'The Keepers' from Black Tomato is a collection of trips designed to expose travellers to hyper-local skills and generational knowledge.

Innovative travel designer Black Tomato has launched The Keepers, a new collection of five journeys that invite travellers to learn directly from local communities in Italy, China, Chile, Morocco and Ireland.

The collection focuses on traditional practices that are still part of everyday life, from goat herding in the Italian countryside to shellfish gathering on the coast of Chile.

Rather than organising conventional sightseeing experiences, Black Tomato has developed itineraries around individuals who have inherited specialist knowledge of food, farming, craftsmanship and cultural traditions.

The trips are particularly aimed at families, giving parents and children opportunities to learn practical skills together. Each experience is built around relationships that Black Tomato's travel specialists have developed with local practitioners over several years.

Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato, says: "Some of the most valuable things people know come from doing something every day and learning it from the person who did it before them. We've spent years building relationships with people who carry that kind of knowledge, and The Keepers puts travellers alongside them."

He adds: "For families, that's especially interesting. We spend a lot of time thinking about what to give our children. Travel also asks what we want to pass on. Parents don't have to be the experts. Everyone is a beginner, everyone contributes, and you come home with something to keep talking about long after the trip is over."

In China, the emphasis is on Daoist philosophy and the relationship between physical wellbeing and the environment. Travellers meet Master Dale, a 28th-generation inheritor of the Zheng-Yi Qimen Taoist divination lineage in Chengdu, for a feng shui consultation exploring how their surroundings influence daily life.

The itinerary also incorporates traditional Chinese medicine, seasonal eating and time on Qingcheng Mountain, a sacred Daoist site.

Master Dale says: "I feel it's my responsibility not only to carry on the lineage, but to make it more accessible, so the people around me can go on to help others. Feng shui has always been seen as mysterious. My dream is to open it up and help people live better lives."

In Italy's Piedmont region, the Roero itinerary explores the relationships between food production, local communities and the landscape. Travellers accompany truffle hunters and their dogs through forests near Canale, learn about hazelnut cultivation and spend time with Paolo, a local goat herder and cheesemaker.

They also meet Adriano and his family, who produce wine in the region. Children can help milk goats, harvest hazelnuts and prepare food, gaining a better understanding of where ingredients come from.

The experience draws on Piedmont's association with the Slow Food movement, which originated in Italy in the 1980s to protect local food cultures and traditional production methods.

On the Chilean island of Chiloé, travellers are introduced to traditional fishing, agriculture and textile production.

At low tide, they accompany a mariscador, or shellfish gatherer, to collect clams and cholgas using handmade tools. Inland, they visit a family farm where traditional varieties of potatoes and garlic are cultivated, supported by a seed bank preserving generations of Williche agricultural knowledge.

They also learn natural wool-dyeing techniques from local weavers, sail aboard wooden boats made from native timber and take part in the preparation of curanto, a communal meal cooked using hot volcanic stones.

One of the more physically demanding journeys takes place in Morocco, where travellers accompany an Aït Atta family on its seasonal migration between the High Atlas mountains and Jebel Saghro.

The itinerary follows a traditional route used by herding communities seeking fresh grazing land for their animals. Guests travel alongside a herd of more than 160 goats, mules and donkeys, helping shepherd the animals and prepare meals over campfires.

They sleep in mountain camps and learn traditional jewellery-making techniques from craftspeople travelling with the family. The experience is recommended for active families with older children.

In Ireland, a five-day Connemara itinerary explores the region's oral storytelling traditions, Irish-language heritage and relationship with the natural landscape.

Travellers spend time with a first-language Irish speaker who introduces them to local residents, including boatbuilders, farmers, cooks and musicians. Activities include learning about medicinal plants and folklore, sailing aboard a traditional Galway Hooker fishing boat and visiting a deserted famine village on a privately owned island.

The journey concludes with an evening in a local pub, where guests share food, traditional songs and stories with the people they have met.

Becky Ní Ealaithe, a sean-nós dancer, concertina player and singer, says: "When you visit this region, you come to appreciate the culture, the language and the music, and to understand that it's all connected. It's a big part of life here. It's about really living in the community, and it's part of everyday life."

The Keepers reflects Black Tomato's growing emphasis on experiences that encourage deeper engagement with destinations and the people who live there. The company, which was founded in 2005 and is a certified B Corporation, has built its reputation on tailor-made luxury travel and private family adventures.

All five journeys are fully bespoke and can be adapted for couples, solo travellers and multigenerational families. The company recommends different travel periods depending on the destination and seasonal activities.