What if the answer to burnout, loneliness, and disconnection isn’t another city escape - but a return to village life?
In this episode of Sustainable Travel Talks, we sit down with Juan Barbed, co-founder of Rooral, a project reimagining remote work through rural living, community connection, and slow travel in Spain. Juan shares how a deeply personal experience in his grandparents’ village helped him see the power of rural communities - and sparked the idea for Rooral.
Together, we explore how remote workers can become part of village life, why human connection is at the heart of the experience, and how rural communities can offer lessons in wellbeing, resilience, and belonging. We also talk honestly about the challenges: building trust with local communities, avoiding extractive tourism, environmental trade-offs, and what it really takes to create impact at the “speed of trust.”
From depopulation and loneliness to local pride and new narratives of success, this episode asks whether rural areas could help us rethink not just how we travel - but how we live, work, and connect.
Follow us on Instagram @sustainabletraveltalks for more conversations on shaping a more responsible future for travel.
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