The more you know, the more you see – a motto that London-based traveller and National Geographic expert Tim Jepson carries with him to this day.
From hiking with his parents in his early teens, to moving to Rome in his 20s, Jepson has always been an avid traveller. After graduating from Oxford University, he lived and worked in Italy. His innate curiosity about the world has inspired him to write multiple books under his name and for National Geographic. He also has a wide portfolio of articles for publications worldwide, including The Telegraph, where he filled the role as a travel editor.
Jepson has no shortage of accolades and now as a National Geographic Expedition Expert, he’s combining his years of travelling experience and knowledge into enriching experiences for other travellers on National Geographic Signature with G Adventures.
The point of travel is not just about being at the destination, but fully immersing yourself and all five of your senses in the experience, Jepson says.
“Before you travel, it’s all in two dimensions. It’s flat on a page or a screen, but we are going because we want that moment when you first see the Taj Mahal, you walk through this great gateway. You got the noise, the bustle, the smell of the morning air and everything,” he says.
And with the experiences, should also come education, he adds.
“What I say I try to do as an expert, is education. But education that informs an experience,” says Jepson.
How travel can be a vehicle for positive change
When it comes to the importance of community tourism, Jepson points to a quote from German polymath and geographer Alexander von Humboldt: “The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world.”
Jepson says on top of bringing in money for local economies that we visit, travellers can become unofficial ambassadors to help shed light and greater understanding about communities around the world.
From his own personal travels, Jepson points to a time when he was travelling in Tibet as an example. He got to listen to the experiences of a Tibetan family who candidly spoke about what it’s like to be surveilled under thousands of Chinese CCTV cameras.
“That was one of those moments where you get a real insight into how life really is,” he says.
“It’s when you genuinely are forced to confront things that you’ve never really confronted … You have the five senses experience, but you have something which you take away and it changes you.”
Takeaways from a National Geographic expert
While some travellers come on trips having done research about a destination, Jepson says for those who haven’t, that’s where he is able to step in.
“I try to make people think. I ask questions, I have conversations. I don’t just say, ‘This is the Taj Mahal, it took 10 years to make,’” says Jepson.
“You want to make (travellers) think about the Islamic context of the building, why it’s there and all kinds of things. So I think that’s where experts come in, their role is to provide the context for the encounters that you’re going to have on these trips.”
No matter their age, Jepson aims to have his travellers take away a new lesson or idea.
“I do love to travel, and I’ve done a lot of it, but now, with doing what I do, it really suits me,” he says.
“For me, I’m curious, so I want to learn about stuff. And I need to learn about a lot of stuff to tell people and give people a focused introduction to places.”
Travel with Tim on National Geographic Signature with G Adventures: Iconic Trains of Switzerland & Italy’s Lake District
