OPINION Do 'blue zones' hold the key to future travel, lifestyle and longevity?Nine simple practices that may help latter day adventurers achieve harmony and add years to life. And why slow travel is one way to counter a growing tourist backlash. JUMP TO Current column WHAT constitutes a perfect holiday? Clearly there are vastly divergent views on this. Pundits and peripatetics have long struggled with this conundrum never quite finding a satisfying answer. The Chinese, the Japanese, the Australians, Indians, Americans and Europeans all travel with different expectations. Europeans chase the sun, Indians detest the heat and favour mad monsoon binges. Some crave delicacy in food to intrigue the palate while others need head-exploding chillies and spice. Dreams are different country to country. When it comes to romance, one shoe will never fit all. SUBSCRIBE TO SMART TRAVEL ASIA NEWSLETTER But it is clear that whether on business or leisure, there is a common thread. This is the demand for practical how-to where-to information based on accurate facts. This has been our guiding principle at Smart Travel Asia for over 20 years. News you can use and a solid I-was-there viewpoint from seasoned journalists who know the difference between gin-blue seas and waste sludge being pumped directly into the bay. Honesty in travel has been one of the casualties of mass outreach and sales-driven propositions. Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor Our 2024 BEST IN TRAVEL Reader Poll is a barometer of changing collective aspirations. Do share your choices. It is open to all. So where should one holiday post pandemic? What would the family enjoy? Where is the best place for a unique corporate meeting? What constitutes true luxury? {Curiosity and alarm piqued, Tiziano avoided flying in 1993, using only trains, boats and roads, encountering unique experiences and new friends The lockdown years proved a watershed for travel. After that grinding full stop, suddenly, issues like personal space, safety, wellness and longevity have been thrust to the fore. No longer are people travelling just for generic ho-hum business or leisure. They are opting for ‘experience’ — culture and heritage over Carrara marble; adventure and nature over crystal; neighbourhood exploration and local shopping and dining over bland brands cheapened by overexposure. There is a staggering list of must-dos cranked out by an army of social media influencers. Not all the information is accurate or to everyone’s taste but it throws open a thrilling smorgasbord of experience. Some will head to the party playgrounds of a Phuket, a Dubai or a Hong Kong. The Maldives has its azure allure. Others are retreating to secluded havens like Lord Howe Island (lordhoweisland.info) that limits intake to 400 visitors at any given time, a two hours’ flight from Sydney; or a hideaway like the 36-tented-villa six-island Bawah Reserve (www.bawahreserve.com), a 75-minute seaplane flight from Batam, Indonesia. Hard to reach, these escapes exemplify the search for a getaway ‘experience’ — true luxury, as it is termed today — with guarantees of comfort and extreme seclusion. Covid shone a harsh light on mortality, accelerating demand for wellness, health cures, and recipes for longevity. An interesting offshoot of this is growing interest in ‘blue zone’ holidays and similar experiences. Blue Zones are described as areas that host a disproportionate number of centenarians. The argument, sensible if not scientific, is that these regions hold lessons in lifestyle and food habits to promote healthy ageing Five zones have been identified as worthy of exploration and emulation. These are Okinawa, (Japan), Ikaria (Greece), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica) and Loma Linda (California) — the last two being interior cities, one of them not far from heavily polluted Los Angeles. They got the name blue zone from the blue ink circles drawn around these spots on a map as the original sponsors sought to narrow down locations. Simply put there are nine practices that define these areas: a defined purpose in life; constant human locomotion (walking, running, steps, housework); reducing stress; eating till 80% full; more plant-based foods in diet; wine in moderation; a nurturing social circle; strong family connections; and ‘belonging’ to a faith-based organisation. As Blue Zone founder Dan Buettner shared in an article some years back with the World Economic Forum, “…environment dictated the lifestyle of the world’s healthiest people. They weren’t trying to be healthy.” There are worthy moves towards slow travel too. Swiss-based photographer Ben Buckland embarked on a 12-day 250-mile walk from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance relying just on hand drawn maps from people he met along the way. The late Italian journalist Tiziano Terzano wrote a delightful book in 1997 called ‘A Fortune Teller Told Me’ describing a life-changing moment when a Hong Kong fortune teller instructed him to avoid flying for a year in 1993. Curiosity and alarm piqued, Tiziano did so, using boats, trains, and roads, encountering unique experiences and new friends. In that fateful year a UN helicopter on which he was to be a passenger crashed in Cambodia. Unregulated travel has created its own backlash as many destinations from Venice and Bruges to Amsterdam, Santorini and Barcelona have begun saying “NO” to tourists. Some have cancelled cruise ships, others have limited the size of group entry to the city centre, and some, like Bhutan, have long favoured a fixed ceiling on numbers. The underlying message is that heritage needs to be preserved. After all it is cultural diversity that excites the travel instinct. These are things to think about when planning a non-destructive escape or the next plastic-free corporate conference. Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor Previous Columns2024 Can Cathay lift off?Wheelchair delaysAirport duty-freeNew Bangkok hotelsGreenwashing and youRe-selling Hong KongDelhi surprise
2023 Predictions and missesLimits to tourism?White Manager's BurdenIt's a mad world - your voteWhat's bugging travellers now?Please introduce the brideBest Bangkok skybarsReselling Hong KongHotel soft openingsWill AI Chatbots change travel?Smart Travel Asia turns 20Maharajah magic or mega mess?
2022 Christmas sales callsFree HK ticketsGive me a DowngradeSex, Lies, VideoNew 2022 hotelsTravel to save the planetMay the sales force be with youWhere has all the service gonePerils of vanishing airspaceThree's a crowd, but four?Catch a falling avatarLeaving on a jet plane
2021 Bottom of an HK mysteryAir India flies homeWhy all roads lead homeBitcoin travelSpace Tourism for who?Rise of the killer botsVexxing anti-vaxxersCurse of curationMyanmar travel dilemmaExploding aircraft enginesBooks - travels in the mindPlanes, trains, automobiles
2020 Return of the flying SupermenWill airline bailouts flyThe Best of the DecadeWho will save Asia's hotels?Why we need more spaceWhy Covid is a big dealWho will give the first hug?Life of I, with a PumaThe world will be as oneWhy flu is nothing to sneeze atPlaying chicken in TaipeiSecret of powerless flight
2019 Broken bonds, dying brandsLately, the strangest feelingHow safe our skies?Is Hong Kong safe?Death of loyaltyNo rest on EverestBoeing fix leaves it in a fixCathay tries the limbo rockB737 MAX-8: accident by designI'm looking through youEveryone can auditionWhy is everyone screaming?
2018 The Sleep/Service equationThe Disappearing GMEco travel: less is moreBest of the restHow to win an awardPlane truth about punctualitySweet summer sweatWho's Top Dog?Don't unpack my bagPicture perfect holidaysTale of two women, or threeSomething in the air
2017 Hello, any humans here?An Aye for an AyeTravel, the fear factorHow to turn blue seas greenPolls, planes, queuesBlockade by blockheadsShanghai, back to the futureNo lap dance aloftFriendship is a rocketWhy I really need a dateIn the ICU with Legionnaires
2016 Give Bangalore its dueRoom at the VPN?How big can be beautifulWhy it's brand on the run Premeditation and physics Samsonite in a snit Bogged down by blogsRight brain has the right stuffWho's the fairest of them all?How have you been lately?Got a Black Magic Woman The rebranding of Asia
2015 Smoke gets in your eyesThe devil beaters of Hong KongThe lure of InstafameYes, still number oneStill tripping up onlineBetter late than neverCan you read bar codes?Domo arigato misuta robotoFast and furious - 2Terminal Man – the true storyHow bad ads kill good onesA matter of time
2014 Are you kidding me?Time to face the factsThe decline of reclineArt of hitchhikingShot out of the skyLies and statisticsBottoms up for goldShanghai surpriseNow, fake festivalsWhy ghetto is goodFrequently flummoxed flyersLaughing to the exits
2013 A matter of prideSpeak and it shall be understoodLet's go phishingAsia's best travel brandsBad scrambled eggsHow to pick a happy flightThe Wild Waist aloftClicks come a clatteringBrand on the runThe unfair fares affairSafe on cloud nine?Man-eaters of Mumbai
2012 The fine art of goodbyeStay fit or fake itMore than wordsWhy hotels and pigs can’t flyTo B or not to B737Are you being hacked?Snap-happy hounds bewareDelhi daze in springtimeLet's celebrate with KittyHide your prying eyesPilot project for beginnersGreen flights of fancy?
2011 The art of arriving lateWhen life drives you pottyAirports, awards, and alarmA fright for sore eyesDry skin wet eyesBack to the Tunnel of LoveWhy fearless flyers won't flee feesMore wind in the hairTravel tremors after JapanThe case of the intact bagsEnd of the OTA-man empire?A picture says a thousand words
2010 Only Engrish spoken hereVoices in the skyA tale of three airportsWhat's in a brandA big bite of a bad AppleNow haste to the hustingsJust 400 homicides and all's wellNo sex please, we're BritishSome minor details aloftHighway to the heavensYou look radiant darlingGood info a needle in a haystack
2009 Please watch that safety drillA classic cycle folderolUtterly eggcentric behaviourThe price is rightFlashing in public is a crime[Offset] my kingdom for a horseYour cash or I'll sneezeThe greening of the worldDo broccoli need passports?Could I see your profile?Great Scott! Empty seatsTravel in an age of terror
2008 There is no free lunchAnother Night in BangkokBeatings on the beachTravelling with Teenage KidsWhither Wi-Fi at 30,000ft?Are you locked in the toilet?Charge of the Flight BrigadeAcross the UniverseBaby it's cold outsideWhy I'm dying to travelA key questionGorillas in the mist
2007 Confounding customsWhen blackmail worksBy taxi through AsiaA really cheap dateMake a meal of itTales of two teethPutting curbs on carbsDial R for rip-offThe New Math aloftWhy boutique is bestAre you terminally mad?Heavy question, ladies
2006 The secret of good sleepJust bring Pluto backA fluid situation aloftWhy Friday's the bestNothing but the truthGone in 60 secondsJust use your imaginationFree flights for allIs your travel in vein?Pet peeves and solutionsViral travellers welcomeYes it's safe to step out
2005 A passage to IndiaIt is a "brand" new AsiaThe show must go onCriminally good holidaysThe accidental touristIt's a free rideSleep tips for the roadI'll follow the sunA good pillow fightA bridge too far?World's safest spotsThe need for speed
2004 Small is beautiful, sometimesBumming around AsiaSamsonite and DelilahJust one good bookSpace, the final frontierExtreme Travel for Real MenJust grin and bare itUnfazed by phraseHoney, I Shrunk My BrainMiss World to the RescueWhen things go bumpTo catch a croc, in Hongkong
2003
NOTE: Telephone and fax numbers, e-mails, website addresses, rates and other details may change or get dated. Please check with your dealer/agent/service-provider or directly with the parties concerned. SmartTravel Asia accepts no responsibility for any inadvertent inaccuracies in this article. Links to websites are provided for the viewer's convenience. SmartTravel Asia accepts no responsibility for content on linked websites or any viruses or malicious programs that may reside therein. Linked website content is neither vetted nor endorsed by SmartTravelAsia. Please read our Terms & Conditions. |