Micro-travels: 3 social clubs where you can discover community close to home
The spark of travel is connection with people, place and their stories. That spark is just as easy to find at home as it is on holiday. We call these micro-travels: little trips in your hometown — lower footprint, same reward
1. Cape Town Craft Club: Connect (and your reason to chat is already a given, so no anxiety about small talk)
“It was the perfect blend of creativity, inner-child play and cultivating genuine connection,” is how one crafter summed up the Cape Town Craft Club experience.
Founder Andie Reeves started the club to recreate the feeling of crafting with friends at home. She’d taught embroidery for years, but wanted freedom from responsibility – she wanted to have fun herself.
“It’s kind of a low-effort way to socialise,” says Andie. “You don’t have to sit across from a stranger and think of something to say because you have a built-in way to chat about something.” Or you don’t need to chat at all, just concentrate on your craft. Everyone brings their own craft, from colouring-in kits to knitting or crocheting.
The magic of this club is that you can get out of the house, chat to people while crafting and problem-solve together. It adds a little extra interest and excitement to life, “…doing something in community, sitting among people you don’t normally come into contact with, from different regions to age groups,” says Andie.
Instagram: @capetowncraftclub
Website: capetowncraftclub.com
2. Cape Town Wine Club: Get to know wines (and wine-makers and lovers) in relaxed and easy vibes
A playful moment at the Cape Town Wine Club — red cards out, opinions flowing. IMAGE Courtesy Cape Town Wine Club
It all began in 2018 in Willem Schoeman’s living room. In lieu of individual gifts for friends bought on his travels, Willem shared wine and chocolates to share.
The evening was so much fun that one wine gathering led to another. Soon, friends were inviting friends and, after Covid, Willem decided to open up to the public.
There’s so much pretense around wine, says Willem. To tackle that pretense, he says, you need to create a social environment and make it relaxed.
His goal is to demystify and simplify wine, to empower people in their choices and make it accessible. People feel less intimidated in a social environment and begin to understand what they’re drinking and why they like, or don’t like, certain wines. “People tend to go to their default wines, but there’s so much more to wine,” he says.
Each event features more than one winemaker to keep discussions interesting, interactive and engaging. Themes vary, currently they’re exploring terroirs and regional wine styles to sensory tastings. The club is community-run, with no sponsorships.
Venues are in the city centre and Woodstock, where Willem has recently secured a permanent venue for evening and weekend experiences. These will be multi-sensory events, such as blind tastings of Pinotage, South Africa’s 100-year-old signature grape.
The crowd is a good mess of young professionals and fellow wine enthusiasts, seasoned connoisseurs, couples and curious locals, and together you’ll learn how to tell a Merlot from a Malbec. No pretence, just stories and discussions about exceptional wines and an easy, lively atmosphere.
Website capetownwineclub.co.za
Instagram @ct_wineclub
Facebook Cape Town Wine Club
3. Curves on Trails: South Africa's inclusive hiking movement for women let's you go at your own pace
Curves on Trails is created for women to feel at ease while exercising; a triumphant Lana Jacobus IMAGE Courtesy Curves on Trails
Earlier this year, Capetonian Lana Jacobus decided to get back into her fitness journey. She loves hiking, but her friends and family weren’t as keen.
She looked for a group to join, but had two concerns. “When others have a high fitness level, you don’t want to be a burden, be the last person. Also, people at that level also usually have a thinner body and don’t have the same struggles as a person with a bigger body,” she says.
That’s how Curves on Trails was born. It’s a beginner-friendly space designed for women who want to move at their own pace. Lana, herself a curvy girl, had no idea it would grow this big; it even held its first pop-up event in Johannesburg.
Its popularity lies in its inclusivity, Lana thinks, and the fact that there aren’t many spaces in the fitness world where plus-size women feel comfortable.
Curvy or not, many women relate to the idea of hiking without pressure or judgement about what they look like. The sense of community and connection comes from the fact that people with bigger bodies can relate to each other, have the same struggles and have similar needs. Also, it’s female-only and there’s safety in numbers.
Curves on Trails encourages women of all shapes and sizes to get outdoors and embrace movement, surrounded by supportive peers. Hiking shouldn’t feel like a burden, says Lana.
“The community is about joy, not speed.” Routes are gentle, encouragement is genuine, and the group celebrates every step. It’s warm, affirming, sisterly and adventurous. Like a group hug with hiking boots on.
Instagram @curves_on_trails
TikTok @curves_on_trails