Q&A with Irene Lane: Greenloons, Ecotourism and her Craziest Travel Experience

As part of our goal to make life easier for bus travelers, we keep in touch with travelers who have had firsthand experiences wandering the world. Last time, we featured Andy Steves – president and CEO of Weekend Student Adventures. Today, we’re happy to feature Irene Lane, founder and president of Greenloons.

Irene Lane is a founder, a mother and holds a MBA degree in International Finance. She flexed her corporate muscles for 12 years as a consultant for federal government agencies and in private technology companies such as eBay before launching herself in the world of ecotourism. Irene has traveled in more than 33 countries and lived in five different countries throughout her life. Here’s our Q&A with this fascinating and accomplished human being.

1. What was the triggering point in your life that made you want to contribute to the ecotourism industry?

The trigger was when my husband and I began actively seeking out nature experiences and cultural immersion activities as part of our travels around the country and around the world, with our then young son. He was so fascinated by the wonders of nature and listened so attentively during teachable moments that I began to research online for family nature travel experiences, which eventually led to green travel.

However, to my astonishment, there was a lot of confusion around the terms eco, green, nature, responsible, sustainable and I thought that the industry was doing itself a disservice by not being clear. What started out as an information portal for travelers gradually evolved to what Greenloons is today.

2. If you had to recommend someone their first ecotourism destination/vacation, what would it be?

If someone is trying out ecotourism for the first time, I would highly recommend Costa Rica. First, there’s a wide variety of quality green hotels that fit all budgets, a diverse set of ecosystems and wildlife packed into a small area, and lots of education, adventure activities for families. There’s also the added benefit of being able to see quite a lot of the country by bus.

 

 

3. If you had all the power in the world, what would be the one thing you’d change about the travel industry? And why?

I’d like the travel industry to think out of the box more about the power of sustainability. Ecotourism, when done right, positively affects communities, travelers and business’ financial bottom line. However, as a society, we are short-term and money focused.

I’d like for companies to dedicate part of their product line toward longer-range projects (that take a year or two) to work with communities, listen and educate travelers, resist homogenization of the travel experience, and properly measure every cost and interaction. It would take longer, but the effects can be profoundly impactful for both communities and for companies.

4. What was the craziest experience you’ve ever lived while traveling?

I have to say that the craziest experience was traveling through Seville, Spain during college. This was before the internet came of age and we were there for the World Expo. After my friend and I arrived at the train station, we had to book a room. Back then, each train station in Europe offered information and booking for the equivalent of USD $1.

After my friend and I chose a place to stay for the night, a car pulled up with a middle-aged couple inside who told us to jump in so they would take us to their hotel. We were skeptical, but we got into the car. The next thing we knew, we were taken to a “big box” store and told to pick out our mattresses. Honestly, we started wondering if we had made a huge mistake (what kind of place doesn’t have a mattress?), but kept going out of curiosity.

In the end, the couple took us to their newly finished room (they had built an extension specially for visitors to the World Expo and the place still smelled of fresh paint). They placed the mattresses on the beds, gave us some sheets and towels, the keys and left. I guess that is what happens sometimes when the World Expo comes to town.

 

 

5. Do you have a memorable bus story to share with our readers?

Last summer, my son and I traveled through Croatia by bus, which was extremely convenient and quite enjoyable – save some quirks. The scenery, especially on the Dalmatian coast, was truly remarkable and it helped a great deal to have a good Wi-Fi connection while onboard.

The quirky part that you had to be mindful of was that it was solely up for the driver and ticket handler’s discretion as to when to take a break. When they stopped, some of them gave you a 20-minute break while others only gave you a 5-minute break, and they didn’t count heads when it was time to leave. Essentially, there weren’t any designated rules either about where they would stop, so it was important to keep track, otherwise, you could be stuck for at least a day.

One time, the bus started to depart and we saw this lady running across the parking lot. She had this small pastry bag with her, high heels on and was screaming for the bus to stop. Neither the bus driver or ticket handler saw her, so we told them to stop and pointed outside. She got on the bus, said a few choice words in Croatian, and rather than profusely apologizing, the driver and ticket handler looked at each other, laughed and proceeded to drive. I suppose there’s little mercy from bus drivers in Croatia.

 

You can find Irene’s articles, reviews, stories and videos on Huffington Post and the Greenloons Eco Blog as well as other media outlets, such as The Planet D, Your Life is A Trip, and Family Travel Guides, among others.  Irene’s also active on Twitter and Facebook.