As part of its 20th anniversary commemorating its founding, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) has launched the annual Innovation Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Awards to recognize innovative leadership of individuals and organizations who promote sustainable tourism that results in tangible benefits to communities and conservation. TIES is the world’s oldest and largest association dedicated to promoting ecotourism.
From ChaCha, a service that answers questions, comes a great interactive infographic that gives you the scoop on voluntourism all in one page!
This simple chart provides history and perspective on the voluntourism market by answering the following questions:
Part of traveling responsibly is being cultural sensitive. As travelers tour a foreign country, we may inadvertently offend a local and never realized it! Popular gestures at home can have completely different meanings abroad.
Guest post from Christopher Hill of Hands Up Holidays on volunteer travelers’ expectations and challenges faced by travel operators.
Volunteer travelers’ expectations for their volunteer trips largely depend on who is volunteering. While there are ‘general’ expectations that are applicable to most, if not all volunteers, such as a sense of purpose and fulfillment…
Guest post from Carolyn Lane on her journey from voluntourist to founding a non-profit using photography to connect and impact communities around the world.
In 1995, I used a small inheritance from my grandparents to take my first ever “volunteer vacation” with EarthWatch to Lombok, Indonesia. There I experienced being an “invited guest” in another country, as opposed to being strictly a tourist…
A family trip abroad with the children often requires thoughtful planning and preparation. To make the trip fun and memorable, parents are always on the hunt for some great travel tips.
We discovered one family with considerable travel experience and plenty to share.
Looking for a memorable family vacation?
Family voluntourism, which combines touring and volunteering, is a great travel option that creates lasting memories, builds cultural awareness and relationships and perhaps, transforms your kids into little global citizens. There are plenty of project opportunities with flexible schedules all around the world for you to chose your next family adventure!
Royal Carribean’s Oasis of the Seas has added a few new excursions for its Cozumel, Mexico cruise, including voluntourism. The cruise line’s “Voluntourism: The Mexican Red Cross Landscaping Project” offers an afternoon of volunteering with the Mexican Red Cross.
