Why We Travel

Having recently passed the unofficial close of summer in a year characterized by uncertainty, “20/20” vision has turned into something of an anomaly.

But there’s always a silver lining, and from health care and education to work and travel, broken systems and age-old models are finally taking a good look in the mirror to see what’s ugly and what works. Innovation, after all, is borne out of chaos — a re-evaluation of purpose and principle. It was in 14th century Italy, ravaged by the Bubonic Plague, that the Renaissance followed.

With that in mind, how can something we hold so dear to our hearts such as travel, be re-imagined in a post Covid world?

Are Venice’s polluted canals and Barcelona’s suffocated Ramblas metrics indicating that tourism has healthily returned? And to what extent has globalization’s ease eclipsed the deeper reasons of why we travel: the delight of otherness; the surprise in spontaneity; the unanticipated human connection.

As the world buckles under our current plague I reconsider why we travel in the first place and how these values - curating meaningful connection, promoting sense of place and celebrating nuance - can be brought forward when travel re-emerges.

Getting back to the Ramblas for a moment: in July 2017 a mega cruise liner dropped upwards of 60,000 guests in Barcelona. Nearly all beelined for Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s famed tree-lined artery, where sangria and castanets (neither of which are Catalan) satiated their wallets and curiosity. While mass tourism, like globalization, cannot be reversed, I lament the direction in which packaged tours, hop-on hop-off buses, downloadable experience apps and quick-fixes have curtailed curiosity, shrunk comfort zones and diluted bucket lists. The result is an amalgamation of prêt-à-porter tourism, forgettable meals and a dependence on third party platforms where top-rated user experiences are peppered among paid ads.

In a recent interview in Monocle, Value Retail CEO Scott Malkin said “great experience online cannot deliver the emotion, gratification and satisfaction of the physical, memorable, on the ground, in-person experience. The human qualities, the touch, when delivered well, will surprise and delight.”

Where Malkin compares online shopping to the experience of physical retail, the principle remains: the joy of human connection and the power of nuance are irreplaceable.

While a post-Covid world will undoubtedly move more online, there is one sector that must double-down on human connection, and that is travel.

As travelers’ behavior evolves, placing higher value on open spaces, greater privacy and increased safety, this shift presents key opportunities for the travel industry to evolve in turn and create thoughtful proposals which encourage novel synergies: facilitating a deeper appreciation of the culture and gastronomy of rural areas; meeting and supporting artisan producers in situ; learning about a region's diversity and sustainability; or dining on the terroir where one’s favorite wine is grown.

It is only when we take ourselves off the beaten path that true surprise, delight and nuance can appear.

In rethinking why, we can also enrich how we travel, and return home all the better for it.

Jonathan Lerner is the founder of Tailored Tours, a creative travel studio which curates cultural and gastronomic experiences in Spain and across Europe.

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5 Experiences Not To Miss in Antwerp, Belgium

As a creative travel studio, Tailored Tours scours the continent's cities & landscapes, sharing in its rich cultural heritage, celebrating its artists & artisans and delighting in its prized local gastronomies. Our passion for meaningful relationships and love of craft provides us with access to unique places & personalities across Europe.

As a late summer escape we've created a weeklong journey to Antwerp, Belgium, for NY-based partner VinePair, and are happy to share with you a short list of some of our favorite haunts, museums & encounters.

Here are some of the most memorable corners of Antwerp, all washed down with the world's most delicious beer.

Baroque-n-Roll

While a visit to Antwerp's Cathedral, or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, is the popular church of choice, Antwerp is home to some of the most exquisite examples of Baroque architecture in all of Europe. Our favorite is Saint Paul’s (Sint-Pauluskerk in Flemish). Dating back to the year 1571, its heavenly interior, twisting white marble columns and superb collection of paintings by the Flemish masters (Rubens & van Dyck among others), not to mention some of the most impressive wood carvings in a country full of artisans, make it truly a gem. And the fact that you may find yourself there all alone is all the more magical.

Saint Paul's Church -

Address: Sint-Paulusstraat, 22

Beer, Beer, Beer

From Trappist to Saison, Lagers to Ales, Blondes to Whites, selecting a beer in Belgium is no easy task. We happen to be very good at this and happy to help!

Our favorite? St Bernardus, a luscious, dark Trappist beer whose recipe was the brain child of an ex-Westvleteren brew master. With several varities to its name ranging from the 4.8% abv "St Bernardus Extra" to our favorite, the 10% abv “Abt 12”. Where to try it? Our favorite spot is Dansing Chocola, a beautiful two-story bar & restaurant located on historic Kloosterstraat. Jaak, the owner and native Antwerper, is cool as cool gets, and will gladly pour you a full (or 1/2 size upon request) Bernardus to accompany their superb homemade Belgian stoofvlees, or Flemish stew.

Dansing Chocola - Address: Kloosterstraat, 159

Frites

If you didn’t know it already, the secret to Belgian fries’ success is that they’re twice cooked. First, to get the perfect soft interior, and second for that ideal outer crisp. Old or young, carnivore or vegan, nothing stands between a Belgian and their fries, and there are literally thousands of “frituur”, or french fry stands, across the country. Our favorites are the modestly named #1 Frituur and Frites Atelier, both classics located in downtown Antwerp. Pictured here is our very own Luke Watson, self-proclaimed frites connoisseur, ready for a chow.

#1 Frituur - Address: Hoogstraat, 1 ; Frites Ateler - Address: Korte Gasthuisstraat, 32

Jenever

Drinking jenever is one of those wonderful ways to learn history while at the local bar. The traditional juniper-flavored liquor of Belgium and the Netherlands from which gin later evolved, and according to EU regulations the only two countries (in addition to two small regions in France & Germany) where jenever receives an officially protected appellation. Our favorite jenever bar, de Vagant, is run by a father - son duo who are so dedicated to their country's liquid past that in addition to the more than 200 jenevers to sip through, they've created their very own jenever museum upstairs, replete with old bottles, posters and turn of century jenever paraphernalia. The only problem is getting down the stairs!

de Vagant - Address: Reyndersstraat, 25

Amazing Museums

Antwerp was once was the richest city in Northern Europe. A port city of commerce, the arts and some of the most highly skilled artisans in the world, a stroll through its old quarter will transport you back to the age of Mercator & Rubens. And after your fill of beer and frites, a visit to one of the city's collection of museums is a must.

Our favorite is the Plantin-Moretus Museum, UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the oldest functioning printing press in the world, in addition to tapestries, books, antiques and room after gorgeous room of Flemish masterpieces. Ponder what you've seen from the rose garden, a beautiful patio dating from the 1600s.

Plantin-Moretus Museum - Address: Vrijdagmarkt, 22-23

This September Tailored Tours and VinePair are heading to Belgium to discover the very best in culture, the arts & gastronomy as we go behind the scenes with top chefs, access private tastings, master classes & more. Join us for the trip of a lifetime!