How a decade-long friendship turned into a collaboration at the intersection of hospitality, regeneration, and storytelling.

How the Visit Came to Be

Mike and Anne Howard of HoneyTrek, travel journalists and authors behind Comfortably Wild, are on a global quest to uncover the world’s most inspiring glamping destinations. Known as the “world’s longest honeymooners,” they’ve been traveling continuously since 2012, seeking out experiences that combine wonder, authenticity, and purpose.

Embarking on a world-wide journey for their new and upcoming book (stay tuned!) HoneyTrek set out to find operators who not only deliver unforgettable guest experiences but also embody innovation, regenerative practices, and community impact. Their search led them to South Africa—and to Few & Far Luvhondo, the newest venture by Sarah Dusek, co-founder of Under Canvas and longtime champion of regenerative travel and female entrepreneurship.

This connection wasn’t new. HoneyTrek first met Sarah nearly a decade ago, during the early days of Under Canvas. “They were one of the very first influencers to stay with us,” Sarah recalls. “We’ve moved in the same circles ever since, and when they reached out about including Few & Far Luvhondo in their African travels, it felt like things had come full circle.”

For HoneyTrek, the reunion was equally meaningful. “We’ve admired Sarah’s journey for years,” they shared. “Few & Far Luvhondo brings together everything she knows about hospitality, environmental stewardship, and empowering women.”

HoneyTrek and Sarah Dusek’s reunion at Few & Far Luvhondo is more than a travel feature—it’s a Connection Story that shows how creators, operators, and investors can strengthen the entire industry by working together.

Shared Values: Regeneration, Community, and Guest Magic

From their first meeting, HoneyTrek and Sarah found their missions deeply aligned. Their shared commitment to environmental consciousness, community empowerment, and guest-centered storytelling became the foundation of this collaboration.

Environmental Consciousness: Both believe glamping must move beyond sustainability into regeneration. It’s not enough to “do no harm.” The next frontier is restoring ecosystems, sequestering carbon, and creating businesses that give back more than they take.
Community Empowerment: Few & Far prioritizes hiring and training locally, with a special focus on women in guiding and hospitality roles. HoneyTrek, through their platform, shares these stories to inspire travelers to support destinations that uplift their regions.
Guest-Centric Storytelling: Few & Far doesn’t overwhelm guests with lectures on environmental or social challenges. Instead, they showcase beauty, joy, and unforgettable experiences—trusting that inspiration sparks action. HoneyTrek echoes this approach in their writing, making “doing the right thing” both appealing and accessible.

During their stay, HoneyTrek discovered moments that brought Sarah’s vision of Few & Far to life.

One highlight was meeting Lizzie, a guide whose passion for nature carried her from humble beginnings into a professional tourism career. “Hearing her story was as impactful as any safari drive,” HoneyTrek said. “It embodied Sarah’s mission—empowering local women and reshaping what leadership in travel looks like.”

Another memory came with a laugh. The camp’s centerpiece canvas structure—a striking lodge wrapped around a towering syringa tree—arrived on site as a massive, uncut cylinder. No one wanted to risk slicing into it until Sarah’s husband Jacob and their teenage sons mustered the courage. With teamwork, improvisation, and plenty of nerves, they cut it open and built it into place.

“That human moment—where a five-star camp came together with family teamwork and imperfection—made us love Few & Far even more,” HoneyTrek recalled.

From Sustainability to Regeneration

For Sarah, glamping has never just been about hospitality—it’s about creating a movement.

“When I started Under Canvas, the goal was to give people a way to experience the wilderness without destroying it,” she explains. “But sustainability—doing no harm—is no longer enough. We need to be regenerative.”

This shift in mindset means actively reducing waste, restoring land, tackling CO2 emissions, and creating businesses that leave places better than they found them. Few & Far is now engaged in large-scale carbon projects and waste reduction initiatives, setting a precedent for what regenerative hospitality can look like.

“Just doing no harm won’t secure the future of our planet,” Sarah says. “If the glamping industry is going to lead, we need to embrace regeneration—actively giving back, not just minimizing impact.”

Building Community and Empowering Women

Sarah’s leadership extends beyond the land and into the community. Over the past five years, she has devoted herself to mentoring female entrepreneurs, sharing the lessons she’s learned to ensure others have the confidence and tools to scale impactful businesses.

“Knowledge is power,” Sarah says. “So often women are underrepresented, underexposed, under-equipped. Everything I do is about ensuring others come along on the journey.”

This philosophy runs deep at Few & Far, where women like Lizzie are building careers and reshaping norms in the tourism industry. It’s also central to Sarah’s involvement with the American Glamping Association (AGA), where collaboration, mentorship, and collective progress are at the heart of the community.

The Collective Power of the Glamping Industry

When reflecting on the AGA, Sarah and HoneyTrek both return to a core belief: connection is the fuel for growth.

“Your network is your net worth,” Sarah emphasizes. “This industry gains power when we come together. It’s not about competition—it’s about compatriots, about lifting each other up and setting new standards.”

HoneyTrek echoes the sentiment, offering advice to AGA members:

Show up: at the Glamping Show, on AGA calls, and in online discussions.
Celebrate your peers: share their wins on social media instead of seeing them as competitors.
Trade knowledge in person: visit each other’s camps, collaborate, and share a glass of wine by the fire.

“At the end of the day, no one is in glamping just to get rich,” HoneyTrek says. “We’re here for a better way of life, to make friends, and to have an impact. The AGA is the campfire that keeps those connections alive all year long.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of Glamping

For Sarah and HoneyTrek, glamping is more than a business model—it’s a movement with the potential to transform hospitality.

For HoneyTrek, glamping is evolving into a platform for creativity, personalization, and purpose. “This can’t be a fad,” they say. “Glamping is one of the coolest, most meaningful ways to experience the outdoors. The more we innovate, the more we all rise together.”
For Sarah, the future lies in pushing the industry from sustainability to regeneration—helping businesses become vehicles for environmental restoration and meaningful social change. “If we all start this journey, just as we did with sustainability, in 10 years’ time we’ll be in a very different place.”

What began as a budding friendship during the early days of Under Canvas has now blossomed into a story that embodies the best of the glamping industry: collaboration, innovation, and shared purpose. Together, their perspectives paint a hopeful future—an industry where luxury meets responsibility, connection fuels growth, and regeneration becomes the norm.

As Sarah reminds us, “It can be lonely being an entrepreneur. But when we gather, when we share, when we collaborate—that’s where the magic happens. That’s where we build not just businesses, but a movement.”

This story reminds us that the real power of the glamping industry is found in shared values and connection—linking people, communities, and the planet we call home together as one.

AGA Connection Story: HoneyTrek x Few & Far with Sarah Dusek