"Travelers? They will save the world ”: the young Sardinian in European cities for his entrepreneurial project

"I travel, explore and advise", a way to have an experience that enriches him on a personal level but which, above all, is the basis for an entrepreneurial project, the one that Filippo Altea, 22 years old from Dolianova has in mind that on May 16 he left Rome to travel around Europe in an economic way and respecting the environment. The strengths are to move with trains thanks to Interrail (the ticket that allows unlimited access to all European stations for a certain period) and to stay in hostels or in the houses that private individuals make available.

Tourist and traveler, however, are not the same thing . “The traveler - explains the young Sardinian to L'Unione Sarda - is an explorer, he is ready for the unexpected, he wants to see with his own eyes and touch how people live in the various cities”. The tourist is simply those who move and go to hotels or villages, without any contact with the daily life and habits of the place.

Filippo, who now lives in Rome but continues to frequent Sardinia, also because in the summer he works with an association in the Masua area to manage a hostel in a former mining site, is now in Riga, Latvia.

Studied at Pacinotti in Cagliari, Spano di Sassari, high school diploma in Padua, completed a three-year degree in economics and management at Luiss Guido Carli. In April last year he joined Aurora Fellows, the training course founded by Jacopo Mele which every year opens its doors to more than 200,000 young people in Europe and along the coasts of the Mediterranean, in Sardinia in particular One Ocean Foundation, the he Italian initiative for the protection of the seas, born from an idea of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, has financed 500 courses in Aurora Fellows for as many students on the island. And Filippo's journey will end on the island on 14 August in Porto Torres.

What are you going to see in Europe?

"There are two focuses: the cities mainly, the capitals are the easiest to reach for connections and destinations, but there are also several secondary locations, for example in Bulgaria I was in the mountains for a festival, in Greece in Drama, in short everywhere there is a particular adventure or celebration. Secondly, I look for the characteristic things of the place, which are not necessarily the most touristy ones. I talk to people, I ask how they live, and then we are confronted with history, monuments, churches and museums. In the Baltic republics there is a great connection with the former Soviet Union, you can see it from the old city, the way in which the cities have been forged by history comes out ”.

Where do you sleep?

"In hostels, which are mainly social places, it is easy to talk to other travelers, join together and also look for various possibilities or experiences together."

Do you always speak English?

“Almost always, but when dealing with tourists the important thing is to be open, to try to communicate in every way, to be willing to welcome. In Bulgaria I have to say that my English was rather useless but between gestures, smiles and laughter we understood each other very well ”.

What do you carry in your backpack?

“Clothing, personal effects, sleeping bag and mat just in case, I used them for camping in Bulgaria and maybe I will need them in Scandinavia where the prices are very high and therefore I will probably manage to save money. Then I have a stabilizer for the phone, the power bank, the computer and a skateboard ".

Why skateboarding?

"It is useful if you have little time and the city is prepared, for example it has no cobblestones but stone slabs, you can explore much faster".

What is the purpose of the trip?

“First the entrepreneurial project was born, which is based on the idea of helping travelers to have a better experience with less organization, in short, less tourism and more actual travel. But first, of course, I have to have my own experience: I can't pass on to others something I don't have. And these 90 days in Europe, an agglomeration of wealth to be explored, will do just that ".

What would you like to create in concrete?

“Bringing travelers together in a system to provide advice. Just as before leaving, ask friends and acquaintances for some suggestions about the city you are going to visit, to get a tip or a sort of verbal review, so I would like to give people the opportunity to have unique experiences. There is a basic problem: we all have the possibilities to travel, but we don't know how to do it, we forget what the experience of travel is and we go to look for what we already have in other places, we are tourists wandering the streets ".

What will the project look like in reality?

"It could be a platform that combines experiences, or that combines the traveler with an experience, in the style of Tinder."

Traveling for singles or as a couple?

“Indifferent, I will try to intrigue people about a certain place, then you are free to go there alone, as a family, as a couple or with friends. Indicatively, my target age ranges from 18 to 30 years ".

What do you think of the tourism system in Sardinia?

“We have a lot of potential but the road is long, there are many small realities such as farmhouses, or people who work in small villages that are opening up to hospitality, but there is still a lot to do. Sardinia joins the 'green' trend very well, everything must go in this direction, the opportunities are many ".

What aspects could be improved?

“For example we are still too little international, few young people arrive from Europe, we are far from a global vision”.

A strong point?

“There is one fundamental: people. When you travel, in one way or another you will find a solution to a problem thanks to the people, who are also the guardians of culture and traditions, millennia of history fascinate those who come from outside, and Sardinians are the guardians of this heritage ".

Are Italians abroad recognizable?

“Yes, unfortunately, and terribly. In Vilnius, Lithuania, I was in a typical restaurant. Every now and then I indulge in a good meal, I tasted onion soup with pork and then some sort of ravioli, and an Italian would tell me how he went to an Italian restaurant and found himself sick. And in the typical restaurant he had ordered schnitzel and fries. You don't go abroad to eat Italian, you have to try to join in what the residents are good at. Do they come to us from all over the world to eat Italian and do we go looking for our food elsewhere? ".

Environment and tourism, what is the best way to combine them?

“Communities, play everything on them: they must become a hub, a unique experience in which you offer a package to the traveler so as to make him understand the balance of the place and consequently environmental sustainability arrives, followed by social sustainability. For example, if you go to central Sardinia, in Seulo, you should find a hostel where you are explained what their lifestyle is, then you also discover everything else, talk to the people at the bar, get to know the peculiarities of the centenarians, enter in short, a world ".

Some advice for traveling in an economic and eco-sustainable way.

“In general I am a promoter of Interrail, everyone can buy the ticket, there is also a tender that allows young people to win it, but I have also seen people of 60 or 70 using it. Then sleeping in the hostels or in the structures proposed by Airbnb, they are fine, they lower the costs a lot. Obviously without certain comforts, so far the average price I've paid per night has been 12 euros. Also for young people there is Erasmus +, the European program for education, training, youth and sport (Filippo was selected to represent Italy as Ambassador of the European Year of Youth, ed ), for create a virtuous circle ".

How?

"Let's say I have a project in Masua in mind, with a budget of 60 thousand euros to be used also to pay volunteers, Europe gives me the okay, or asks me to change the spending program, I call the partner associations in the European fabric, I choose the suitable ones and they will look for the participants to send me. In this way I will have from 8 to 40 young people who live 2 weeks in my reality, they consume, they are involved in activities in the area, they become the actors of change, this is an important opportunity ".

Will he be a different person when he returns than when he left?

“Yes, every day I become. Experiences and people are changing me for the better without me noticing. In the various places I talk to everyone, I think more of a global and not a territorial vision ".

And what will you bring back in your backpack?

“All those who have accepted the wager of life in their communities and in their daily lives, from the wealthy old German to the homeless, to those who travel the world on foot or by bicycle. The beauty between travelers is that we know we have a few minutes available and then probably we will never see each other again, the superfluous conversation does not exist, and at the same time we exchange help and references. For example, I invite everyone to Sardinia, I explain how beautiful and unique it is ".

In short, are travelers a wealth to cultivate?

"I say they will save the world: they have no prejudices, they are ready for the unexpected and they fight for a better place, even in places where this concept has not yet been understood".