Interacting with modern, westernized cultures can be a fairly intuitive process; the double cheek-kiss may be one of the biggest adjustments you’ll have to make. (And such a pleasant one at that!) But venturing a bit further out of metropolitan hubs, especially in the developing world, often presents a whole new paradigm. Many intrepid travelers […]
Travel philosophy
What IS sustainable travel, anyway?
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, likeĀ — “I’m not […]
Voluntourism: Do they really need our help?
In this month’s National Geographic Traveler, Costas Christ questions the ever-blossoming voluntourism industry in his article, The Giver’s Conundrum. As both a traveler and a staff member at a non-profit volunteer travel organization, this is something I think and talk about almost every day. The questions that come up are completely valid and, in my […]