Nowadays, travellers are tired of staying in glamorous resorts in urban settings comprised of standard horizons and impersonal atmospheres. It’s no secret that the great outdoors heals, calms and rejuvenates the mind, body and soul. Many are looking for this realignment as it brings the possibility of discovery, novelty and opportunity. Trips to ranches hidden in the depths of the country where guests wake up at 7am, or staying at farms and fighting to collect eggs that’ll be their breakfast, has become the traveller’s way of grasping and living life to the fullest. Two men, Freyr Thor and Tim Southwell, realised this trend and work towards this desire and Yonder, a travel booking site dedicated to connecting travellers with educational and enriching experiences within the heart of nature, is the fruits of their labour.

If travelling has become monotonous and repetitive and you’re yearning for more than a pleasant, yet slightly predictable breakfast from the comfort of a meticulous hotel bedroom, then Yonder’s careful selection of nature-rich properties and bespoke, nature immersive activities may just tickle your fancy. Designed to take labour and mundanity out of traveller’s trips, voyagers’ with Yonder will step beyond their self-imposed boundaries into a world of possibility. From horseback riding across snow-capped mountains, cattle driving over jagged terrain, sampling sweet grapes from private vines or glacier hiking in Alaska, natural wonders have never been so intimately discovered and solely yours.

Yonder’s motto is to encourage guests to ‘find your Yonder’. When asked to clarify this statement, Freyr explains that ‘yonder’ refers to that place where you feel complete, whole, and better. Using an analogy to further his point, Freyr states that everyone has their yonder and when they find it, they’re like a plant who has just been watered, the sun is shining and they start to grow as an individual. It’s for this reason, Yonder offers a plethora of unheard-of nature-inspired activities that encourages everyone to go on a journey of self-discovery and self-awareness.

Indeed, one’s yonder might be staying in The Romantic Tree House in Flipjack Ranch, Santa Cruz. Towering above ground level, set within a cluster of redwoods and using tree trunks as part of the architectural structure, this tree house exterior, balcony and outdoor deck are fashioned out of wood, and radiate an elegant rustic charm. With the only entrance being up a wooden staircase, guests climb the trees’ vertical length, leaving behind the intricate workings of twisted roots, towards an exposed canopy of brightly lit leaves. Juxtaposing the murky earth with the gleaming heavens, lends the property an enchanted aura and its encircling forests embodies a mystique and mystery the human imagination commonly associates with woods. As a result, there’s a seclusion on offer here that blurs the boundary between reality and fairy tale.

Minimalist, monochromatic furniture of earthy tones and floor-to-ceiling windows epitomises the popular indoor-outdoor living concept and allows for a touch of nature to be present indoors. Beyond the luxurious four-poster, king-sized bed and outdoor shower, the pièce de resistance of Flipjack Ranch’s treehouse is the hot tub. With an appearance and design of an exotic lagoon, guests can soak away their evenings in hot water, listening to the blissful silence and watching the tapestry of stars before heading to sleep, and waking to a delicious farm-to-table breakfast.

Having only recently launched Yonder’s booking site and app (ISO and Android) in 2020 there’s a plethora of untouched gems waiting for travellers to say, “I was the first there”. When asked what inspired the co-founders to create Yonder, Freyr reveals the duo spent time looking at nature tourism as a broad-based concept back in 2018. What came from their research was a profound disappointment in the lack of booking platforms that offered nature destinations and nature-based overnight stays.

Freyr points out that over the last few years there’s been an increasing demand for real, true nature experiences, as opposed to exploring overcrowded “normal” destinations like the Acropolis or Rome. Seeing an opportunity to shape nature tourism in a way that pays homage to the natural environment, while simultaneously reflecting the important role nature plays in healing and calming our bodies, minds and souls, the Yonder co-founders set about creating a website that emphases discovery and novelty. One such listing is their Lakota Safari Tent in Kettle Falls, situated at the foothills of the imposing Rocky Mountains near British Columbia, Canada.

Glamping in a luxurious safari tent seems attainable only when travelling in the golden dunes of the Sahara Desert or in the dense African wilderness. But with Yonder, travellers can spend adventurous evenings in the Lakota white canvas tents that are equivalent to the size of a luxurious hotel room. But the true indulgence comes in the finer details. With two queen beds, and intensely soft pillows and comforters, this luxury safari tent cuts no corners to ensure guests are warm and comfortable as they relax to the sweeping views of Idaho, Lake Roosevelt and Canada. What’s more is its exclusivity – being one of few properties that allows travellers to experience an authentic western living full of history and tradition. Their fly fishing, horseback riding and the tents themselves hark back to the glory days of the ranch, and to when luxury lodging was a favoured pastime in Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks.

Indeed, each property and activity on Yonder’s booking platform is owned and operated by a Yonder Steward who is an expert immersed in the environment. These land experts work on the farms and ranches themselves, are invested in restoring these places to wilderness and in taking care that their farming doesn’t take the nutrition out of the soil by implementing permaculture methods. Such authentic and in-depth knowledge is transferred onto the guests at these stays, and the activities the Stewards host provide context and depth by guiding and teaching them the surroundings and traditions of the regional flora and fauna.

Being immersed in nature with an expert’s expertise speaks for itself and reflects Yonder’s desire for their stays to be more than a place to crash, but a destination comprised of life changing moments. Freyr theorises that people will leave these experiences transformed. Indeed, it’s not hard to see how listening and being educated by Stewards can change a traveller’s entire attitude and perspective on life. One intriguing opportunity includes hiking with llamas at Prairie Path Farm.

Forget the notion of dogs as a man’s best friend, following your stewards’ instructions guests place leads on llamas who instantly become your trusty companion, blindly following your every footstep. While shadowing and learning about the environment and animals from the stewards, guests take llamas over half-wooded half-naked hills, down under a dense plantation of arched trees and over a weather-beaten plank of wood that acts as the necessary bridge to a narrow stream. Never before has it been so necessary for trust to exist between man and animal. But experiencing this unique activity means guests will leave having built a lasting bond between themselves and their llama, who in the end manoeuvre to place a big sloppy kiss on their traveller’s nose.

For something even more out of the box and in-tune with nature, guests should try Rainbow Ridge Farm Goat Yoga or livestock feeding at ABC acres’. Views of rotund hilltops command the vista with a community of trees forming the distant skyline. The immediate vicinity is brought back into focus by the siren calls of goats trying to climb on one’s back as they’re holding their best ‘downward dog’. The fate of one’s body and the goat lie in the connection between one another. Similarly, learning about the day-to-day running of farmsteads, guests are welcomed into the ABC Acres, where they are guided round a private tour of the farm, visit and interact with animals, while learning how to care and feed them.

Here, travelling has a purpose, and understanding that there’s a societal need for natural connection that goes hand-in-hand with the world’s environmental concerns, Yonder also ensures that all their Stewards have a ‘leave no trace’ mentality. Not only is this working within the trend of sustainable travel, it’s benefitting the guests, as Stewards work twice as hard to offer an immersive experience without trampling or destroying the landscape. To do this, the stewards introduce visitors to their methods of working and living in harmony with the natural world and its wildlife, as they believe “nature is the boss of us on this planet”.

Never before has it been so easy to book an adventure that truly encourages travellers to develop an affinity with the flora, fauna and the pure quiet of the natural world. Indeed, after booking and experiencing one of Yonder’s stays and activities guests will go back to their lives with a newfound awareness of the healing and calming power of nature, and a sense of how to live sustainably and in harmony with the earth. It’s not hard to see that Yonder is redefining travel!