I participated in my first #ExpChat, a weekly Twitter chat hosted by Expedia on different travel topics, last week. The topic was “sustainable travel”. Admittedly, I was a bit taken aback by what I heard.

“Q1 What comes to mind when you think of sustainable travel?”

Some replied with honest ignorance, like —

“I’m not sure.”
“I’m here to find out!”

Many others centered on another theme—

“Using the same towels and linens for more than one day at my hotel.”
“Yes! I’m annoyed that more hotels don’t offer a discount for reusing your towels!”

Sustainable Travel is not the same thing as “green travel” or “eco-tourism”. Absolutely, YES —environmental stewardship is a very important component, but there is a reason why it is not lumped together. The environmental piece is only half of the picture.

Sustainable Travel is just as concerned with cultural preservation as it is with environmental preservation. Without discounting the important of biodiversity, habitat restoration and the like, sustainable travel is about making tourism work for host communities in the long run. It views the traditional culture and beliefs as equally important to protect as the natural setting these communities call home.

Sustainability means “the capacity to endure“. This is where the conversation MUST be elevated beyond reusing linens.

How do we give communities the capacity to endure, and even thrive, in the face of tourism? What broad-spectrum benefits must be built-in for locals to embrace and grow with tourism? A large part of looking at sustainable tourism is the benefit that local communities see – economically, for sure, but also on an emotional/spiritual level.  How do indigenous communities who now deal with tourism on a daily basis relate to it and all it brings? Does it promote cultural pride rather that erode at traditional values? Does it bring new opportunities for prosperity, new access to beneficial technologies and overall, a better way of life? And who determines that?

To me, sustainable travel seeks to answer questions like these, and in the process, create lasting, meaningful tourism structures that preserve and promote the cultural and environmental treasures of the world.

I have no intention of shaming my fellow tweeters on #ExpChat; I gained a lot of insight from the discussion and came away with a feeling of great hope. Even with the limits of definition, there was a genuine interest to learn more, and a couple of very valid concepts and ideas being volleyed around. It’s discussions like this which will move things forward.

So, let’s talk! How do you see sustainable tourism defining itself today? What do we need to focus on to elevate the conversation about sustainability in travel?

Hotel linens photo by violarenate via creative commons

If you’ve been there, or even have just watched Rick Steves scamper along its hiking paths, you already have a feeling – Italy’s Cinque Terre is a special place.

Naturally, such a gem of a place has not been lonely for visitors. Tourism in the tiny towns of the Cinque Terre has boomed dramatically over the past decade, and the region now hosts over 3 million visitors annually. And, as is so often the case when tourism explodes like this, it’s brought it’s share of complications too; the simple way of life is threatened by the thunderous hooves of the tourist dollar.

Recognizing its value, UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 1997. Then, in 1999, the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre was created to conserve both the ecology and culture of this prized area. Programs blossomed to protect the environment, such as a ban on plastic bottles, and promote traditional practices like the making of Sciachetrà, the local dessert wine.

Sadly, the great momentum these projects were gaining came to a crashing halt last year when the park’s president, Franco Bonanini, had to be dismissed from his position for creating corrupting rivalries and funneling money to fuel favors rather than benefit the communities of Cinque Terre.

When I explored the Cinque Terre with my sister last spring, I admit, I was unaware of this chequered recent history. We visited during the off-season, when things were expectedly slow, and though we were surprised to learn that most of the famous walking trail connecting the five cities was closed when we arrived, it was easily blamed off on springtime landslides. But when I watched the Vendemmia trailer last week, something clicked. We had been traveling in an endangered place, a place caught up in its own struggle for prosperity without exploitation, and preservation without greed.

Vendemmia: A Documentary Film is the project of two travelers, Sharon Boekle and Krista Lee Weller, who came to the Cinque Terre to document the disappearing way of life. But as they talked with the locals and heard their stories, a larger picture framing the current challenges came in to view. Having immersed themselves in the traditional way of life they had originally sought to document, they want to return now and tell the rest of the story that unfolded before them – a cultural treasure in desperate need of a sustainable future.

I’m thrilled to see this project because this story is taking place in thousands of villages, towns, parks and neighborhoods around the world. It represents the heart of why I do what I do. Travelers have an important role to play in this story. We don’t always have to represent the problem. We can bring new eyes, new attention and appreciation to ancient cultures and traditions that are fading away. We can help create and foster the relationship of host and guest with the people we meet, not landlords or sales agents. As travelers we need to open our eyes and truly see the realities that we are both stepping into and creating, and feel empowered in our position of being able to help steer things in a positive way. There’s a win-win situation to be created by sustainable tourism, where both the hosts and the visitors can benefit and be happy.

You can support Vendemmia’s creators’ return to Italy to tell the rest of the story as it exists today, in a state of flux, following the scandalous departure of Bonanini and devastating landslides in October 2011. They’ve already made their initial goal, but hop over the project’s Kickstarter page to help cover the rest of the costs for this important film.

DON’T CONSIDER IT A VACATION
Sure, some marketer somewhere along the way thought that the term “volunteer vacation” had a nice ring to it, and I suppose it is rather catchy. But vacation = hedonism, which a good volunteer travel program is not.

Vacation and travel are two different beasts. Vacations are meant to allow you to relax and let go, to disengage from stress, to unplug from everything. And this is an important thing for everyone to do once in awhile! But travel, to me, infers challenge – to heighten your senses, and be even more engaged than perhaps you are in your routine at home. Tuning your cultural antenna to a higher frequency to take in and be affected by all elements of the place you move through: cultural nuance, physical challenge, poignancy not definable with language.

PERFORM A GUT CHECK
Sit down and ask yourself about your true motivations for the experience. Sure, you want to “give back” and “make a difference”. But you could go down to the local homeless shelter and do that, with no need to travel thousands of miles or spend hundreds of dollars. Most people, if they are honest, choose international volunteering because of the opportunity for true cultural immersion and exchange. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that! But you should ask yourself what you really want out of the experience, and be clear about any expectations you have at the onset.

If you don’t get sweaty and dirty every day will it not feel like “work” to you?
Do you need to create some tangible to point to at the end of your foray?
Do you have your heart set on working with kids?
Are you prepared to be uncomfortable at times?
Are you ready for physical labor and very basic accommodation?

NARROW YOUR FOCUS
As volunteer travel continues to grow, the range of options continues to broaden. Determine if your primary focus is environmental, cultural, educational or something else. Perhaps you have a specific skill set you’d like to use. Or maybe you are just guided by a strong interest in a certain country or culture. Thinking about these elements will help to form a picture of the type of experience you might find most rewarding, and will help you to cull the wide range of options at the onset.

DO YOUR RESEARCH
With the focus for your volunteer travel experience in mind, you can start scouring the internet for companies and organizations that offer what you are looking for. This is where you need to do some digging. I recommend starting with the information available on their website, but recommend a call to the company/organization on your “short list”. Some things to consider asking:

How are the programs are designed?
How long they’ve been running and how are they funded?
How are the participation fees used within the program? Is there a tax-deductible portion of the program to consider? (For those run by non-profit organizations)
Look to the future – ask about the long-term sustainability of the project? Is there an end date or goal?
Are you staying locally? Are the funds from the whole trip staying local as well?

Finally, ask if you can be referred to speak to past participants of their programs. Finding someone who can speak candidly on a firsthand experience is extremely insightful.

PREPARE
Once you’ve selected and signed up for the service trip that ticks off the most boxes for you, spend some time and energy to set yourself up for success!

Learn as much as you can about the local culture before you go, especially the unique challenges and issues the community you are connecting with might face. This includes reading about the history of the region to set context as well as guide books and travel literature that talk about the customs and beliefs unique to the area.

Get in shape! No matter what your project may be, being in good cardio-vascular shape is key to your enjoyment of the experience, not to mention your effectiveness at doing the actual work.

If possible, connect with the other travelers in your group before you go. These people will become your team members, and you’ll be sharing an exciting and challenging time together.

If you aren’t doing so already, volunteer at home! This will help you keep the skill set needed for volunteering fresh; things like interpersonal skills, listening and awareness, humility.

LEAVE ROOM FOR WHAT YOU’LL TAKE HOME
A good international volunteer experience will send you home with new inspiration. Show up with an open mind and heart, and be ready for a new perspective on your own world and a renewed commitment to your own community.

A FEW STARTING POINTS
Crooked Trails
Naturally, I have to give a shout out to the org I work for, Crooked Trails. Their two to four week programs focus on home stays and community-based tourism projects in indigenous villages around the world. Crooked Trails allows the communities they work in to dictate the type of engagement their guests have in the village, so while you might be digging latrines in some locales, you could simply be practicing English with school kids in another, depending upon what the host communities believe is most valuable to them.

Andaman Discoveries
Created in response to the devastation caused by the Asian tsunami that occurred in December 2004, this grassroots organization grew from providing intital relief effort to creating long-term, sustainable community-based tourism projects on Thailand’s Andaman Coast.

Earthwatch
Earthwatch focuses on environmental preservation by bringing teams of volunteers to ecologically crucial locations around the world to help with scientific research projects, habitat restoration, stewardship education and more.

Cross Cultural Solutions
Perhaps one of the farthest-reaching non-profit orgs, CCS offers a large range of programs in over 20 countries with placements ranging from 1 – 12 weeks.

Hands on Disaster Relief
HODR organizes volunteers who seek to respond to international disasters and lend a hand in a meaningful way, providing inrastructure and logisitical support to on-site volunteer teams.