Travelers often are concerned with their safety and well-being when abroad in a foreign country. While there are no guarantees (is there any in life?), many of your safety anxieties can be eliminated through advance research and preparation. The key to safe traveling in any area is situational awareness. Distractions because of luggage, children, lodging, strangers, etc. can put you at risk. Know your surroundings and stay in control of every situation. We’ve put together 25 essential tips to help make your trip a positive one!
1. Make sure you …
Unfortunately, they’re not often thought to be related. Travel is typically a form of consumption. You’re purchasing an experience, and most people when they travel aren’t really thinking about helping others along the way. That’s just what travel is traditionally.
Then there is volunteer travel abroad. Traditionally, this involves volunteering in a foreign country the entire time you are there. Some volunteers will travel around the country after their volunteer assignments, but many volunteers return home immediately after their stints. Their exposure to the host country is limited to interactions …
Voluntourism, the red-hot travel niche, has attracted its share of industry self-regulation in hopes that its good intentions do not get exploited.
Planeterra, the non-profit arm of GAP Adventures dedicated to the development and support of small communities around the globe, recently released a checklist that voluntourist or tour operator may want to consider before putting together a trip or a voluntourism program.
Self-Evaluation
• When is my need to “do good” potentially a selfish act on my part?
• Am I helping or hindering by taking time …
New York Times Op-Ed Columnist, Nicholas Kristof wrote an interesting column this past weekend, “Cum Laude in Evading Bandits” (May 31, 2009), encouraging students to travel. In some ways, it’s also a pronouncement of the education system.
The kind of travel he talks about doesn’t include enjoying luxury hotel services, sipping latte or cappuccino or visiting popular tourist venues. He’s talking about traveling to impoverished areas of the world where lessons on tolerance, diversity, human struggle, and compassion are better taught than in the classrooms. In fact, he advocates schools to …
The second annual goodpurpose study (winter 2008) published by Edelman, one of the world’s largest PR firms, profiles today’s consumer as a proactive user and collaborator (no surprise here – just look around) and an advocate for social causes. The report tells us that people’s commitment to helping others — and to brands that share the same commitment — is strong.
Edelman surveyed 6,000 consumers across 10 countries, here are the highlights:
42% of consumers say “helping others and contributing to my community” brings them the strongest feelings of contentment, but …
Today ecotourism is a very trendy and politically correct way to travel. There is a strong movement to put green in travel. Tourism companies are rushing to put the green label on their products — after all, it’s lucrative. Travel and tourism is the largest business sector in the world economy and is responsible for over 230 million jobs and over 10% of the worldwide GDP. According to the World Tourism Organization, international tourist arrivals were up 2% to 924 million in 2008 and generated about $856 billion …
Yesterday’s New York Times article confirmed what we have been saying, voluntourism or volunteer travel is resilient during this recession because people will find creative ways to source and pay for their travels if they feel their travels have value and meaning. Certainly, there will be adjustments and compromises as cost becomes a bigger factor in the decision-making process. But as the article noted, teens, in this case, will continue to go on service trips because these experiences are far too important for them to forgo. Schools are requiring …
A volunteer vacation to an impoverished community makes a lasting impression on a North Carolina college student
A veteran of several volunteer vacations, North Carolina college student, Melissa Hite, recounted her experience traveling to Belize. She first visited Belize back as a high school senior on a cruise and remembered walking down one strip of Belize City and concluded that the city had nothing to offer and went snorkeling. Then as a college senior, she was given the opportunity to go down to Belize on a two-week service trip and …
