"Less Bad Travel" - with Travelfish Founder, Stuart McDonald

In this insightful episode of the Low Season Traveller podcast, host Ged interviews Stuart McDonald, founder of Travelfish, a comprehensive online travel resource focused on Southeast Asia. Stuart shares the evolution of Travelfish from its humble beginnings in 2004 to becoming a trusted guide for independent travelers, his journey into responsible tourism through his master's degree, and his upcoming ambitious 64-day overland journey from Bali to the UK.

Guest Profile: Stuart McDonald is the founder of Travelfish, an independent online travel guide focused on Southeast Asia. With nearly three decades of experience traveling in the region since 1993, Stuart has transformed from a backpacker and guidebook writer to an advocate for "less bad travel" - his term for more sustainable and responsible tourism practices. He recently completed a Master's degree in Responsible Tourism Management at Leeds Beckett University in the UK.

Notable Quotes

"Travel fish is like an old school guidebook, like a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide or whatever. But only online."

"The pandemic wasn't great for business. I went back to school, back to do my masters at Leeds in the UK in responsible tourism management, and that sort of turned me on to a lot more of the stuff around sustainable tourism and responsible travel."

"A lot of the issues that we face today in tourism are not new... they were writing about them in the seventies in academia... This knowledge has sort of been sitting around for perhaps 50 years, half a century. And the industry side of things, they're only just sort of starting to think about maybe getting on board with some of these concepts in the last decade."

This episode offers valuable insights into the evolution of sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia through the lens of Stuart McDonald's extensive experience. His journey from traditional guidebook writer to advocate for responsible tourism practices demonstrates how the industry is slowly shifting toward more sustainable models. Stuart's upcoming overland journey represents his commitment to "less bad travel" and provides a fascinating case study in making more responsible travel choices despite the inconveniences they may present. Listeners interested in sustainable tourism, Southeast Asia travel, or alternative modes of transportation will find this conversation both informative and inspiring.

Resources Mentioned:

Travelfish website: A comprehensive online travel guide for Southeast Asia

Couch Fish Newsletter: Stuart's regular updates on travel and tourism in the region

Glass: The photo-sharing platform Stuart now uses instead of Instagram

Seat61: Helpful resource for train travel planning

Caravanistan: Resource for travel in Central Asia

Uncornered Market: Development work in Uzbekistan and Central Asia