Yesterday, I joined Latitude, a global gathering of responsible tourism professionals.
My takeaway was connection — and relief.
Why relief? I’ve spent years building something that doesn’t sit comfortably in the language learning industry, and doesn’t quite fit traditional travel either. Not because I was trying to be different, but because I care about two things that don’t often meet: that people actually learn to use English in a way that lasts, and that the places hosting them are respected, not used.
So I’ve made choices that don’t always make sense on paper. Small groups. Real homes. Muddy shoes. Real conversations.
A pace that follows people, not a schedule.
Listening to people speak about purposeful travel, community-based experiences, and climate responsibility helped me realise:
What feels odd and unusual in my industry (language education) is completely obvious in the sustainable tourism sectors.
I’m not working on the edge of another space.
I’m already inside it.
In my last holiday, we popped into the local soap shop. (I have written about Gil and Planet Soap before in a blog.
This was for me to buy a small gift for the lady who helped my client R. find my holidays. She had searched for language holidays in Scotland and found the Blue Noun site.
I chose a bar of handmade soap. Scotch pine, it captures the scent of the landscape here.
Gil is always up for a chat. We spoke about R., his dogs, and returning to work after such a long break. I don’t remember why, but I mentioned I’ve always wanted a pet raven.
Gil then told us about the time a crow landed on her head while she was gardening and refused to leave.
She made lunch with it still there (it stayed for hours). Eventually, she had to gently move it onto the fence before going out, hoping it might still be there when she came back.
It wasn’t.
Like me, she would love a pet crow.
(R. asked me outside the shop if the story was true — it’s wonderfully true. That’s the power of real language travel.
At Latitude, people spoke about responsible travel, community-based tourism, and the need to move away from experiences that are staged or extractive.
I recognised all of it.
Because this is what it looks like in practice.
It’s not bigger. It’s not louder. It doesn’t scale easily.
But it respects the people and places involved, and it gives something back — in attention, in conversation, in connection.
This is why the feeling of being in the room was one of relief.
I design from a place of asking what language learning needs to feel good, relaxed, and happy — and still be efficient.
I’ve dismantled huge structures and rebuilt — alone.
Through instinct, through caring about the planet, and through caring that my clients get results that still work six months later.
Discovering Latitude is discovering hundreds of people who are approaching other forms of travel in this way, all around the world.
People in Africa creating businesses that share wildlife without impacting animals. A woman offering non-invasive sea experiences in the Maldives — a place where package tourism has a huge impact.
I have an arts background and a language background — but not a travel design background. I’ve been learning it all along. (In the beginning, I didn’t even know the term existed.)
The Latitude community started from a different point (travel needs rather than language needs), but we converged on purposeful travel.
They see the beauty in what I do.
They found it refreshingly obvious that this is a brilliant way to improve in language — no convincing needed.
People in the language industry think it’s strange that I share conversations with a farmer, learning about his circular farming practice.
At Latitude, they get it.
They see how carefully I’ve built a holiday around community-based tourism that benefits the locals, shares culture (and promotes it globally), without any compromise on authenticity.
If this feels like what you’ve been looking for
If this way of experiencing English feels like something you’ve been looking for, you can explore how a full week is shaped here:
→ Blue Noun English Language Holidays in Scotland
Or, if you’d prefer to talk it through, you’re very welcome to get in touch and ask questions.
Useful Links
How we balance learning, wellbeing, and responsibility
Our three priorities make for one great holiday.
The Places That Hold Your English Holiday
Discover the places at the heart of our English language holiday in Scotland — locations we know deeply and share with care.
→ See The Places at the Heart of Our English Language Holiday in Scotland
Sincerity Matters
About sincerity in language education. Why it matters and our tips for recognising it.
→ Sincerity in Language Education | Why You Need it to Progress
