About YTG & Work with YTG

My name is Marjolein Linstra (1987) and I live in beautiful Groningen. I officially graduated as a film scholar (Theater, Film and Television Sciences) and previously completed the Leisure Management course. In addition to my work, I enjoy the following things: traveling, film, photography, media, television, reading, running and fitness. I have now been lucky enough to discover quite a lot of Europe. From an early age I have had a certain fascination with America and since I visited the country in 2013, I have fallen in love with The States. In addition to America, I can also often be found on the Wadden Islands, and I have now visited them all several times. In 2016 my way of traveling changed and I made my first solo trip to Berlin. For years I didn’t dare to take the step, but I’m glad I did. I am now a freelance content creator and I really enjoy the freedom that comes with it.

Why Your Travel Guide?

Your Travel Guide is an award-winning website that wants to inspire you to slow down in life, to travel slower, to use a different way of traveling and to gain special experiences. To apply slow travel in your travels. My love for lists is reflected in things you can do at destinations, not things you have to cross off. With slow travel you can think of tours/train journeys, solo travel, nature escapes, micro adventures, special overnight stays, off the beaten and special experiences, deepening into cultures and slow travel in cities. With Your Travel Guide I want to show you how you can slow down during your travels, how you can choose to travel more consciously and slower.

Your Travel Guide was created in 2016 from my love for lists. That love is still there, but in a different way. Where I used to want to see as many of those lists as possible, nowadays I have less and less need for that. I try to enjoy the moment. And those lists? I pin it in Google Maps and the evening before I roughly decide what I want to do the next day. I try to leave more room for spontaneous things and less time checking off lists.

Slow travel

The best form of traveling and still discovering new places

Slow Travel

In recent years, I have increasingly traveled to or from locations by public transport. Make traveling part of your trip. Surrender to the rhythm of the journey. Not only sustainable, but also the perfect way to relax before you reach your destination and take in everything along the way.

Nature has also become an increasingly important part of my travels in recent years. The place to really relax, to leave everything behind, to gain new inspiration. Walking in nature is the purest form of slow travel.

Slow travel and traveling

And how do I apply this when visiting cities during my travels? Not really a place to relax? Certainly not a city like my favorite city New York, or is it? Slow travel can also be used there. When I travel I look for that little park. Just read a book, have lunch or observe the locals. I try to visit places where you learn about the locals. I join a free tour and discover what makes the destination unique and what the cultural differences are with home. And here too I don’t plan my entire trip, but I am open to spontaneous things. Another example of traveling more slowly is traveling by train, something I have been doing more and more in recent years.

Solo travel

I have been traveling solo for a number of years now. For me it is a pure form of travel, you have to fend for yourself, determine your own plan, meet people and be open to new experiences. As a solo traveler you notice much more of the little things, things that you often don’t see when you travel with someone because you are more easily distracted.

In recent years I have noticed that I have changed myself. The pandemic has made me pay more attention to nature and look more for the peace I find in nature. I came to the realization that I no longer felt like planning my trips with all kinds of sights. Of course I still want to see things at a destination, but in my own way, no rat race, but open to spontaneous things, living in the here and now.

And slow travel is the ultimate example of this. I hope to inspire you to let things go while traveling and let it wash over you. To gain special experiences, travel solo and travel more consciously and slowly.

Working with Your Travel Guide

It is possible to work with Your Travel Guide. On the Dutch version of YTG I’ve had several cooperations with brands and destinations. Would you like to get some attention on a product, destination or company? You can think of these kinds op cooperations:

(solo) presstrips
Advertorials
Reviews
Events

I’ve worked with brands and destinations like:

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