Not all knowledge can be found online. Some long-standing traditions, skills, and crafts have been passed down through generations and are best learned directly from the people who continue to practice them.
Now, B Corp–certified luxury travel company Black Tomato is aiming to bring travelers closer to these traditions with the launch of the Keepers, a new collection of journeys built around the people and families that are preserving time-honored practices and trades.
The Keepers grew out of a question, Tom Marchant, cofounder of Black Tomato, tells Afar: “What could we learn from people whose knowledge and ways of life have been passed down through generations? That knowledge shapes how they grow and share food, how they care for the land, and how they stay connected to family and community. We saw an opportunity to build journeys around lessons that stay with travelers long after they come home,” he says.
What emerged was a series of five immersive trips during which travelers spend extended time—days not hours—with local hosts and families to learn about and experience traditions, skills, and crafts passed down through generations.
The Keepers, Black Tomato’s new global journeys
Learn about traditional Chinese medicine with the Keepers experience in China.
Courtesy of Black Tomato
Chengdu, China
During this trip in China’s Sichuan province, guests will spend time with a 28th-generation Zheng-Yi Qimen Taoist and learn about the principles of feng shui and qi. On Qingcheng Mountain, a sacred Taoist site, travelers will explore the roots of Chinese medicine and seasonal eating, with a focus on finding balance in everyday life. Best time to go: March to May or October to November.
Chiloé, Chile
On the Chilean island of Chiloé, travelers will gather clams and mussels along the shore at low tide with a local expert and work on a farm cultivating rare varieties of potatoes and garlic rooted in generations of Williche farming knowledge. Best time to go: October to April.
Connemara, Ireland
This Keepers experience is a five-day immersion into the Connemara storytelling traditions, in a region where Irish-language storytelling and song remain important parts of the culture. Travelers will spend time with an Irish speaker, a folklore expert, and a local farmer, and sail on a traditional Galway hooker (a type of fishing boat). A final supper will take place in a pub, complete with local card games and old Irish singing. Best time to go: April to early May or October to November.
High Atlas and Jebel Saghro, Morocco
Join members of the Aït Atta nomadic group during a biannual migration from their village to the High Atlas Mountains, walking alongside a herd of goats, mules, and donkeys. With the help of a local guide who provides translation, travelers will prepare meals with their hosts and sleep in canvas camps. Best time to go: May and September, timed to the Aït Atta’s two seasonal migrations, each lasting about two weeks.
Join goat herders in Italy’s Piedmont region, where travelers will learn about various aspects of the Slow Food movement.
Courtesy of Black Tomato
Roero, Italy
Participants will be immersed in the Piedmont region’s Slow Food movement, walking among orchards with farmers, learning about hazelnut cultivation, and shadowing truffle hunters through forests. This trip also includes time with goat herders, cheese-makers, and vintners to fully understand the complex journey from land to table. Best time to go: October to November for truffle season.
Working with local hosts
For Black Tomato, a luxury travel company that creates personalized travel itineraries and experiences, the Keepers is part of a broader effort to support regenerative travel that benefits local communities. Hosts set their own rates, decide when they are available, and can accept or decline any booking. Visits are private, with one traveling group at a time, and take place according to the hosts’ schedules. “That gives the people sharing their knowledge control over how they take part,” says Marchant.
When asked how the hosts feel about welcoming travelers into their daily lives, Marchant shared some of their thoughts with Afar.
“I feel it’s my responsibility not only to carry on the lineage, but to make it more accessible, so the people around me can go on to help others. Feng shui has always been seen as mysterious. My dream is to open it up and help people live better lives,” said Master Dale, who hosts travelers in China.
Learn about the unique varieties of potatoes and garlic that grow on the island of Chiloé in Chile.
Courtesy of Black Tomato
Pricing and accommodations
Because the itineraries are customized, they vary in length and price. For example, a six-day, five-night itinerary in Morocco starts at $12,950 per person. Accommodations may include Capella Shanghai, Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain, and the Peninsula Beijing for the China itinerary, or a private three-bedroom villa with a pool in Monteu Roero, Italy.
Who it’s for and where to next
Each journey can be customized for families, couples, or solo travelers, but Marchant sees the Keepers collection as particularly well suited for families. He notes that the appeal lies in allowing parents and caregivers to let go of the reins and giving travelers of all ages the opportunity to live together.
The destinations and experiences were selected based on Black Tomato’s strongest local relationships, says Marchant, who notes that the company is already considering additional Keepers journeys focused on nomadic life in Mongolia or Finnish Lapland, Slow Food traditions in Peru or Spain, or ancient philosophy in Japan.
“There are Keepers experiences all over the world, and the list keeps growing. We’re already thinking about the Dayak communities of Central Kalimantan, who carry deep knowledge of Borneo’s forests, and the Yamabushi mountain ascetics of Japan’s Tohoku region, who keep the practice of Shugendō alive,” says Marchant.
The Keepers is available only directly through Black Tomato.
