Within this blog post I will be discussing an article on sustainable travel. I have been looking at The World’s Inspiring Places: Sierra Gorda from the sustainabletravel.org. Sustainable travel is something I had never taken an interest in or even really understood. However, after reading this article I can profoundly say I would now take the time to read more into.
From the standfirst we are taken on a journey to Sierra Gorda. Jonathon Tourtellot avoids boring the reader with the journey to Sierra Gorda by keeping it brief using just one long sentence. Tourtellot uses punchy words such as winds, past and slices within the sentence. The word slices specifically stood out to me; it rolls off the tongue and has a really cutting feel to it. I have recently learnt to avoid discussing the journey to the place you are discussing as it isn’t relevant to the reader even if it is an interesting journey. What we find interesting isn’t always going to be found interesting by others and also isn’t always relevant to the place you are discussing as we are all coming from different places. I feel this brief yet elegant intro sets the scene in our minds and allows them to visualize the pathway to Sierra Gorda.
The writer then goes into a new paragraph and tells us how this holiday destination is ‘friendly’ and gives back to the locals. Tourtellot provides us with a list of activities i.e. biking and hiking, and things to see that can all be done through a non-polluting method of travel. When you think about why we go away, there are many reasons that come to mind like seeing beautiful things, trying new foods, doing things you can’t do at home and perhaps even coming back with a healthy glow. Tourtellot is clever with how he sells the idea of a sustainable holiday to us using adjectives such as flavorful, lush and healthy, words we relate back to the idea of why we go on holiday.
In addition to the eco-friendly activities and the support given to locals by tourists buying their local produce, I have learnt that a big selling part of Sierra Gorda is the ‘eye-grabbing mountain scenery’ and the voluntarily preserved forest. The region boasts five different ecosystems which Tourtellot describes as win-win for visitors; re-assuring tourists that the sustainability here benefits us aswell as the locals. Tourtellot keeps his article concise as within these two paragraphs alone I have learnt a holiday here is sustainable in many ways meaning we can have a holiday completely guilt free.
The article has been written using a formal tone and is informative providing readers with multiple facts on Sierra Gorda. There is little to none humour within the article but the descriptive language keeps readers interested and excited. Moreover Tourtellot has managed to write an article of a reasonably short length and still squeeze in a lot of information about Sierra Gorda but most importantly how it is a sustainable holiday.
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