Nov 30th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
"I got asked to go to Afghanistan."
The parents obviously weren't excited with that statement and what ensued was a "we support you but this is going to be difficult for us" conversation. When you pitch your parents on traveling to a conflict zone, this conversation is inevitable.
I would have that same conversation with lots of people in the weeks before taking off to a country that ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
voluntourism posts
Why Would Anyone Ever Go To Afghanistan?
Nov 30th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
"I got asked to go to Afghanistan."
The parents obviously weren't excited with that statement and what ensued was a "we support you but this is going to be difficult for us" conversation. When you pitch your parents on traveling to a conflict zone, this conversation is inevitable.
I would have that same conversation with lots of people in the weeks before taking off to a country that ...The Dos And Don'ts Of Voluntourism
Aug 16th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
In Juarez, Mexico, a group of American university students build houses. In Quito, Ecuador, medical professionals spend two weeks correcting cataracts – pro bono. In Kenya, handfuls of Hollywood stars try "making a difference" at orphanages. At the same time, these volunteers are having a travel experience. They stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and try to bond with locals. They are ...How To Prepare To Volunteer Abroad
Jun 23rd, 2012 at 10:00AM: Volunteering abroad is a worthwhile experience that allows you to help a community while really getting to know a culture. While rewarding, there is a lot of preparation, both physical and mental, that is necessary to get you ready for a volunteer vacation. To help you prepare, use the tips below.
Do Your Homework
Not all volunteer agencies are created equal. While some are scams, others are ...British Protesters Campaign For A Rain-Free Olympics
May 27th, 2012 at 4:00PM: And I thought the weather was controlled by nature. Recently, a group of bikini-clad female protesters in London headed to Parliament Square to demand sunnier weather and a rain-free Olympics. While this may sound outlandish, the comical campaign is actually part of a bigger project to help a community.
In the hopes that the government complies with the protesters – or that Mother Nature ...The Worst New Hybrid Words In The Travel Lexicon
May 18th, 2012 at 10:30AM:
This is the age of hybrids. We drive hybrid cars, we consume hybrid vegetables and our favorite love-to-hate celebrity couples have hybrid names.
The travel industry is rife with hybrid words. In every segment of travel, from backpacking to luxury travel, there lurks a new word ready to please with its practicality (voluntourism) or annoy with its clever mash-up of disparate terms ...Give Back While Traveling With These Voluntourism Hotel Packages And Programs
Apr 28th, 2012 at 4:00PM: Just because Earth Day has passed doesn't mean we should stop doing our part. In the spirit of goodwill, these hotels are offering voluntourism packages and programs for guests.
Limelight Hotel
Aspen, Colorado
Throughout the summer, the Limelight Hotel is helping guests get their hands dirty and help the environment. In partnership with the Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, guests will be ...Rescuing wildlife in Namibia
Jan 21st, 2012 at 2:00PM:
While 2011 has been a bad year for African wildlife, a foundation in Namibia is making a difference.
The N/a'an ku sê Foundation, which runs a wildlife sanctuary in Namibia, announced its best year to date, the Namibian reports. Last year the Foundation rescued, rehabilitated and re-released several animals, including five cheetahs, two leopards, one brown hyena, two caracals and one ...LivingSocial offers first volunteer vacation to New Orleans
Aug 25th, 2011 at 12:00PM: LivingSocial, the site that brings you discount deals on everything from microdermabrasions to movie tickets, has been offering travel deals as part of its LivingSocial Escapes branch since Fall 2010. Today, the company announced its first volunteer vacation opportunity - a curated trip to help Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans.
For $265, travelers who want to do a little good while they ...Kickstarter project wants to create a new tourism website for Washington State
Aug 10th, 2011 at 10:00AM: Washington State has plenty to offer the tourist, including incredible natural wonders, such as Mount Rainier and Puget Sound, and one of the coolest cities in the country in Seattle. Despite this, Washington is unable to afford a state-funded tourism board. In July, Washington State became the only state in the nation without a statewide tourism office.
While this sad set of circumstances ...Become a monk or Muslim for a month
Apr 29th, 2011 at 10:30AM:
If you really want to "go local" on your next vacation, have you considered changing your religion? A new program in Turkey offers guests a chance to be Muslim for a month in order to foster cultural awareness. The term month is used loosely - guests can choose from nine- and twenty-one-day programs, including visits to some of Istanbul's most famous mosques, lessons on Islam and Sufism (famed ...Travelocity video contest awards winners $5,000 voluntourism vacation grants
Jan 31st, 2011 at 5:00PM:
Travelocity knows you work hard. That's why the online travel company would like to give you a $5,000 grant to go on vacation.
Calm down now. You have to work to win your just reward. And by work, I mean you or a team need to submit a winning video. Then you have to use your five thousand smackers to take a Signature Trip volunteer vacation offered by Travelocity's voluntourism partners. ...
Five easy ways be a philanthropic traveler
Jan 12th, 2011 at 10:30AM: Voluntourism is the newest warm fuzzy of the travel industry. Under ideal circumstances, it's a sustainable, experiential way to see the world and give back at the same time. Whether you're helping to build a new school or clearing a trail, a working holiday is, for some, the best possible expenditure of disposable income.
But there's the rub. Along with multitudinous other factors that make ...Top ten simple ways to lower your travel carbon footprint in 2011
Dec 24th, 2010 at 11:30AM: It's almost a new decade, and the earth ain't getting any younger, cooler, or less crowded. As travel enthusiasts (even if it's via an armchair), there are plenty of small changes we can make that cumulatively have a significant positive impact upon the planet. When you consider the amount of fossil fuels required to fly or even take a weekend roadtrip, it makes even more sense to try and offset ...Ten real budget travel tips
Nov 29th, 2010 at 9:30AM: Do you continually feel wanderlust's pull but fear that you don't have enough money to see the world?
Your fears, thankfully, are misplaced. Despite the mainstream travel media's concerted, ongoing effort to make you think that travel is solely the domain of the rich, it is actually possible to travel well for surprisingly little money--and not just in those places where good deals are ...Nuts about Peru's Tambopata National Reserve
Sep 8th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Nuts--if you think about these things, which evidently I do--evoke blustery fall afternoons, or wintery evenings before a roaring fire. You bust out the nutcracker, and get to work. At least, that's what my family did when I was a kid, even though I grew up in Southern California where, let's face it, the weather is seldom blustery. Anyways, we always had a lot of Brazil nuts in the communal bowl, ...Marriott, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and KaBoom! help rebuild NOLA neighborhoods
Aug 24th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Five years have passed since Hurricane Katrina made her mark on the city of New Orleans but the city's spirit continues to thrive, thanks to the rebuilding efforts of NOLA residences and businesses.
All this week hotels are banding together their staff and guests to help support local area projects. "Marriott's Spirit to Serve New Orleans" package allows employees and guests to partake in ...Women travelers have the world at their fingertips with Pink Pangea's website
Aug 24th, 2010 at 2:00PM: I'm usually allergic to pastels and anything labeled "women-specific," but Pink Pangea has won me over. The new women's travel site was launched in June, by world traveler Rachel Trager and two similar-minded female friends. The trio work for an organization that finds overseas volunteer/internship placements for young adults.
Named for the supercontinent that existed 250 million years ago, ...Trekking Mt. Kenya for a cause
Aug 16th, 2010 at 8:00AM: When most adventure travelers consider their options for mountain trekking in Africa, they invariably think about Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the continent at 19,340 feet. But for those looking for a completely different, and decidedly less crowded, experience, Mt. Kenya is a great option. The extinct volcano is the second tallest mountain in Africa, at 17,057 feet, and though lesser in ...Marriott New Orleans' voluntourism package for guests
Aug 3rd, 2010 at 2:00PM: It's been five years since Hurricane Katrina made her mark on New Orleans and the rebuilding continues today. In an effort to help travelers give back, Marriott New Orleans is offering a "Spirit To Serve New Orleans" voluntourism package available from nine of Marriott's Big Easy hotels, including the New Orleans Marriott on Canal St.
Starting at $99 per night, the package allows guests to ...Sierra Club Outings offer envrionmentally responsible adventures
Mar 23rd, 2010 at 8:30AM: The Sierra Club is an outdoor institution in the United States. Founded in 1892, the club has grown to include more than 1.3 members, and has evolved into the environmental grassroots organization that is the model for all others to follow. Each year, the club organizes events and works with legislators on a national, state, and local level to safe guard wild places and promote environmental ...
