself on the history and the people and the cultures. If you are able to talk to people that have been there, ask the locals what three things do you wish tourists or visitors knew before they would come into your community? What do you wish that we knew or what could we do better, be better visitors.

Lea Lane: 20:45

I think it's always good to learn a few words of the language. 'Thank you, 'Please. That sort of thing, that's for sure. But learn a little bit more. Even it would be wonderful, and I think when you get there, if you just shop at the local vendors and eat the local food and stay in the local haciendas or wherever, rather than the chain hotels. These are small things once again, but it starts with just being aware and mindful.

Lea Lane: 21:09

Let's hear some specific tips. I know that I love to go to local festivals and participate in the cultural activities. There's nothing better than to join in. And again, you might have to look up when the festivals are and choose to travel during that time to find the time when there are wonderful things to see and do and immerse yourself in it. These are traditions that preserve the culture for future generations. Balanced travel We've talked about this a lot -- to choose trains over planes and bikes over cars and try to keep the carbon down and just be aware of that. And if you're going to a beautiful place, balance it with a little bit of an off the beaten path. You don't have to rough it, but if you balance it out a bit it's more fun. You don't always have to go high end or even low end. Just maybe one day change, feel it more. What about other things you can think of specifically?

Amanda: 21:57

Sure you mentioned festivals. One of the things I'm a food lover. I love street food in farmer's markets and one of the easiest ways to connect with a community and make friends is with food. It doesn't matter where you are, what part of the world good things.

Lea Lane: 22:13

Nothing more beautiful than a farmer's market or a great market in a town and the colors and the smells and the feeling of happiness when people are walking. You can find out about places to share food at Airbnb Experiences. It links travelers with locals who want to share a meal. That's another way to do it. If you could go into a home, there are places that will connect you. We'll have these links in the show notes. Food is your thing. Also, if you have a local guide and tell them your interests, they can try to connect you before your trip. Maybe you like to birdwatch or run or whatever it may be. There are groups like gorunningtours. com or athelink. com birdingpal. org Fun to do things with others all around the world that share your interests, and I would love people to follow my blog.

Amanda: 23:00

That's what we're looking to as well, because a lot of these things, like you mentioned, you don't necessarily know where the best street tacos are because he doesn't have a website. Right, we have our Insta followers and then our blog as well to have this community. Hey, I'm going to Akumal. Where's the best street tacos? Oh, it's the third stall, past the turtle. Like-minded individuals. You can pop questions into the group, Because a lot of the things that are very immersive there aren't necessarily websites and things. So that's what I really want to have a diverse community where you can pop in and ask questions and find about a festival that you stumble upon. Word of mouth is how we can stay loci.

Lea Lane: 23:42

And your blog, balancetravelcom. The name of the podcast is Places I Remember. So, Amanda, would you please share one of your special travel memories?

Amanda: 23:51

You know. I thank you for asking because I think this memory is what started my love of travel. It means a lot to me to be able to share this. My grandmother took me to Europe when I was seven years old. It changed my life. I went to Europe to visit my father for the first time. He was stationed over there. We flew into Germany. I'll never forget being a little girl and seeing the tile roofs. I grew up in a really small town in East Texas and I had never seen. It absolutely changed my life the next morning when I woke up and realized that there was a pastry truck that drove around and brought you fresh apple strudel. From that moment that I got back, I knew I was born to travel and I haven't stopped traveling since. I'm so grateful to my grandmother for that very first trip. I hope that I've done the same for my son. He has a very well-used passport. I think her taking me on that very first trip has set the course for everything that I am.

Lea Lane: 24:53

Beautiful memory and I'm sure your son will have some of you as well. Throughout the episode, travel experts Andres Adasmi with Kind Travel and Amanda Burke with Balance Travel have shown us that by reconnecting to our past we can better shape the future, and by being mindful and moving just a bit out of our comfort zone, we can experience deeper pleasures as we travel. Thank you very much, Amanda.

Amanda: 25:16

Thank you for having me. Safe travels.