Imagine visiting a tattoo shop in Jerusalem that’s been in business for over 700 years, or a comic book shop in Melbourne where books are hand-drawn on-site. Well, you can stop dreaming now thanks to “Made In”, the newest tour line-up by Urban Adventures turning the tourist shopping experience on its head. The Made In line-up is more than just a shopping tour, it offers tourists the opportunity to find unique, hyper-local, and socially conscious souvenirs and products during their travels while learning about authentic local arts, crafts, designs and more.
“We’ve all been on a tour where we suddenly and unexpectedly end up in some shop being pressured into buying some crap we never wanted,” explains Tony Carne, General Manager of Urban Adventures. “For me, who isn’t really into shopping at the best of times, it is pretty much the worst part of travel and still all too commonplace in the old-school travel industry. I do however like to have quality and beautiful mementos of my travels. My house is filled with them. Behind each piece is a story of discovery and the history of a real person, a craftsman I’ve met, which gives them real meaning. When a guest points at something in our house and says ‘Where did you get that?’, I’ve got a true travel story to tell. That is what Made In is all about.”
Urban Adventures’ Made In Tours is Intrepid Travel’s next big step towards keeping more tourism dollars within local economies. All tours are 100% designed by locals, and feature stops at small, independent businesses. For over 25 years, the global adventure travel company has been taking people off the beaten track to discover the world’s most amazing places. With more than 1,000 trips offered in over 100 countries on every continent, the Melbourne-based tour operator is making it even easier to support local, experience authentic and unique day trips, and use the power of travel as a force for good.
Click here to check out their current Made In tours!
