Holistic Travel
A Holistic Approach to travel, rooted in curiosity and Connection
SKIP TO: FORGE,DO NOT FOLLOW | NATURE HEALS | CULTIVATE CURIOSITY | SLOWER TRAVEL, DEEPER IMPACT| CONSERVATION
We never set out to name a “type of travel” but something about how most people travel today did not sit right to me, and more people are going in the wrong direction.
It seems a bit silly because before social media told us what we are missing out on, our elders heard stories from their friends and family, and followed that little urge inside of them around the world, to see, feel and meet the people and places of these stories. They went in without any pretence or expectations and dived deep into immersive cultural experiences.
It wasn’t just about the destinations—it was the disconnection. Disconnection from the rush to tick things off, the copy-paste itineraries, the selfies in front of places no-one took the time to understand. I saw more and more people seeing the world without really meeting it. Without noticing the small details. Without asking when was this road built, who was the first to discover the place, and what this view looked like before it was a social media post.
That’s when it finally hit me that what we do isn’t just what other people are doing and other companies are offering— it’s not just sustainable travel, not just ethical travel, not even just conscious travel anymore—because all those terms have been watered down and overused.
What we’re doing at Chicken Feet Travels is something more layered. More human. More whole.
So none of the above truly resonated with me until I labeled it a holistic approach to travel—holistic travel for short. Yes, we bring you to the places. Yes, you are meeting people you would never meet 9 to 5, 365. And yes, we make the adventure easy. But it is about raising self-awareness, understanding what you actually like and want to do in the world, growing through the experience of holistic travel.
To travel holistically means looking at the entire ecosystem of a trip—not just where you’re going but how you’re arriving. It’s considering your time, your energy, your money, your impact, and your intentions. It’s asking what this trip will give to the people and places you meet—and what it will eventually give back to you, not just in photos but in perspective and stories.
It’s not about going to places to take the perfect photo to humble brag to your mates. It’s about presence. And these five principles are what guide everything we do:
Forge, Do not Follow
Instagram and influencer culture have made it normal to travel on autopilot—just follow, just copy, just show up where everyone else is going. But the more we do that, the more we lose the essence of what travel could be.
Yes, the most popular destinations are often stunning. There is a reason people return again and again. But when 90% of global tourism is concentrated in just the same 100 destination—and 94 out of the 100 top destinations have not changed in years—we have to ask: is this really exploration or is this replication? Is there a better way ? Where are the other places away from mass tourism?
At Chicken Feet Travels, we dare you to forge a different path. It’s not the easiest route but that’s exactly why we are here. To guide you off the beaten track, into something real.
We’ve spent years scouring Southeast Asia not for the most famous places but for the most transformative ones—places that surprised us, welcomed us, and changed us. These are the kind of places that don’t show up on the first page of a search result because the best stories aren’t tagged or geo-located. They’re passed along from person to person, often by random chance or over a shared meal in stranger’s home.
Forging a new path doesn’t always mean going remote or only using squatty toilets. But it does mean leaving room for surprise and staying long enough to be invited deeper in, and asking better questions—not just “What is there to see?” but “Who is there to meet?”
We know that going off The Banana Pancake Trail is daunting. It takes effort. It takes time to wait for the right moments. It takes money to get where fewer go. It takes grit to navigate discomfort when roads close or plans change. That’s why we design experiences that strike a balance.
Jin (our co-founder) is a backpacker at heart. Every location we offer has been visited firsthand—often multiple times—because the more trust we earn from the guides, the more secrets we learn about the "undiscovered”. Most of our trips weren’t recommended by Instagram, but by the local and international friends who are deep within all the communities they live in. We connect with and listen to seasoned guides, fisherman, and drivers who share our values and thirst for adventure.
Once upon a time, even the most iconic destinations were just quiet corners waiting to be found—and there are still so many more. Often these are sitting just beyond the one-hour drive radius of an airport’s convenience or two streets back from the main tourist high street, or tucked behind a language barrier, a dirt road, or a leap of faith most people don’t take.
This is what it means to forge, not follow—to embrace the adventure mindset.
Because when we dare to forge new paths and friendships, we truly know the essence of where we go.
Nature heals
Because magic only takes three days.
Most of us don’t need a vacation—we need to feel alive again. And the fastest way to do that is to step into nature. Even a short time in wild places helps us reset. This isn’t just a nice idea—it’s backed by science. Researchers call it the Three Day Effect: the shift that happens when we unplug, slow down, and ground ourselves in the natural world to recalibrate.
At Chicken Feet Travels, we design experiences around that effect. We believe three days in the right place, with the right people, with the right intention can change everything. These are not quick getaways just to tick off a list—these are invitations to breathe again. To surf at sunrise, to climb through clouds, to eat food that taste like where it came from, and to feel what it’s like to belong in the world again.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
Nature is the main event. All our adventures are rooted in years of exploring, riding, diving and listening. We partner with the people who call these places their home which gives them all the reason to protect their corner of nature. We’ve created nature-based experiences for those who need them most—busy professionals living daily life on repeat, seekers and retired wanderers. You don’t need a sabbatical to come alive. You just need a few days where the air is clean, the wifi signal is weak, and the land and animals are still wild enough to remind you who you are.
And when we remember that nature heals, we remember how to protect. After all, we are nature.
Cultivate Curiosity
“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” So—when was the last time you tried something new, just because?
Fast forward 50 years. When you look back, what will you actually remember?
We believe curiosity is a compass. Especially in Southeast Asia, where following that nudge often leads somewhere unexpected and unforgettable. Whether it’s summiting a volcano, diving in the Coral Triangle, tasting something unfamiliar, or doing absolutely nothing at a UNESCO heritage site—this region has a way of expanding your world if you let it.
And the best part? It’s often affordable to try. A surf lesson. A yoga retreat. A local weaving class. A street food stall you’d never notice unless you stopped. You don’t need to be “outdoorsy.” If you love coffee, go see how it grows. If you love food, learn to cook what you taste. If you love animals, spend a day with people protecting them. Prefer to sit and watch? Sit in a rice field and just observe. The magic is in the doing.
Curiosity builds confidence. It feels good to learn with your hands, to fumble, to find flow. You don’t need to summit a peak—you just need to say yes.
Adventure is a mindset. It’s not about cliffs or climbs. It’s about staying curious when Google Maps drops out, and being bold when plans go sideways. The real adventure begins when you stop needing it to look a certain way
You start by going.
And if you don’t try, you don’t know.
We believe in you—because we were adult learners too.
Slower Travel, deeper Impact
Slower travel isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing it with more awareness, more curiosity, and more respect. It’s the opposite of checklist tourism. It’s not about how many destinations you can check off in two weeks—it’s about how deeply you can know one place.
It’s about choosing to stay somewhere long enough that people call you by name.
Long enough that the café owner knows your order.
Long enough that you stop photographing everything and start noticing things.
You begin to understand what time feels like when it’s not dictated by a commercialised tour schedule or an algorithm. You trade FOMO for presence. You let the place leave a mark on you.
This is travel that builds relationships—with people, with nature, and with parts of yourself you may have forgotten.
You don’t just pass through. You connect. You contribute. You become part of something.
And yes—if you’re lucky enough to have a cool boss who values your work and trusts you, you can make this lifestyle sustainable. You can work from nearly anywhere if you’ve built that trust. You keep your promises. You show up for your team. You work the midnight to 9 a.m. shift if you have to—because you’ve earned the trust to design a life that flows differently.
It’s not about escaping work. It’s about making the hours in between matter.
Instead of sitting in traffic, you’re surfing before sunrise.
Instead of going to a fluorescent gym, you’re taking a walk through rice terraces.
Instead of lunch at your desk, you’re experimenting with new cuisines.
Travel still comes down to time, money and grit. Fly too fast and you miss the soul of a place. Move too slow and it might cost you more than you planned. But when you find your rhythm and have the courage to listen instead of consume, you will feel a shift.
This lifestyle isn’t a fantasy. It’s a choice. We know this lifestyle works. And we believe you can create your most meaningful memories when you slow down long enough to notice what matters—and to matter to the places you visit.
Start seeing the possibilities by experiencing your own city as a slow traveller.
That’s the deeper impact.
Conservation
We prioritise the planet and the people and by engaging with the local communities we can reduce tourism leakage.
When we travel better, we give more than we take. At Chicken Feet Travels, conservation means more than protecting nature—it means empowering the people who live the closest to it.
In the remote corners we travel to, tourism can be a lifeline. Jin has seen it firsthand: responsible travel funds children’s education, puts food on tables, and saves lives by providing more cash and access to healthcare.
And no, it’s not about volunteering. It’s not about planting trees for a day and flying home. It’s about the small decisions we make. Choosing the cafe that supports remote villages to grow shade grown coffee. Choosing to go where most don’t with the intention to support small communities trying to rise above subsistence farming or fishing. Choosing truly sustainable hotels taking responsibility of the neighbourhood and land they moved into.
If we had to sum up Chicken Feet Travels in one word, it would be this: conservation.
Conserving biodiversity on land and underwater.
Conserving culture, language, and heritage.
Conserving a thriving future for all of us.
Travel is our tool. Through careful partnerships in Southeast Asia, we show you the people the places worth protecting—and remind you why they are worth fighting for.
