For far too long, travel experiences and storytelling have been shaped by visitors, for visitors. This consumer-centric model reinforces stereotypes, exploits people’s heritage and culture, and fails to give agency to communities — all while providing minimal benefit to the places people travel.

At Resonate, our mission is to nurture local pride as the most sustainable asset in any community. We do this by offering space for local people to share their own stories and let the narrative be driven from within their communities. We acknowledge the value of these stories and will respectfully pay for the privilege to publish them and give back to these communities. 

Our mission is also to let these stories inspire and build a mindful community of travellers who choose to engage with and respect the communities around the world that they visit. We will keep pushing boundaries in the way travel functions by centering local people and finding practical solutions for pressing sustainability issues that plague travel. 

We aim to shift that traveler-first mentality to one that priortises the health and well-being of the destinations people visit and the people who live there.

How do we do this?

We empower local people to centre themselves, their communities, and their destinations in the travel conversation. They tell their stories — written or visual — on their terms, receiving viewership from people interested in hearing their voices.

We create a space for readers for whom this concept resonates. This is their opportunity to join a growing, mindful community that enjoys getting deeper into destinations, learning about the challenges and solutions facing tourism, and fostering travel experiences that are intentional, respectful, and captivating.

We invite destination promoters to connect with this engaged audience. Through the Resonate platform, they are able to promote what destinations and communities want, and not only what the market demands.

We provide travellers with inspiration and practical information so they can journey around the world with consideration, courage, and an open mind.

At Resonate, we work closely with writers so their lived experiences are featured and these locally focused stories accurately represent the destinations where they are anchored.

We won’t always get this right — after all, it’s impossible to be all things for all people. But, we are committed to doing our best, learning from our missteps, and continuing to adapt our model 

We can’t do this alone: Our actions affect other people, natural habitats, and the destinations we visit. Open communication and mutual learning about responsible travel are essential to our success. We rely on your input and encourage conversation at Resonate so that together we can create and support an ecosystem where travel truly benefits local communities.

The People

The Local Experts

Our local experts are on-the-ground, passionate storytellers eager to share their stories and favourite aspects of the places they know best.

The Community

The Resonate community is a collective of readers, travellers, activists, and destinations committed to empowering and benefiting local people through tourism.

The People Behind the Scenes

We are travel professionals who have seen the harm tourism can cause, recognise the opportunity it offers, and are committed to doing what we can to bridge that gap. Resonate is powered by Ethical Travel Portal.

THE RESONATE TEAM

Emily Cathcart

Editor & Content Creator

Having lived in the US, UK and now Ireland, Emily was delighted to join Resonate as our storytelling platform's content manager. She enjoys encouraging authors through the creation process and also helping non-writers to find their voice — all with Ethical Travel Portal's responsible tourism principles in mind. When Emily isn't commissioning or editing, she's wandering the Irish capital seeking off-the-beaten-path discoveries for her All About Dublin website. And when she isn't busy with all of the above, Emily writes articles and photo essays as a freelance journalist for publications from boutique magazines to national newspapers.

Linda Veråsdal

Co-creator

The founder of Ethical Travel Portal, Linda spends half the year in Norway and the other half in The Gambia. Linda is passionate about responsible tourism and tourism as a tool for positive development. With a Master's in Responsible Tourism, she has years of experience in the field, from owning a company to developing experiences to leading trips. Putting principles into practice, Linda has shown how tailor-made responsible travel packages can have a transformative, positive impact on communities, especially in remote areas of The Gambia where she and her team have been actively promoting sustainable tourism for several years.

Raj Gyawali

Co-creator

Based in Nepal, Raj is one of the driving forces behind Ethical Travel Portal. With over two decades of specialist knowledge of responsible tourism in practice and ground-level experience building, he developed his company socialtours as the first in Asia to be sustainability certified. Working in Ghana, China, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh and India, he keeps a finger on the pulse of tourism. Raj consults on responsible tourism, especially on destination development, helping organisations, governments and communities create more sustainable practices. Passionate about soft adventure, Raj loves most to be in the mountains, leading a multi-day hike, or researching new experiences!

Shailesh Man Joshi

Developer

Based in Nepal, Shailesh Man Joshi is a versatile full-stack developer with a passion for problem-solving and solution architecture. With experience collaborating globally, he brings a unique perspective to his work. Self-motivated and a quick learner, Shailesh thrives in dynamic environments, embracing new technologies and coding practices. He is keen on the tech world and is always on the hunt for new tech gadgets. Outside of his technical pursuits, he finds fulfilment in gaming and sports (particularly MMA and football) and gets his inspiration from exploring different places and trying out various cuisines.

Subhasini Shrestha

Marketeer

Subhasini, a Nepal native now residing in the USA, is a seasoned professional in SEO, social media, and content management. With expertise in curating content for Ethical Travel Portal's social media and websites, she’s made significant contributions to multiple organisations within the tourism industry, particularly in destination marketing. Beyond her work commitments, Subhasini can be found outdoors, capturing moments with her camera. She has a passion for exploration, an appreciation for nature, and a love for momo — Nepali-style dumplings, a dish close to her food enthusiast’s heart. Moreover, Subhasini believes in sustainability, actively embracing minimalism to reduce her environmental footprint.