James, the human behind TTT, has been on holiday to Benidorm, Magaluf AND Tenerife. Aside from that, he has also lived & worked for extended periods in Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the U.K and Austria. He speaks four languages and has most recently founded a moderately successful outdoor activities & tour company in Vienna.
He founded the Travel Tortoise as penance for all the air miles he accrued in a previous life. He chose a Tortoise as his mascot because they share numerous characteristics, including lethargy, and extended bouts of foraging and eating. As a keen and interested member of the animal kingdom, he enjoys learning about higher species, but he’s not of fan of turtles, as in his words “they steal all the limelight.”
What do I know about slow travel?
Travel helps me to feel more connected to the world. Experiencing somewhere new is exciting, and travelers are generally more upbeat, open and positive. So when I eventually became more sedentary, the idea of establishing an outdoor activities and tour company, Venture Vienna, came from a determination to enjoy my work and the people I choose to work for.
When I’m not writing as the Travel Tortoise, I create sustainable tours and genuinely off-the-beaten-path experiences for people, because those are also the places I want to be myself.
And what about wine?
It was in Austria that I learnt my wine craft, and here where I’ve developed several wine tours & experiences which try to connect visitors to a region through outdoor activities.
I understand how important it is to see behind the curtain of a place, to meet local people, try local products, and really develop a proper understanding of what’s going on there. I’m trying to create real associations between a wine and its origin.
At the heart of it, I understand most people’s need to connect with somewhere new, rahter than getting a superficial overview, and that’s what I try to do with both Venture Vienna and The Travel Tortoise. And I may also be a bit of a clandestine hippy.
I’m proud that Venture Vienna was voted Austria’s Eco-Friendly tour company of the year in 2024, and that we’re the top-ranked outdoor activities provider on Trip Advisor. Equally, I hope that the articles I research and write for The Travel Tortoise are authoritative and helpful to those who read them.