At the beginning :
The little story
I am Fabienne, married to Thierry for over 20 years. Daughter of winegrowers, I was born and raised here, on the Causse, south of the Cévennes. My studies and my first job (in metallurgy) took me away from it and, like many, I enjoyed traveling far, really, completely disorienting myself ... without asking myself too many questions.
Before the arrival of our 2 boys, however, we wanted to get closer to nature, offer them and offer us a peaceful environment. So it was only natural that we returned "home". My love for traveling and meeting people still being there, I chose to bring "the world" into our home. In 2003, I transformed a family house into a guest house. The world has indeed come, and we have experienced wonderful moments of exchange ...
The way
Towards a more sober tourism
In doing so, our ecological awareness grew, while the climate emergency and loss of biodiversity were revealed more and more every day. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic made us all think, get back to basics ...
In this context, "doing our part" has become a priority. We have adhered to the "slow tourism" or "slow travel" approach, which consists of taking the time to travel, to discover, while respecting the natural and human environment. We set out to disseminate the concept and put it into practice.
The richness of each site is such that a real discovery requires more than a simple "visit". The immersion of the traveler through experiences (physical, sensory), landscapes, authentic encounters, this immersion requires time. Time to soak up the world; the time that the emotion is born.
Today
Our 4 convictions for a slow tourism
- - The holidays are not a race against time to see and do a maximum of things in a minimum of time,
- - Slowing down is essential to get together, enjoy your loved ones, reweave human ties, and the holidays are the perfect time to dare that,
- - Breaking away from everyday life does not necessarily require more "luxury" but certainly more openness and curiosity, qualities that we develop when we are internally soothed, serene.
- - Respecting a place and its inhabitants is an essential step in really meeting them. The first step is to respect yourself.
This is where the reflections on our profession have led us. No, to slow down is not to be bored: it is to open your eyes wide.
Our rhythms of life have sneakily accelerated, without our really consenting to it. It is time, for us, for future generations, for the planet, it is time to learn to brake. What if the holidays were the perfect time to initiate this?
Fabienne (and Thierry who is never far away)