We spoke to Daniel Escrivá, founder of travel company Valtournative. Based in Valencia, Spain, Valtournative focuses on the path less travelled, taking visitors away from the tourist spots to discover the more authentic Valencia. From their popular hot springs trip which heads out to the thermal springs of the Valencia mountains, to the exploration of smaller Valencian towns steeped in culture and history, Valtournative is focused on slow tourism which leaves a place better off than when they found it.
How was the idea for Valtournative born?
As a Spaniard who lived the first 22 years of my life abroad, it was always my dream to return to Spain and connect with my heritage. I took that opportunity in late 2011 after connecting for the first time with the Valencian side of my family. As a teacher, I had time on the weekends, holidays and summer to explore, and I would visit a different new village each week and try to learn everything I could about this fascinating country.
On New Year’s Eve 2014-2015, I found myself in a charming village in La Mancha called Alcalá del Júcar. My girlfriend at the time and I climbed up to the castle and brought a bottle of Cava and some grapes to celebrate the new year Spanish style. Overlooking the town below, we could hear the bells ring out midnight, but there was complete silence in the town, not a soul celebrating in the streets, except for one youngster who lit 1 firecracker off, and then silence fell again.
It was at that moment where the idea was born to bring people to the hidden and secluded villages of Spain, the places often overlooked, as they are not on the coast or well connected, but hold many legends, where kind and generous people live and where you can have authentic experiences of what Spain is all about.
How is sustainability woven into everything you do?
Sustainability for me means leaving a place better off than how we found it. It means always being welcomed by the local communities and interacting with people and nature with respect. Practically, that means talking with locals to find out what timings work best for them so as not to disrupt, but rather to participate in local events. It means consuming locally. We are committed to taking the time to savor each place that we visit. We take time to interact with anyone on our path and work hard to build respectful relationships with the locals and town authorities.
We visit many natural sites such as waterfalls, springs, mountains, forests and lakes. We are committed to leaving the best possible impact on the nature that we enjoy. One way is by planting a tree for each guest that joins in each of our experiences. We also collect trash that is left behind by others and do our best to leave each place in a better state than we have found it in.
Why do you think slow tourism is important?
It’s really about taking the time to make the connections, to feel, to listen, to taste, to interact and to reflect on life. In the time that we spend eating together or walking and chatting with each other or with the people we find on the way, we can gain so much more than if we rushed through each stage of our day and tried to see more in less time.
We understand that when you travel to a new place you want to see and experience a lot, as you have no guarantee to return to the same place again. So the goal is to balance the desire to explore more and experience more, with the need to take those moments to breathe in and out, to reflect, to listen to the birds, to feel the breeze and relish being in the moment.
Valtournative hosts unique tours and activities in Valencia, Spain, all year round. You can find more information about their tours.
