In this article we address all of this, focusing on the stuff and choices in our control with the goal to mind the health and safety of others, as well as yourself. These lessons apply not only to travel but also to daily life, during the pandemic and beyond. We touch on decision-making, logistics, managing risk, flexibility, adapting to new information, managing expectations, gratitude and satisfaction. Oh, and how it's still possible to have fun and enjoy yourself even in the midst of pandemic challenges, risks and uncertainties.

When we traveled to Italy from Berlin, Germany to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, we had plenty of reservations. We questioned whether we ought to travel at all given the pandemic.

We were not only concerned about our own enjoyment and safety, but we were also more attuned to the safety of others and the impact of our visit. Our decision-making process while planning and taking this trip was more deliberate and careful than usual. We considered all potential impacts — good and bad — as we researched, planned and executed the trip with Covid-19 still a reality.

As we responded to questions from friends, family and readers about how traveled during the pandemic, it occurred to us that it might be useful to turn our travel planning and on-the-road process during COVID-19 inside-out here.

Update January 2022: Even though the trip we mentioned occurred before vaccinations were available, many of the same precautions, planning factors and considerations are still relevant now given the new variants and low rates of vaccination in some places. We've updated this article to take into consideration vaccination certificates, country-specific passes and other considerations to be able to navigate requirements, manage risk and have a good trip. This update also includes specifics and experiences traveling to and within the United States and to several EU countries (e.g., France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Moldova and Cyprus).

CAVEATS:

• We understand Italy does not reflect travel realities across the rest of the world. Each destination is different based on their vaccination rate, Covid-19 case load, hospitalization rates, season, restrictions and many other things. However, we believe many of the travel planning, safety tips and recommendations that follow will resonate and apply on some level no matter where you live and where you wish to travel.
• To be clear, we are not advocating that everyone travel right now. There are ethical considerations and even with vaccination roll-outs gaining speed around the world, COVID-19 rates are again on the rise in many countries with new variants like Omicron (see our COVID-19 Travel Resource Guide for more details on relevant data and considerations). However, people will continue to travel now and in the future. Our suggestions are aimed to help travelers plan and execute travel more seamlessly and manage risks for themselves and the host communities they visit. One of the best ways to do this is to get vaccinated yourself and visit places with high vaccination rates so that local people are already protected.

Mindful Traveler Oath Basics

First, consider the following basic elements of the as-yet-unspoken Uncornered Market Mindful Traveler Oath:

1. Keep ourselves and others safe. And not necessarily in that order.
2. Act mindfully and responsibly, for positive (or to minimize potential negative) impact on the people and places we visit.
3. Have fun. Enjoy ourselves.

We did our best on this trip to accomplish all three.

“Good Grief, What a Headache” Caveat to the Mindful Traveler Oath

Some of our suggestions may elicit a response of, “Oh Dan and Audrey, what a headache. I just want to travel.”

In turn, we offer the following perspective: “What do we most remember about the trip?”

In this case, we recall the phenomenal hiking, dazzling food, beautiful towns, pleasant people, and lovely interactions. Also expressing disbelief, usually over a glass of the local vintage or beer, that we’d been married to one another for 20 years.

Last on the list of our memories: any inconvenience of wearing a mask or having to mind the impact of our actions on the health and safety of others.

Now to the list.

How To Travel Safely* During Covid: Research and Planning

Note: *safely in terms of doing full research to understand the risks associated with the place you want to visit and the type of travel you want to do. Unfortunately, there is no 100% safe guarantee when it comes to Covid or anything else in life. The idea is to be prepared with relevant data and information to make a decision on whether to travel in the first place given the risks, where you can travel based on border and other restrictions, and then where you want to travel based on the current Covid situation, requirements, and other associated costs and time.

1. Do your COVID-19 & travel restriction research

Prior to setting off, we took our own COVID travel advice when deciding where to visit. Our goal: to make sure the places we wanted to visit weren’t identified as COVID-19 hotspots, had high vaccination rates and that we wouldn’t be required to quarantine upon arrival or encounter problems upon our return home to Germany.

Covid-related research and considerations to choose where to travel now include:

• Country entry and stay requirements: Use tools like Sherpa, Reopen Europe, and country-specific government pages (always confirm information from secondary sources) to understand entry requirements. This includes not only whether proof of a negative test is needed to enter, but also whether testing is required upon arrival, quarantine times, and whether regular testing is required during the stay. Some countries also require you to fill in a government form in advance and upload your proof of vaccination or negative test as a sort of pre-approval process. You're usually required to show this — either in paper or app form — when you check in for your flight and upon arrival in the country. Many countries have different requirements for vaccinated vs. unvaccinated travelers, so be sure to double check the requirements not only for your vaccination status, but also for how old your vaccination is (e.g., whether you've gotten a booster).
• Country specific Covid data: Be sure you understand the current local Covid situation where you want to visit to ensure this fits within your desired risk level. This means not only Covid daily rates, but also hospitalizations and ICU availability, vaccination rate (high is good), and where the concentration of new infections is happening (e.g., maybe you stay away from the cities or outbreak areas).
• Re-entry requirements to your home country: Not only do you need to know what is needed to get into another country, but you also must be aware of what the requirements are to return home. Countries are constantly being evaluated based on their current Covid caseloads and put on low or high risk lists, with the latter having stricter re-entry testing and quarantine requirements. Be sure to check the status of the country where you want to visit so that you are prepared with what forms you need to fill out, if you need a negative PCR or antigen test, and whether you need to quarantine.
• Availability and cost of Covid tests: In addition to possibly needing to show a negative test to fly home, some countries require Covid tests upon arrival or every couple of days. Do your research to understand not only the testing requirements (antigen or PCR), but how much the tests cost and how difficult it is to schedule. For example, during our recent trip to Cyprus, a PCR test upon arrival was required of all passengers. However, this was done immediately at the airport when we disembarked the plane, cost €15 (very reasonable) and the results were sent in 3-6 hours. This made it easy, efficient and inexpensive to fulfill this requirement. However, we're heard stories in other countries of the required tests adding hundreds of dollars or Euros to the cost of the trip, plus they were difficult to find and schedule. That sounds less enjoyable.
• What happens if you get Covid on vacation – local requirements and restrictions: Imagine the worst case scenario and you test positive for Covid during your trip, either developing symptoms during your vacation or you get a surprise result when you do your Covid test to return home. What are the procedures and requirements where you are going in terms of where you are allowed to stay (e.g., some countries have quarantine-specific hotels or centers so you can't just stay in a regular hotel or apartment), quarantine length, required testing regime, access to medical care, and who pays for everything, etc.? We know this isn't a pleasant exercise, but it's better to be prepared for what could happen (e.g., we know several people who tested positive when fulfilling Covid requirements to return home). Then, you have all the information you need to decide if you still want to go to that destinations given the requirements and potential additional costs and time. For example, on our recent trip to Cyprus we researched that if we were to test positive then we would have to go an official government quarantine hotel for two weeks, but that the costs of this were paid by the government. Given that we mostly work remotely anyway, we decided that this was a risk we were willing to take.
• On-the-ground Covid safety requirements: We now actively look for destinations with strict mask mandates and where proof of vaccination is required to access restaurants, museums or other indoor areas. This provides us with a bit more peace of mind and security that people are taking the risks seriously and are trying to manage them the best they can given the current tools and knowledge that we have.

This, of course, is all in addition to all the usual travel logistics and destination planning we do for a normal vacation.

How it played out: Although our goal was to hike the Dolomites in northern Italy, we identified several alternative destinations in case COVID-19 rates or travel restrictions increased there. We also regularly checked official government (German and Italian) websites to ensure we had the latest information before making any decisions.

2. Plan. Remain flexible. Adapt. Expect to cancel during Covid.

I’m with Dwight Eisenhower on this one. “…[plans] are of no particular value, but [planning] is indispensable.” Eisenhower was quoting a military officer speaking about managing peace after World War II, but the premise applies also to the winds of change of travel.

Plan, yet remain flexible. Accept that you may be forced to change plans or cancel at any moment, either while planning or on the road. Adapt your expectations and decisions to the discovery of new information. Preparation opens the mind to possible outcomes; the resulting flexibility helps maximize satisfaction. The less surprised you are as scenarios arise, the more equipped you will be to respond. And the more resilient you'll become.

If you happen to be a fan of the saying, “It’s all about the journey, not the destination,” this ought to resonate.

How it played out:  We postponed our anniversary trip once. The possibility of last-minute cancellation hovered over us right up to the time of our departure. We deliberately chose to travel by train rather than fly to Italy, since it featured fewer bureaucratic hassles and was less expensive, particularly if we had to cancel.

We also chose a rental car option with flexible cancellation and refund policies and were willing to pay a little more for that flexibility. (Note: If terms and conditions regarding cancellation aren’t clearly articulated, do not hesitate to inquire before booking so as to avoid surprises.)

Changeable weather is a key factor, especially during the shoulder season. It determined where we stayed each night and from which Dolomite trailhead we set off each morning. We checked weather multiple times a day (Wunderground and various mountain forecast sites were our favorites) for various cities and towns within the region. We adjusted our route accordingly and often headed to an area which promised the most sunshine and the lowest chance of precipitation the following day. Weather and forecast variation was remarkable, even between towns no more than an hour or two from one another.

3. Take advantage of the shoulder and off-seasons

We’ve always been fans of traveling in the shoulder and off-seasons not only because of fewer crowds, but also because it benefits local businesses by helping to extend their season. Prices and availability of accommodation and transport tend to be better, too. With social distancing and crowd avoidance concerns, this approach makes even more sense.

How it played out: Although we considered taking this trip for a while, including possibly during the summer when weather is more reliable, we ended up blocking out the end of September and early October for it. This was not only in light of watching COVID-19 rates, but also in line with the idea that there we would encounter fewer travelers after the traditional high season. This worked out well in terms of fewer people on the trails and better prices at hotels and guest houses.

4. Lifelines: Ask a friend to send you important updates

For the sake of joy, sanity and time management, we cut off our attention from most news during the trip. After a few days, however, we realized our disengagement and wondered whether we'd miss a news item which might affect our trip. We asked a friend in Berlin to alert us of developments like border restrictions or closures that might impact our trip or return home.

How it played out:  The day before our return, our lifeline (you know who you are), sent a Whatsapp message with COVID-19 rate increases across Central Europe. The following day, as we traveled by train from Italy to Germany, slow and tense border crossings caused us to miss our connecting train. While we weren't particularly happy about that, at least we weren't caught off guard.

Had such information arrived at the start of our trip, we may have opted to cut the trip short.

5. Be OK following the local rules.

When you travel, you are essentially a guest in someone's else home. Accept that you’ll be expected to comply with the requirements of the destinations you visit. That’s as true now with COVID as it's ever been, only the stakes are higher.

If you aren’t willing to comply with local laws and requirements -– either as they are, or how they may develop in response to circumstances — don’t go. This also applies to any possible quarantine and testing rules back home. Otherwise, you'll make yourself and others miserable.

2022 Update on local Covid rules and requirements:

• Mask mandates and understanding which type of mask is required: Some places not only have a mask mandate for indoor (and sometimes outdoor) spaces, but they also have requirements related for what type of mask you need to wear. For example, in Berlin, Germany where we live it's required to wear either an KN95/FFP2 mask or medical mask as these are higher quality masks than cloth masks and offer more protection. This means that cloth masks are not allowed and you might be rejected from a grocery store or given a fine on public transport for not wearing the proper mask. Even outside of whatever the local requirements are, wearing a high quality KN95/FFP2 is just better for everyone's safety – yours and the people around you.
• Digital vaccination certificates: Many countries (or even sometimes cities like New York City) require you to show your proof of vaccination digitally, with an approved app. This allows restaurants, shops or other establishments to quickly scan your vaccination QR code to ensure that you meet the requirements to enter. Do your research to find out which apps are required in the place you want to visit and try to get yourself set up before you go by downloading the app and uploading your proof of vaccination. If that is not possible, then research what you need to do on the ground to get the approved digital certificate on your phone. For example, in Berlin some pharmacies will take the CDC vaccination card and provide an EU-approved vaccination QR code that can then be scanned and uploaded to approved EU app like CovPass.

How it played out. We followed the rules and did what was asked of us. We also self-quarantined when we returned to Berlin, even though it wasn't technically required. It felt good to do so and contributed to the feeling that we're all responsible and have a role to play in everyone’s well-being.

Choosing Safe(r) Activities and Alternative Destinations

6. Get Out(side)!

Outdoor activities are considered a much lower risk for COVID-19 exposure. We enjoy hiking, so it was an easy decision to make hitting the trails and spending as much time outside in nature a key focus of our trip.

To mitigate the risk of encountering crowds, we chose to hike at the end of the season. We also chose longer, more difficult hikes that were not as popular or well-known. As a result, we often shared the trail with very few people, or even had some entirely to ourselves. Social distancing was not an issue. Even in popular regions it’s possible to choose less trafficked trails and destinations (hint: choose the long hikes with a difficult rating).

All of the vacations we've taken during the pandemic — Côte d'Azur, Cyprus, Baltic Sea, Portugal, Bavarian Alps — have focused on hiking, cycling or some sort of outdoor activity. This isn't just good from a health perspective to limit exposure and risk, but walking in nature or hiking is also good for one's mind and body. Immersing in and reconnecting with nature, especially during such a stressful time like the pandemic, can be so beneficial.

How it played out: At Tre Cime Nature Park, home to the iconic and popular Tre Cime (Three Peaks), we chose the Comici Refuge trail, a longer, more challenging day hike passing the back side of these heavily Instagrammed peaks. While we encountered only a handful of others on the trail during our ascent (whose views were the best we'd see all day), we observed a line of people on the traditional trail headed for us at one of the mountain hut panoramas. We took a requisite photo or two of the actual Tre Cime, but then quickly continued on our path less-taken.

7. Go off the standard path, find alternative destinations.

COVID-19 underscores this essential and timeless piece of travel advice.

Whatever you think the ultimate goal or crown jewel of the place you are visiting ought to be, there is always something else. Alternative destinations are out there; do your research to uncover them. You'll typically find that the alternatives are just as good if not better than the snaps splashed all over Instagram and in travel magazines.

How it played out:  The Sexten-Brixen corridor of the Dolomites was our original goal. However, at the start of our trip, it was raining there. Weather forced us to expand our view. We discovered some mind-blowing hikes in the Dolomiti Paganella area, including the challenging Piz Galin (Galin Peak) trail outside of the town of Andalo. It turned out to be one of our favorite hikes of the trip.

8. Visit secondary cities and destinations.

We chose smaller towns or secondary cities to overnight in the mountains. The idea: avoid busy streets full of people bumping into each other. There’s plenty of surprising beauty in the less visited.

How it played out: Most of the small towns and villages we overnighted in had very few visitors. Streets were relatively quiet, humming with the pace of everyday local life. This allowed us to explore freely without having to dodge crowds. One exception to this was San Marino whose city center was surprisingly full. We outwalked the crowds to find more space.

Transportation During Pandemic Travel

9. Wear a mask on all public or shared transport.

Masks are typically a requirement on public or shared transport (e.g., flights, trains, buses, etc.). It makes sense since you are sharing the same confined space with others. When everyone wears a mask properly (yes, that means above the nose) it makes for a safer, less anxious ride for everyone.

Update 2022: We now know a bit more about masks and their efficiency in protecting against airborne Covid so it is highly recommended to wear an N95/FFP2 mask or a medical mask instead of a cloth mask. That extra layer of protection could make a difference when you're in a closed space for hours.

How it played out: We had to wear a mask for the entire 9-10 hour train journey from Berlin, Germany to Bolzano, Italy. Was this a delight? No. For collective health and safety, were we willing to wear a mask and grateful that most everyone else wore one properly, too? You bet.

10. Use private transport.

Our readers know that we sing the praises of public transportation. Especially now, it's a lifeline for many. However, private transportation (e.g., a rental car) makes some destinations more accessible. In Covid travel times, having our own car also reduces repeated exposure to groups of other people in shared transportation.

How it played out: We picked up a rental car in Bolzano, Italy. We appreciated having our own transport across the Dolomites and down to The Marche and San Marino. It not only provided us the flexibility to make plans on the fly as we responded to changing weather, but it also saved us from spending many hours on and waiting for local buses.

Choose Local Accommodation and Small Businesses

11. Choose locally-owned accommodation and shops.

Keeping your money local when you travel isn’t anything new, but it takes on increased importance now. Many communities have suffered from the loss of tourism business this year. And small, family-run businesses with limited resources have often been hit the hardest.

If possible, seek out businesses that align with your values regarding sustainability — caring for the environment, local community and economy. This could be efforts to reduce water and energy usage or a commitment to source food from local farmers.

We also now look for apartments or hotel rooms that have some self-catering options. This makes it easier to avoid busy breakfast buffets, restaurants or other shared indoor spaces.

How it played out: We deliberately looked for small, local B&Bs, restaurants and shops to ensure our money remained local to the benefit of the community. This also contributed to a more unique experience since we interacted with families in a more personal setting.

12. Book directly to keep your money local.

Online booking sites are convenient. We use them often, but we're also aware they take a sizable commission from local providers. This is understandable. Booking sites offer a valuable service which requires resources to operate. However, given that many local tourism businesses are really struggling right now — and we need them to be around in whatever post-COVID-19 equilibrium emerges — you can support them even more now by booking directly with them.

How it played out: As often as we could, we booked our accommodation directly either through the hotel’s own website or at their front door. Local accommodation providers were able to keep the entire amount of the booking, and we often received the same or lower prices and upgrades by negotiating directly. (Note to hotels: make it easy for travelers like us to book online through your website with a credit card!).

Covid Safety for Restaurants and Dining

13. Eat outside. Or maybe eat in.

Our preferred mode of restaurant dining these days is outdoors, even if it’s a bit chilly. As the weather turns colder in the Northern Hemisphere, many restaurants and shops now offer outdoor heaters or blankets. Take advantage of that. Alternatively, be prepared for a bit of chill with a hat and scarf.

If eating outside isn't an option because of weather or lack of tables outside, consider eating in. Order food from a restaurant and bring it back to your accommodation or pick up simple foods at the grocery store that can be like a picnic. Pair it with a bottle of local wine or beer and you've got a memorable meal.

How it played out: When a restaurant offered outdoor seating, we took it and came prepared with jackets and hats if needed.

14. Choose off hours to eat in restaurants.

If the outdoors aren’t possible and you must eat inside, choose odd hours (e.g., when restaurants first open for lunch or dinner). Although eating in an empty restaurant sometimes feels odd, restaurant owners and staff are happy for the business. We still enjoyed wonderful food and interaction with them. In the time of COVID-19, this approach also helps to avoid crowds of people confined indoors.

How it played out: Because we had early mornings and long days of hiking in the mountains, we were often the first people at restaurants when they opened in the evenings. The food tasted just as delicious and we sometimes got extra attention.

Hygiene and Health Safety for Travel During Covid

15. Focus on behaviors that limit close human contact.

Science tells us that COVID-19 is transmitted mainly through human contact and interaction, airborne droplets and human concentration indoors, rather than through transmission via surfaces. Mask-wearing and controlling traffic or crowds is what matters most when it comes to COVID-19 travel safety.

How it played out: We appreciated the constant signs and reminders at local accommodation and shops for travelers to wear their masks indoors, as well as behavioral cues and notices about maintaining distancing, minding elevator restrictions, and complying with limited seating. Signs aligned with behaviors not only help inform our immediate behavior, but they reinforce that we're in this together for the collective good.

16. Put hygiene theater in its place.

A lot of attention has been given to new COVID-19 hygiene measures, including the use of powerful disinfectants and the deployment of rigorous cleaning regimes. The urge to focus on what we feel is in our control — the cleanliness and disinfection of surfaces — is understandable. It makes us somehow feel safer, even if the science tells us that its effect may be marginal.

Cleanliness is crucial, but don’t get lulled into thinking that new COVID-19 hygiene certifications alone will protect you. Note: If you are unfamiliar with the term hygiene theater, check out this article from The Atlantic.

How it played out: To assess our potential risk of exposure in any establishment, we focused our attention more on how an establishment managed customer flow, numbers and crowds rather than how intensely or often it disinfected tables and surfaces after each customer.

17. As a default, wear a mask. And a high quality one.

If you think that maybe you should wear a mask, then just do it. Even when it's not legally or technically required, err on the side of yes. This is especially true anytime you are talking to or engaging with someone who is not in your immediate or family circle.

One of the safety campaigns said it best: “Für dich, für mich, für uns” (“For you, for me, for us”). We're in this together, all of us.

This includes keeping your mask on when you order and pay in a restaurant. Although we were typically allowed to take our masks off after being seated at a table, it occurred to us that we remained in close proximity to wait staff when ordering food or settling the bill. So we did as many others did in Italy, and kept our masks on (or put them back on) during these transactions.

How it played out: We always carried our masks with us. We put them on anytime we entered busy streets, walked outdoor fresh markets, entered into mountain huts, and, of course, anytime we were inside a shop, hotel or restaurant. Easy.

18. Do a Covid test when you return. Maybe self-quarantine.

Travel and the movement of people are one of the ways that COVID-19 spreads quickly from place to place. Since asymptomatic carriers can still be contagious and unknowingly spread the virus to others, it's important to try to protect your home community from infection that you might have picked up on your trip.

As a courtesy and for the safety and health of your own community, get tested when you return home from a trip, even if it's not required. If tests are not easily available, then consider self-quarantining for 10 days to eliminate person-to-person interactions.

Update 2022: As we have testing easily and freely available to us in Berlin we will now get tested several times in the week we return from a trip. If multiple rapid tests come back negative then we won't do a self-imposed quarantine. We also usually take several Covid self-tests with us when we travel in case we start to experience a runny nose or sore throat and want to be sure it's a cold or allergies vs. Covid.

How it played out: Since Italy was not a hot spot at the time, German regulations did not require us to either quarantine or get a COVID-19 test upon our return. However, since we'd traveled to several locations and encountered people as we ate inside restaurants and traveled by shared transport, we opted to self-quarantine for two weeks upon our return. We did so because we wanted to protect our friends and to minimize any risk to our neighborhood and community.

Mindset: Expectations and Satisfaction

19. Manage your expectations.

None of us is entitled to circumstances which make happiness seem the easier choice. Nor are we guaranteed conditions so that our photos match those of our social media heroes.

Understand that the best laid plans can all go to shit. Then, manage accordingly.

How it played out: Our expectations were half to all rain, and to be on the run from the Dolomites to southern Italy. Everything else, gravy. Though there was a bit of rain here and there in the Dolomites, the trip was generally incredible in the mountains as we navigated weather conditions and made choices in line with everything we mentioned above. Only when a wall of rain moved in, did we head south to Urbino in The Marche. It even rained a bit in the town of Urbino. Perhaps the rain is what made the town so dramatic and charming?

20. And if it turns to shit?

If things turn to shit, that’s all the more reason to be super-thrilled about the pre-shit moments and to reflect on what might be appreciated about the shit moment at hand.

How it played out: As we reached Pedrotti Refuge hut, the highest point of one of our hikes, fog accumulated and the wind picked up. It even began to sleet. Conditions were far from ideal in a spot where on a sunny day you might see for miles. Despite this, our ascent had been rewarding and dramatic. We felt like heroes for reaching the pass, especially since our muscles were recovering from our hike the day before.

At the top, we met a few other hikers — all very nice — including one who repeatedly referred to the “shit” conditions, especially in comparison to the sunny days he’d encountered in recent hikes elsewhere. On one hand, he had a point. The visibility was bad. On the other hand, I felt bad. For him. Disappointment seemed to define his moment.

We enjoyed a beautiful hike. Not only the morning’s crystal blue skies we all shared, but the same skies whose drama swirled the mountain peaks around us. We celebrated our accomplishment, ate our picnic sandwiches and reflected on the vastness and solitude engulfing that rugged little hut, a feat of human will which had no business being tucked away up there. Our minds were absorbed by the magnificence of the moment.

Only temporarily was our focus taken off-track by someone else’s preconceived notions and disappointments regarding the way life ought to be. That for us was a lesson re-affirmed. In travel as in life, one’s satisfaction has much to do with expectations and how those expectations influence one’s view of what is.

Spending your cycles atop a foggy mountain complaining about the weather condition: a waste. Things change. Witness the weather, especially in the mountains. And all of it out of your control. And yet, that changeable weather is part of the moment. Train yourself to see it, and that’s part of the beauty you’ll encounter. To us at least, that's what hiking in the mountains — and travel in general — is all about.

Life, too. You can play the hands you're dealt as best as you’re able. Or you can complain about what in poker is called a “bad beat” – where you did everything “right” and it didn’t work out. If things turn bad, recognize and maybe even celebrate that you did the best you could. And is it really so bad? If there’s no sun shining on you at the moment, don't forget the sun in your rear view. Celebrate that you carried yourself to the top of the mountain. Or just celebrate the mountain.

Stealing disappointment from the jaws of gratitude will only sour your travel experiences and your memories. With or without COVID-19.

The post Traveling Safely During Covid: Research, Planning and Managing Risk appeared first on Uncornered Market.

When we set off on our journey around the world over 15 years ago, we did so with the idea that to understand a place, we needed to experience it on the ground, at eye level. To walk its streets, eat its food, and talk to and interact with its people.

We observed women and their evolving role in society. It feels strange saying this as a man — and forgive me for the sweeping generalization — but in so many places (certainly not all), as men played backgammon, dominoes, and cards and drank tea or coffee all day, the women were caring for what needed to be cared for. Whether it was the home, the market stall, the community center or the school, more often than not the women, it seemed, were the ones doing.

This observation, combined with research we consumed about the impact of investing in women, accelerated our interest in projects which focused on women's issues, including their economic and social empowerment. To complete the circle, we now consider this issue in light of how we travel and the choices we make.

Over the years we've asked ourselves how individual travelers might impact this cause through their own deliberate travel decisions and how travel businesses can open up more opportunities to women. This has only increased in importance as the travel went into a “great pause” during the pandemic and so many women lost their jobs and small businesses.

As travel is rebuilding after the pandemic there's an opportunity now for travelers to show their support for women initiatives and business through their purchasing decisions and travel choices. Here are a few practical ways to do this.

Note: This article was originally published in 2016 in connection with a photography exhibition we were part of in Berlin called “Planet Her” focused on the role tourism can play in women's development. It has been updated in 2021, 2022 and 2023 in light of the pandemic and restarting travel to offer more information and practical ways travelers can align their decisions and spending to support women's initiatives and businesses.

Investing in Women: Why it Matters

There is a reason we continue to use the word “investment” in the context of women in tourism and empowerment projects. While visiting a Kiva microfinance partner outside of Cochabamba, Bolivia, we spoke to Servanda, then a borrower and member of the program.

She gave us a hint of the importance of this concept and approach: “Never before did anyone invest in us, believe in us. Even we didn’t believe we were worthy of investment, that we could build something. Now we know that we are able to create our own businesses.” She emphasized that she and her counterparts were not looking for handouts, but access.

Access. To education, to credit, and to opportunities to participate equally in society.

As we asked women involved in these projects — from India to Guatemala to Tanzania — what they would do with the fruits of their business efforts and their newly earned income, their responses echoed a similar theme.

What happens when we invest? Where will that money go when placed in the hands of women who care?

“I want to send my children to a better school.”

“I want to be able to buy better food and take them to the doctor when they need it.”

“I want my daughter to finish school, unlike me.”

The G Adventures and Planeterra Moshi Mamas project near Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania provides business training and market access to sell crafts and services through a locally run social enterprise. Shoshe, one of its participants, summed up her aspirations and hope in the program: “I want to break the cycle for my daughter. I want to prove women can work and earn money.”

To put this in context, according to Kiva, a microfinance organization which lends money via the internet to low-income entrepreneurs around the world, women reinvest 80% of the income they earn into the education and wellbeing of children.

TL;DR: Investing in women is an investment in our future generations.

How Travelers Can Make Decisions That Invest in and Support Local Women

At this point you might be thinking: “All this sounds great, but this investment in women is the work of NGOs and international development organizations. What can I, the average traveler, do to contribute to women’s empowerment and development? How do my choices connect to providing women access to income generation, education and services?”

Quite a bit, it turns out. When travelers align their decisions and purchases with their values, the impact on local organizations and communities can be substantial. However, travelers often don’t know where to look for travel experiences or tourism-related services that support women.

Here are a few ideas to get you started for your next trip.

1. Choose tours which incorporate a women-oriented project in the itinerary.

This may require doing a bit of research and even contacting the tour company or travel agent to ask specifics about the itinerary. Regardless, there are tour companies who work with women’s organizations, and explicitly call out this collaboration in their itineraries. Increasingly, they do this not only as a matter of expressing their values, but also to meet the growing traveler demand for engaged, cause-oriented, experience-enhancing travel interaction.

For example, Planeterra Foundation's portfolio includes many projects that work with local organizations connected to women's empowerment and are incorporated into G Adventures tour experiences. This means that if you travel to Nepal on a G Adventures tour you will likely take a cooking class with women from the local organization Sasane (and partner Sasane Sisterhood), an NGO which trains survivors of human trafficking to be paralegals so they can help to defend other victims.

A portion of the proceeds from the cooking class and lunch is used to fund Sasane’s projects, so it may expand both its reach and its service offering in Nepal. In this way, each traveler makes a small contribution to the Sasane mission of breaking the cycle of human trafficking in Nepal.

In this particular travel experience, the traveler learns how to make Nepalese momos (dumplings, and delicious!) and enjoys the interaction of having lunch with local women. These tours, offered continuously, host a constant stream of travelers. Sasane can count on this as a reliable source of funding for its activities and can reduce the time it spends chasing grants and charity donations. Finally and most importantly, the local women leading the instruction and experience earn money to support themselves and their families.

Recently, Sasane has used some of the guide training and assistance from Planeterra Foundation to expand their offerings to travelers to include trekking. Not only are the trekking guides survivors of human trafficking, thereby offering them employment, but some of the routes go through remote and rural areas of Nepal where trafficking is unfortunately still a big problem. One of the big goals is to build up tourism infrastructure and services (e.g., guest houses, cafes, etc.) around these routes and treks so that these rural areas have more income generating options and alternative livelihoods, thereby trying to reduce the main reason behind human trafficking: extreme poverty. Take a look at the treks and tours they offer if you're traveling to Nepal anytime soon.

Adrienne Lee also spoke to us about the importance of travel market access these Planeterra / G Adventures initiatives provide to the local organizations they work with:

“This was a dream of one of our community development partners for close to ten years. They had received numerous training and consulting services over the last decade, but the link to a market partner (G Adventures) helped them turn around and launch their business. From our initial meetings with this partner to when G Adventures started to pilot their first groups – we launched this social business for marginalized women in less than a year. We anticipate it will be open to the public in just a few months, and the business has already started to see a four-fold increase in their revenue.”

Planeterra launched more projects, thereby offering further opportunities to connect your travels to projects that work with local women. We are particularly excited about the Rwanda project as we first visited the local organization — Nyamirambo Womens Center – during our visit to Kigali, Rwanda several years ago. We passed the organization's contact information onto Planeterra as we were impressed with the NGO’s work in the local community.

Travelers, if you ever wonder about your impact, even suggestions based on firsthand experience can make a difference to the way business is done, and eventually to the lives of people on the ground. For us, it is satisfying to see things come full circle.

2. Seek out social enterprises that work with women and children

A social enterprise is essentially an organization that functions on one level like a business to earn money, but whose profits are given back to the community. In addition, social enterprises often train and employ people from disadvantaged or marginalized backgrounds, sometimes including those who were previously homeless, trafficked or struggling with substance-abuse issues who often don't get a second chance. While the traveler enjoys a great meal, handmade souvenir, or walking tour, proceeds from these experiences fund the community development work of those social enterprises.

After we visited the Taj Mahal in India last year, we went to the Sheroes Hangout Cafe (She + Heroes = Sheroes) in Agra. This social enterprise cafe is run by survivors of acid attacks, a marginalized group in India. The cafe only providing a source of income and employment, but also social integration. The confidence of the strong and resilient women we met there was inspirational, as is the work they are doing on the #StopAcidAttacks campaign. The goal: that no one will ever need to go through what they did. Talk about a masala tea or curry with a cause.

Similarly, on a trip to Cambodia Audrey sought out a social enterprise offering manicures and pedicures. At Friends Nail Bar in Phnom Penh, beauty salon staff are former street children who have been given training in practical job skills through Friends International NGO; they can now support themselves through their work. Audrey emerged with nice nails and a pleasant experience, and the money she spent helped pay salaries and fund training for more young adults in similar or other job skills.

Over the last few years we’ve found more social enterprises emerging, sometimes in surprising places. To help you get started in your search for social enterprises on your next trip, consider checking out the Grassroots Volunteering social enterprise database.

3. Support women’s initiatives and women-owned businesses directly when you travel.

Think of all the services one needs as a traveler: food, tours, guiding, accommodation, transport, etc. Then ask yourself: is it possible to support or choose women-owned businesses or businesses with innovative women’s programs as you fill these needs?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. In any event, it's worth being aware of the possibility so that you might connect your decisions and spending with services that support women.

This approach of linking your decisions with your values could be as seeking out restaurants and shops run by women. This could involve:

• book a trek with the first female trekking guides in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan
• hire a guide and porter from this women's trekking agency in Nepal that supports and employs survivors of human trafficking
• book a taxi in Delhi, Jaipur or Kolkata in India with a female taxi driver
• choose a safari lodge in Botswana whose all-female safari guiding team was the first in the country and on the continent.
• buy souvenirs from a local women's cooperative in Peru.

For even more ideas, here is an article featuring women-led tours and travel experiences from around the world.

There are myriad ways to make an impact, however small. The choices you make do matter.

This is not only directly to the women businesses and organizations you support during your travels, but also as you show your interest and values in this through your purchasing decisions you will also send a clear message to travel companies that you expect and demand this from them. In this way, travelers have the power to push the tourism sector forward, to become even more inclusive of women and other marginalized groups.

Women: The Future

It’s no wonder that the great verbal constructs of stewardship and care — “Mother Earth”, “Pachamama”, “Mother Nature” — all position the force that underlies humanity and brings us together as that of a woman.

As we consider the world’s most pressing issues, including social and economic justice and environmental stability, maybe we ought to look more closely at this force and give it the resources it needs to innovate and craft sustainable solutions.

And when we honor women and their untapped potential, I suspect we will better serve the needs of ​everyone​ on the planet.

The post How To Support Local Women During Your Travels appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Popular question these days. The temptation to answer “yes” or “no” misses the opportunity to separate the issues facing travelers, including that our freedom to travel carries with it a personal responsibility — just as it always has.

There’s nothing new there. It’s just that the din of the pre-COVID travel party and the freedom cocktail we all shared drowned out most of the conversation about personal responsibility in travel.

Then COVID-19 came along and pressed a gigantic pause button, including on our assumptions. It subjected us to some travel deprivation and served up some forced reflection. It also seems to have tricked us into thinking that some of the ethical considerations surrounding our travel decisions are new when they’re not.

As our own health and well-being have come into sharper focus, so has the health and well-being of others — something that probably should have been atop everyone’s radar all along.

Freedom, Responsibility and Meaning: The Travel Payoff

“Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness.”

—Victor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

When we go out into the world – whether across the globe or around the block – we exercise a freedom. That freedom is paired with a responsibility to ourselves and to others. We can choose to ignore that responsibility. If we do, we slowly — and usually imperceptibly — erode those freedoms.

This plays out always – whether in the context of COVID-19, climate change awareness, or consciousness while walking the streets of a destination you’re visiting.

It’s tempting to quietly give up on something like responsibility, for it’s another burden atop all the others. Maybe we ought to realize it’s impossible to live an entirely ethical life. If that’s our goal, exhaustion is ours. Instead, maybe we abandon purity and perfection and do the best we can by being aware of the impacts of our actions on others.

We can begin by thinking, caring and respecting. We can spend a few cycles educating ourselves, performing research, practicing awareness, and acting on some of what we learn. As we consider our decisions and their impacts, we become more aware of the parameters and the forces at work.

We adjust, shaping a world that aligns with our values.

Should You Travel Now?

“Should I travel now?”

“Should I do ______ now?”

It’s a personal decision. That redirect is not just diplomatic avoidance. Instead, it implies that your answer ought to depend on the choices you make, how you intend to travel and whether and how you care about the well-being of others along the way.

It applies whether you journey just outside your front door or halfway around the world.

It has always applied.

And its truth remains with each of us until we take our last trip.

The post Is it Ethical to Travel Now? With that Freedom Comes Responsibility appeared first on Uncornered Market.

As we read about the climate crisis and the role that travel and tourism plays, we’ve noticed a prevailing theme: carbon emissions from flights and aviation are the problem.

Sure, this is a central and pressing issue. The reality is that flights do contribute considerably to global carbon emissions and this is only expected to rise as passenger numbers increase. In recognition of that, we’ve examined our own thinking and committed to the Tourism Declares framework in an effort to reduce the number of flights we take per year for professional and personal reasons.

However, flights aren’t the only problem at the intersection of tourism, carbon emissions and the climate crisis. In fact, even if we stopped flying altogether, we’d miss some of the travel industry’s greatest environmental impact and carbon emissions reduction opportunities of all.

We'd also lose out on many of the potential socio-economic and conservation-oriented benefits that travel and tourism deliver to the places we fly to and the people who live there.

In addressing one undesirable outcome we run the risk of unintended negative consequences because we failed to see the interconnectedness of it all.

Note to travelers: Although the first part of this article is more industry-oriented, you might find the background interesting as to how travel companies can measure and make changes to reduce their carbon footprint. However, in the Tools section below you can more directly see the impact of your actions and decisions — on holiday and at home.

Climate Crisis and Travel

To date, carbon offsets have served as the tourism industry’s form of penitent indulgence or get-out-of-jail-free for flight-based carbon emissions. However many experts argue it doesn't really solve the problem. We tend to agree.

Fortunately, the actions that travelers and tourism companies take on the ground once the plane has landed and their holidays begin has gained greater attention and scrutiny.

For example, recent research from Responsible Travel regarding carbon emissions from holidays found a surprising result: that the carbon footprint from food — or foodprint —  can sometimes be greater than that of the transport used to reach the holiday destination.

This aligns with a project we advised on from 2019 – 2022 with the Mediterranean Experience of EcoTourism (MEET) Network which developed the Ecotourism Ecological Footprint calculator, a tool to measure the environmental impact of a tour or itinerary (after arrival in the destination). At the time, its results highlighted that the carbon footprint from food can be greater than that of transport or accommodation when on the ground during a vacation.

Repeated tests on MEET ecotourism itineraries indicated that making changes to food and meals — cutting portions to reduce food waste, replacing meat-heavy restaurant meals with lighter picnic lunches in nature, sourcing more products locally to reduce transport distance from the food source — often had a greater impact on reducing carbon emissions than making adjustments to accommodation or modes of local transportation.

This doesn't mean that accommodation, transport and activity choices are irrelevant. They matter. However, what this research shows — and why measurement like this is so important — is that sometimes the areas that get the most press and attention may not actually carry the biggest impact, positive or negative.

There’s also an environmental bonus of thinking on this particular area of behavior. We can bring this thinking about foodprint, food consumption and food waste back home, too.

Let’s Be Pragmatic: Not Just Reduction, but Optimization

The point of the MEET Network approach to measurement and monitoring was pragmatic. It was not to achieve the lowest footprint possible at the expense of an enjoyable experience (e.g., eating local vegetables exclusively, staying in an electricity-free lodge and avoiding transport).

Rather, it was to identify an optimal balance between the quality of travel experience — which includes experiencing local cuisine, the culture of hospitality, comfortable accommodation, and a diversity of locations and activities — and the sustainability of the tour.

The online calculator — which is free and available to all tourism companies — allows tour providers to adjust different segments of their itineraries and to understand the environmental impact of those adjustments on the fly. Tour operators may realize that it’s more impactful as a whole to make select small changes across all tours than to make only a few tours zero-waste and perfect. But the first step is to understand where the biggest culprits of carbon’s emissions lie.

Environmentally aware travel is not just about flights, but instead about recognizing how the different dimensions of travel and human behavior interrelate and work at scale.

Tools to Understand Your Carbon Footprint in All Dimensions

What does this mean for the individual traveler?

Recent research and some basic tools can provide a more holistic view on one’s environmental impact, then guide which actions to take.  And I’ll continually reiterate: this isn’t about guilt-tripping about one’s travel behaviors. Instead, it's about having some context about the impact of one’s choices so deliberate decisions can be made.

Ecological Footprint Online Calculator

Check out the Ecological Footprint online calculator. It’s an easy-to-use online tool that helps you understand more holistically your carbon footprint and how different dimensions in your life and travels play a role.

The point is not so much about your final score (your personal Overshoot Day, the date when what you consume has outstripped the Earth's regeneration capacity), but instead about developing your awareness of what is relevant. The tool illustrates how choices of transportation, food, electricity/electrical appliances, home, shopping, and other activities can have an impact and just how big or small that impact is on your total carbon emissions.

It's worth running the online calculator process several times and changing responses to represent actions you might consider taking, then watching the corresponding change in total footprint. For example, we've adjusted the number of flight hours we take, percentage of locally sourced foods we buy, overall amount of stuff we purchase, and other factors to see in each online calculation iteration what difference each of these changes makes to our total carbon footprint.

The idea: to use the tool to increase your understanding and to find your own optimal yet realistic equilibrium.

We don’t imagine that the output of the tool should set you off with a list of how you might deprive yourself of life’s pleasures and live a hermit's life. Instead, the tool illuminates how our individual behaviors — as well as those of the companies we do business with — have an environmental impact.

WWF Environmental Footprint Calculator

The WWF Environmental Footprint Calculator is a similar questionnaire-based tool whose approach can help you better understand the environmental impact of different aspects of your life. It's a bit simpler and less precise than the Ecological Footprint Calculator, but still provides a good overview. It also allows you to compare your footprint to national averages (only available in certain countries) and see how your results measure up to those around you.

Adjusting your Travel Footprint

Most of the carbon footprint dimensions highlighted in these tools apply in travel as they do in daily life: food choices and food waste, transportation options, accommodation choices, and other activities.

The more broad-minded we are of the impact of all our travel choices — not just flights — the more both travelers and tourism companies can make informed, effective and impactful decisions across the spectrum of our behaviors.

And therein lies a fuller solution.

There’s a great deal we can change, if we look at it right.

The post The Climate Crisis in Travel: Are We Missing the Bigger Picture? appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Have you ever been inspired to visit a travel destination or set off on an experience just because you saw it on Instagram? Have you ever attempted to recreate the exact image which inspired you in the first place?

If so, you’re not alone. We all understand this anecdotally. However, a study in the United Kingdom nails it: 41% of respondents indicate “Instagrammability” as the most important factor in choosing where to travel.

“What’s the harm in that?” you might ask. A sizable chunk of the traveling public has always traveled based on visual inspiration. Think of the traditional glossy travel magazines that spurred wanderlust.

True. Now let’s focus on how this plays out today. Take the collective impact of a growing number of travelers seeking the “right” Instagram shot and those desired shots tending to a limited set of destinations and sights. Couple that with a massive increase in the volume of travelers (1.5 to 1.8 billion in the next 5 years), and you get the perfect storm of overtourism brewing in a growing number of destinations today.

We've spoken at TravelCon and WTM London to other bloggers and influencers on widening the sustainable tourism movement. As we examined overtourism and the role of social media, we asked the question: as an influencer or social media user who cares, is there anything you can do to make a dent? To be part of the overtourism solution?

To use your influence…to influence a positive shift?

Yes.

Here are ten simple ways you can use your influence across social media platforms for positive impact, expanding travelers’ experiences just as you help combat the phenomenon of overtourism.

A note on the term “influencer”: Although the term “influencer” tends to speak to professionals who make a living from writing and social media, we are all influencers in some way. In fact, recommendations from friends and family are the most effective marketing there is. No matter how small your Instagram or social media following may be, what you post and how you post it does matter. You probably influence others’ decisions and actions more than you think.

10 Ways to use Social Media and Blogging to Help Combat Overtourism

Continue posting the beautiful, stirring images that your community loves. At the same time, consider how your posting can deliberately raise awareness of an issue, to shift and change how your community chooses to act and travel. Not all of the messages will land with everyone in your audience, but many will. Consciousness adds up and makes a difference over time.

1. Share images and stories from lesser-known places to encourage travel to different destinations

“One of the effects of social media is that we are all heading into the same places,” Tomas Frydrych wrote.

Imagine using Instagram and social media to help spread tourists across different destinations and sights. A majority of travelers (70%) head to a relatively small number of countries (20%), cities and natural parks (source: WTTC & McKinsey report). And within those places they are often visiting a limited number of sights or “top ten list” items.

Consider using your platforms, no matter how big or small, to showcase countries, regions, cities, experiences, outings, and treks that are not well-traveled in regions which could truly benefit from increased tourism. This approach opens your audience to new parts of the world. It can also help tear down stereotypes, fears and assumptions along the way.

For example, when we traveled through Ethiopia we shared photos and stories of landscapes, historical sights, markets, food, and people. Even though we’d considered ourselves well-traveled, Ethiopia surprised us in so many ways.

Ethiopia suffers from the stigma of famine in the 80s and a narrative of war and poverty. However, tourism development can help to spread money into regions and small communities.

2. Tell the backstory of the place and its people

Consider providing more of the backstory – the history, culture, environment and current socio-economic situation — when you post those iconic images or write about the latest place you’ve visited. This helps future visitors to those destinations engage and interact with its people more respectfully.

If you’re stuck for a structure on how to do this, consider the construct of: where that destination or people have been (its past), where they are now (its present), and where they want to go (its future). With the final point, you engage your audience in the journey to impact the destination and its future.

For example, when we published our guide to trekking in Ladakh, we not only mentioned our incredible trekking experiences there, but we also talked about the fragile high desert landscape and the Tibetan Ladakhi culture and people. Stanzin Odzer, founder of Ecological Footprints, the local trekking agency we set out with, told us later that he appreciated the awareness carried by clients who came via our website:

“We love to walk with them, because they are aware of everything — Ladakh’s fragile environment and also about culture.”

Considering that around 60% of his clients come via our website, that implies not just quantity, but also quality, of traveler traffic.

3. Help Eliminate Travel Entitlement

We’ve all seen, and probably do our best to dodge, that traveler. You know, the person who feels that he is entitled to do whatever he wants because he’s on vacation. He paid for it. He steps over and in front of everyone while getting the shot he deserves, he’s rude to people trying to serve him, and he’s loudest at night when people are trying to sleep because what he has to say is truly important.

The asshole traveler. None of us wants someone from our social media community to be that traveler.

What can we do?

One approach: call it out directly. Be upfront on what sort of traveler behavior is obnoxious, offensive, and disrespectful. I may be naïve here, but I’m guessing most people don’t want to be this way. But, some don’t recognize themselves unless the specific behaviors are called out as worthy of change.

Additionally, offer alternatives. Provide constructs on what it means to be a respectful, responsible traveler.

This begins with the understanding that as travelers we are all guests. Respectfulness begets respect. This means learning about cultural norms, dressing respectably, being quiet on the streets so that local people can be rested for work or school the next day, taking care of trash and resource use, and being aware just as you are curious.

Ultimately, it means seeking first to understand before judging…and complaining. When we do that as travelers, we tend to have deeper experiences, as locals are more likely to want to engage and connect with us when we’re not acting entitled.

4. Highlight experiences from social enterprises and community organizations

Tours with travel-related social enterprises and community development organizations usually offer excellent ways to connect with local people and have an immersive experience. In addition, these organizations reinvest profits into the community for local projects and development.

Sometimes these social enterprises work with marginalized communities offering employment and other opportunities that might not otherwise be available. It’s a win-win for everyone.

However, these local initiatives often don’t have a big marketing budgets to promote themselves.

This means that when you take the time to share a photo or story from a worthwhile experience you’ve had with such an organization, it offers provides them a marketing boost. It helps other travelers learn about these organizations more easily. Ultimately, you’re doing travelers a service by helping them find unique experiences.

On the tourism development project we advised in Kyrgyzstan, the blogger and influencer campaign focused on the new tours and tourism products offered by local community Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in Karakol, Osh, South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul and Jyrgalan. The tours featured were created and run by local families and organizations and benefitted them directly. They also offered new ways for travelers to connect easily with locals and learn about their cuisine, culture, history and environment.

Finally, proceeds from the tours were important to the DMOs’ long-term sustainability, as the revenue streams they provide will outlast foreign donor funding.

Thanks to last year’s social media and blogging promotional push of these experiences, this year’s summer season has boomed for these community tourism development organizations. Local employment and job opportunities have increased with this growth. Because of these new tours and their promotion, travelers spend more time in the destination, and the economic benefit spreads throughout the community via local restaurants, accommodation and other businesses.

5. Raise awareness of behaviors that may cause unintended harm

Sometimes we do things as travelers that we assume are harmless, don’t have much impact, or maybe even help local people and places — when it turns out that the opposite is true.

The reality is that sometimes our actions have unforeseen, unintended negative consequences.

For example, our awareness of child welfare in travel has increased. This includes the unintended harm of giving to children who beg, visiting schools during classroom time, and photographing children. The same goes for many volunteering and voluntourism programs, especially those in orphanages.

Although each of these complex issues can be difficult to unpack via a single social media post, it's possible to begin or continue the conversation. For a tongue-in-cheek example of an account dedicated these issues, check out Barbie Savior on Instagram.

As you wield your influence, ask yourself: “What do I wish I had known or been made aware of before I began traveling? What mistakes did I unknowingly make that I hope others can avoid?

Use those questions as a guide. Then, influence accordingly, raising awareness of environmental, social, economic and cultural issues.

As you do, avoid preaching. Instead, offer alternatives from your range of experience which serve the traveler and the destination and its people. If you don't know where to start, take a look at our ten tips for travelers to help combat overtourism.

6. Don’t geotag or add location data to fragile natural areas

One of the positive impacts of social media – Instagram especially — has been to encourage more travelers to get into nature, to go on treks, and to visit National Parks. Unfortunately, there’s also a down side to this great push to the outdoors.

Some fragile natural areas have been destroyed or are in the process of being ruined by the influx of Instagram-influenced tourists. Once peaceful and tranquil locations are swarmed by hordes of visitors angling for the best, and likely the same, Instagram shot or selfie.

If you’ve discovered a natural sight, trek or experience that you consider amazing, ask yourself a few questions before you post with location data:

• Can this place withstand more and more visitors without destroying what makes it beautiful and unique in the first place?
• Does it have the infrastructure to absorb even more visitors?

If not, consider leaving its exact location a mystery. Not having exact GPS coordinates will likely deter a lot of people from seeking it out in the first place.

7. Help others understand the environmental impact of their actions and offer alternatives

Use that epic shot from an outdoor landmark or historical site to raise awareness of environmental issues in the area. The idea is to juxtapose the beauty of the image with the problem at hand: plastics, trash, off-path destruction, feeding the animals, etc. Then, provide easy and viable alternatives to help travelers understand which behaviors help protect the environment and which ones degrade it.

A more extreme option: post a photo of what would have been a beautiful landscape or scene. That is, without all the trash lying around.

Many travelers are not aware of the fragility of the places they visit, especially national parks, historical sites or remote destinations which do not possess the infrastructure or resources to manage the additional trash, consumption and resource pressure which comes with increased visitor numbers.

For example, I always knew that single-use plastics and plastic water bottles were bad. However, our trip to Cambodia’s Koh Rong island earlier this year offered a wake-up call. The confluence of a storm and high tides from a super moon drew to the shore an ocean’s worth of garbage. For a couple of days, beaches were strewn with plastic bottles, cups, straws, plates and other random junk.

True, not all of this is the result of the tourism industry. But much of it was.

Since this experience, I’ve become more aware of my use of plastics and my contribution to the problem. Sure, I’ve been carrying a refillable water bottle for years now. But now I also try to do more — to carry and use reusable utensils, straws, chopsticks, coffee cups and fast-food containers. This alone makes me more conscious of what and how I consume.

Sharing your journey towards becoming more environmentally aware and savvy offers a natural way to involve others in your process. I’m always amazed by what we learn from our community, including the myriad ideas and tips our audience offers that we hadn't previously considered.

8. Keep Your Money Local to Benefit the Community

When you spend money on a trip, how do you know that your money stays local and benefits the local communities you visit?

In fact, a UNEP statistic from a few years ago highlighted that on average only $5 of every $100 spent on tourism in the developing world stays there. Even if that percentage has gone up in recent years, it still highlights a problem.

There are a lot of opportunities in tourism for leakages where the money ends up elsewhere — whether that's through foreign ownership, sourcing products and food from other areas, hiring foreign employees, or importing items from abroad.

But there are some ways to “follow the money” to try and ensure that it stays local and in the community. This includes supporting locally owned businesses when you travel in all the services or experiences you need.

For example, eating at local restaurants that source their food in the area, staying at locally owned hotels and guest houses, buying souvenirs directly from artisans, hiring local guides who are from that community, and seeking out experiences with social enterprises that reinvest in the community. When it comes to choosing a tour company be sure to select one that is invested in the community and keeps their money local by working with locally-owned businesses.

By highlighting these types of spending decisions and behaviors it not only raises awareness in travelers of this issue and the need to ask questions of where their money is going, but it also supports local businesses and helps them grow. When we “spend local” and support businesses in the community this often leads to more engaging and fun travel experiences as we're more connected to local culture and people.

9. Don’t break the law to get that perfect shot

This one’s preachy, I get it. It’s also sad that I feel compelled to include it.

Simple: don’t encourage others to break rules and laws by posting photos that required you to do so.

Barriers and designated paths are there for a reason. They are often erected for safety's sake, or to contain and constraint the destruction of visitor footsteps.

Even if you might think your detour off-piste in the national park or your touching a protected statue doesn’t do any harm, imagine the potential impact of thousands of visitors doing the same each day.

All those footsteps and fingerprints leave their mark over time.

Finally, think safety. Consider the additional personal risk someone will take by ignoring the “do not enter” sign. Is it worth the potential danger to someone in your community hoping to snag the same shot?

10. Leave something on the table – don’t post

Consider not posting at all. I know this goes against the idea of sharing it all on social media.

We’ve done this plenty of times. Remarkable experience, stunning photos. Not all needs to be broadcast. Sometimes it’s worthwhile to keep those really special places to yourself.

If you wish to protect that special waterfall, historical sight, that tiny village, trek or national park from a horde of travelers, consider keeping that experience – and your photo — to yourself.

Conclusion

Even if you don’t think anyone is paying attention when you post something on social media, it’s likely that somebody somewhere is. What we post on Instagram and social media truly does matter.

The potential to shift a current through the influence of individual behaviors and choices is powerful and compounded. The micro actions of each of the individuals in our social media communities leads to macro impact, towards harm or good.

The direction of that collective impact, in part, is up to you.

Consider creative ways to align your actions and influence with the truth of your values. Consider the opportunity to use your influence and social media channels…for good.

The post How Social Media Users Can Use Their Power to Combat Overtourism appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Anny guided us through a narrow alleyway in old Delhi, drawing our attention to tiles decorated with religious symbols affixed to a clean yet otherwise nondescript wall.

“Do you know why they put these tiles here?” she asked our group.

Prior to this, Anny’s script departed from that of your typical guide. She threaded the story of street children in India into her tour — how they end up on the street, their survival tactics, the ways they spend the money they make and steal, and their dreams.

Not the stuff of your average light-hearted city walking tour. The story she told was hers, delivered through the lens of her firsthand experience of 18 years. She’d been orphaned at five years old and lived for the last ten years in a shelter run by Salaam Baalak Trust, a local organization providing support, education and training to children who once lived on the street.

“To discourage public urination on the wall,” Anny said, returning to her unsolved riddle. Recognition of a special brand of local wit passed over our group.

During a trip (sponsored) to India and Nepal with G Adventures and Planeterra Foundation, Anny served as one example of the once marginalized now gaining a foothold. We would also meet human trafficking survivors in Kathmandu, survivors of acid attacks in Agra, and stereotype-breaking women driving taxis in Delhi who are all forging their own way, using tourism and the access and opportunities it can provide as a way to break through discrimination, societal norms and ceilings.

We emerged from each travel encounter engaged, our view widened by a humanizing and respectful exchange. It occurred to us that we were also taking part in something much greater: an emerging model of travel-powered social activism where all participants play a role in feeding an undercurrent of social change.

What follows are a few more stories, how it all works, and — if this sounds engaging — what you should look for as a traveler.

Travel and Social Activism: Inclusion of the Marginalized

How did Anny, an orphan living in an NGO homeless shelter, become our Delhi city guide? And how can everyone be positively impacted by this transformation?

Salaam Baalak Trust, in conjunction with project partners Planeterra Foundation and G Adventures, offers the disadvantaged youth it shelters the opportunity to take English language courses and training in guiding and tourism. The goal: to build confidence, practical skills and experience in preparation for when they must leave the shelters at 18 years old and seek employment to support themselves.

G Adventures sends most of its travelers whose trips include Delhi on a city walk as part of their tour, resulting in tour fee contributions from 4,000 travelers each year. This gives guides like Anny, one of nine who’ve been trained so far, an opportunity to hone their skills through real world experience. The revenues from city walks also help to provide a sustainable source of funding, currently around 5% of the total budget, to support Salaam Baalak Trust’s programs.

That the majority of Salaam Baalak Trust guides are currently female also helps break gender stereotypes. Given the forces against women in Delhi, the impact of this cannot be overstated.

As we explore the depth of our curiosity about the world, we are often called to challenge and question the way things are and why.

In the beginning, while leading their tours, many of the young female guides had been hassled and ridiculed by male taxi and rickshaw drivers. However, after seeing them with foreign visitors day after day, the drivers developed a respect for the young women. With so few opportunities for poor and marginalized young women, it’s crucial for society to see them in public spaces and in dignified positions to help reinforce their strength and value.

The city walk is constructed with respect and curiosity and embraces a “there are no bad questions” mindset. Travelers see multiple benefits: a unique experience, deeper knowledge of Delhi, and social context for what they’ll witness throughout India – along with the knowledge that proceeds from their tour fees will in some small way fund much needed social disruption.

Travel and Social Activism: A Personal Story Supplements the Sights

Days later, after visiting the Taj Mahal, a symbol of eternal love, our group piled into tiny little Sheroes Hangout Café – home to survivors of acid attacks — in the city of Agra. A group of women ranging in ages wore “My Beauty is My Smile” t-shirts, greeted us as we entered and shook our hands.

At first, I found it awkward being so happily greeted by a group of women disfigured by acid attacks. This discomfort, I would discover, was mine alone.

As we organized ourselves to leave, however, our primary lesson snapped into view.

The women took selfies with members of our group, intending to upload them to their Instagram accounts. They posed for our cameras. They were excited, smiling straight into our camera lenses. While so many of us were hesitant out of a sense of respect to photograph them when we first entered, we would later understand that they wanted to be seen as much as anyone else. They didn’t want to be hidden. They did not want to hide. Instead, they hoped to exhibit their newfound strength, pride and beauty.

Not only as survivors, but as women.

Exposing Societal Issues, Funding Activism

Sheroes Hangout Café enables the slow but sure exposure of a societal dysfunction. Members of Sheroes (She + Heroes, get it?) — acid attack survivors once ostracized from society who now work dignified jobs — show themselves proudly in public. They support their families. They’ve also gained respect in the community for it all.

Their work and mission doesn’t end there, however.

They’re also out on the streets across the nation leading protests, helping to change laws, slowly wrenching societal norms toward decency — so that acid attacks may no longer be a thing in Indian society. The #StopAcidAttacks campaign chips away at the prejudices and societal structures which had metastisized around them.

While the experience offers travelers a lens or a magnifying glass on the community being visited – in this case the city of Agra and India itself — it can also offer a mirror, since the deeper issues at work often find resonance back home. While acid attacks are thankfully not a societal phenomenon in our home country, the United States, misogyny and violence towards women both are.

Social and Economic Opportunity As a Statement

“I love to drive. I know how empowering it can be,” Meenu Vadera, Executive Director of Azad Foundation and pioneer of Women on Wheels, said.

The empowerment she refers to — it’s economic, social, and personal.

From a traveler perspective, Women on Wheels is a social enterprise taxi service in Delhi and other major cities like Jaipur and Kolkata in India. Their drivers are all female. Many are single mothers, survivors of domestic abuse living in slums or resettlement communities, or both. Azad Foundation, the local NGO behind Women on Wheels, works with the social enterprise Sakha Consulting to provide jobs and women’s rights training to disadvantaged women so they can become professional drivers.

In India, and Delhi especially, a focus on gender opportunity is noteworthy. For example, when we arrived at the airport in Delhi all of the drivers waiting to collect passengers and holding signs were men – except Reena, the young woman scheduled to pick us up.

This airport transfer is now included in all G Adventures tours which depart from Delhi. It provides safe and reassuring transport, particularly for solo female travelers taking their first trip to India.

And to the traveler, the whole experience feels like something is being set right.

The Scale of Change

As I get my hands dirty folding momos (Nepalese dumplings), I learn the story of human trafficking – not only in Nepal where it has increased since the 2015 earthquake, but also around the world. The statistics about human trafficking fast become personal and humanized when a survivor stands next to me and helps me fumble my way through tucking momo dough so my dumplings maintain their structural integrity in boiling water.

At Sasane, a local organization in Kathmandu, Nepal “run by survivors for survivors” of human trafficking, women share their personal journey of what it means to go from the terror of being trafficked to the hope of holding dreams of professional and personal success.

One of the ways Sasane does this is by training survivors with high school degrees to be paralegals. Having experienced something similar themselves, they then use their background and skills to help trafficking victims make reports at local police stations, all in an effort to bring traffickers to justice. Until now, 270 certified paralegals have advised over 9,000 people. Most importantly, police now take them seriously and help with investigations.

For those survivors who are not high school graduates, Sasane partnered with Planeterra Foundation to create the Sisterhood of Survivors program to provide training in hospitality, English and guiding. Participants are able to apply what they’ve learned, including the practical experience of giving momo cooking classes to G Adventures passengers visiting Kathmandu. Proceeds from the classes also help fund Sasane’s ongoing operations, including their programs to combat human trafficking.

This also teaches participants to value themselves and consider their backstory – the fabric of the challenges they’ve encountered and overcome – as a possible source of strength. The consistent and uplifting lesson to these young women: your challenges will always be a part of you, but how can you use them as a force for good?

Traveler Benefit: Participation in the Solution

Social activism-charged tourism enables awareness and understanding of the world and its complexities in context. It goes beyond the single story. Sure, travelers want to see the sights, but increasingly they also crave illumination of the deeper and underlying nature of the places they visit. They want to see the Taj Mahal or the Kathmandu Valley, but they also wish to pair their visits to conventional landmarks with unexpected experiences that move or change them.

This desire motivates tour companies to partner with local organizations to offer layered experiences which expose societal challenges and enable travelers to participate in the solution. Social purpose is built-in, integrated into itineraries and stitched into the travel supply chain through tours, accommodation, eating, transport, or shopping.

As travelers, we can vote with our feet, make purchasing decisions in line with our values and watch our travel dollars not only deliver meaning to us, but meaning and value to the organizations and individuals we meet. We can witness affected organizations and communities reap long-lasting socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental benefits.

It’s important to note that the examples we cite here illustrate a specific kind of travel experience. They are not volunteer experiences which often present conflicting savior dynamics, nor are they one-off corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. What sets these examples apart is their genesis inside existing hard-working community organizations who seek, not by way of intermediaries or outside organizations, to dislodge deep, systemic societal injustices.

The Future of Travel As Social Activism

As we explore the depth of our curiosity about the world and the places we visit, we find paths of discovery, of community engagement, and of transcendence through experience. And we are often called to challenge and question the way things are and why.

Social activism in our travels – interacting with organizations helping to shift the norms of societies – can be instrumental to this unfolding. If we know what type of experiences and organizations to look for as travelers, we can intersect transforming ourselves with our tiny yet important role in helping to transform the communities we interact with.

We may not be able to boil the ocean of social injustice the world knows by simply traveling, but we can certainly apply some heat based on the travel choices we make.

The post Can Travel Be an Act of Social Activism? appeared first on Uncornered Market.

“For every US$100 spent on a tour holiday by a tourist, only around US$5 actually stays in a developing-country destination's economy.” – United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)

This statistic gets me every time I see it.

You spend your money on travel — shouldn't it benefit the places you visit? You spend money locally — that money stays local, doesn't it?

That all depends. And according to the data, not always. The technical term for the phenomenon of money spent on travel to or in a destination ending up in foreign hands: leakage.

Having worked in the travel industry for over a dozen years, we understand how leakage occurs — especially where foreign owners, foreign employees, and imported food and supplies dominate. While visiting Nepal recently, I read that although the number of visitors to the country is back on the rise after the earthquake in 2015, dollars spent per visitor is declining, in part due to leakage. Among the leakage factors at work: tour packages by Indian and Chinese tour operators and payment systems that bypass Nepal's financial system almost entirely. The most predatory and extractive form of leakage by design is something referred to as “zero dollar tourism.”

Outside of the worst examples, the majority of the tourism industry exists in shades of gray. Ascertaining the extent to which your travel dollars — spent on tours, experiences, accommodation, transportation, and food — remains within a local economy can be difficult.

However, some companies and organizations are raising awareness of the issue and providing travelers some basic tools to help follow their travel money. This includes measurement frameworks which consider whether suppliers are locally owned. A concept known as the Ripple Score developed by G Adventures and the Planeterra Foundation is one such measurement.

Other multi-stakeholder efforts involving NGOs, community organizations and local tour operators are also underway. We recently completed an assignment with the MEET Network, a consortium of Mediterranean protected areas developing conservation-focused ecotourism products. Among the elements of their rigorous methodology is a supplier assessment survey which ensures the selection of majority locally-owned suppliers to deliver products featured in the consortium's catalog.

Impact of Keeping Tourism Money Local: Employment and the Multiplier Effect

Why are we interested in keeping tourism money local in the first place?

To answer that, let’s briefly re-examine how tourism expenditure can positively impact local communities.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) an estimated one in ten jobs around the world is linked to travel and tourism.

No matter what your relationship to the travel industry, this is remarkable to consider. But how does this work?

The typical travel experience features a number of different touchpoints, each with the opportunity to work with local businesses, social enterprises and organizations. Travelers need to sleep (accommodation), eat (restaurants and markets), get from one place to another (transport), and to shop (souvenirs, crafts, gifts). Not to mention to experience (tours, guides, sights), which is what likely motivated the trip in the first place.

In ideal circumstances, money spent on travel that “lands” locally provides employment, increases income generating opportunities for small and family businesses, and spurs the creation of new services and businesses. It can even motivate government investment in community infrastructure, help preserve cultural heritage and aid in the conservation of environmental resources.

Most importantly, these economic inter-relationships help local families support themselves.

When a travel-related good or service is sourced locally – e.g., food for restaurants, supplies for hotels, etc. — the initial local business is not only supported, but its suppliers are also. This stitches together a widening fabric of socioeconomic impact as tourism money spent threads its way into other adjacent areas of the local economy. This phenomenon of spreading impact is known as a multiplier or ripple effect.

Take, for example, when our tour group stayed at a community homestay in Madagascar on our G Adventures tour. The money paid for our visit to the coordinating community organization not only helps employ several part-time local staff (e.g., guide, cook, etc.), but it's also used to purchase vegetables, meat and other items from sources nearby.

This provides local farmers a fair and reliable market price for their food. As tour frequency increases, it can also save farmers from a time-consuming trip to a regional market several hours away where they might have earned even less for their products. The economic ripple moves outward through the community as farmers' additional earnings are likely spent locally on home improvements, food, and other services.

Spending Local for Independent Travelers

If you travel independently, here are a few ways you can maximize the impact of your tourism money. We understand these suggestions may be obvious. However, we've learned over the years that they're more challenging than they sound:

• stay at locally owned hotels, guesthouses or other accommodation
• eat at local restaurants
• take local transportation (e.g., public or private)
• buy locally made souvenirs, ideally where you can buy directly from the artisan
• book experiences with local guides and experts

Try also to spread money around to different local businesses. The idea isn't to switch hotels daily, but instead to use this as an organic travel tactic to experience a wide variety of food, shopping and other services that a destination has to offer.

Spending Local with Organized Tours

When selecting an organized tour, you can also apply an equivalent “go local” logic, choosing a tour company which hires local businesses to deliver the various components of its tours, including accommodation, food, transport, and guides.

It all sounds simple enough, doesn't it? In practice, it's not no easy. Consider your own choices of accommodation, restaurants, or other travel-related services: How do you really know if each of the businesses you engage with is locally owned? How do you know if the money you spend remains local?

Follow the Money: The Why and How of the Ripple Score

“A tour company is only as good as the component parts that make up its tours,” Jamie Sweeting, CEO of Planeterra Foundation, said as he explained the rationale of a measurement framework it and G Adventures refer to as Ripple Score.

The measurement — an effort to “follow the money” — intends to examine the extent to which G Adventures works with locally owned providers of accommodation, transport, restaurants, and other services. It also aims to approximate, by percentage, how much tour money spent on local services actually remains in the local economy.

Although an existing survey known as G Local collected data about local impact and sustainability activities of suppliers, a greater and more specific measure was needed. G Adventures, together with its partners Planeterra Foundation and Sustainable Travel International, landed on the following question it would ask all its suppliers around the world: “Is 50% or more of your business owned by a national citizen or permanent resident of the country it operates in?”

If a business met this threshold, it would be considered locally owned and its portion of the cost of tour services would be considered as having remained in the local economy.

A similar approach is applied by the MEET Network, a client who engaged us earlier this year to consolidate and assess their ecotourism development methodology, one which blends conservation-focused product development with a rigorous measurement framework. In line with the network's brand values, suppliers of product components must be locally owned. The rationale for such a requirement is akin to a rule-of-thumb we suggested a mindful independent traveler might apply. The aim: to ensure that money spent on its ecotourism products remains in its partner communities and protected areas.

Planeterra's Sweeting, who helped lead the rollout of the Ripple Score and has a background in sustainability certification and measurement methodologies, admits that one supplier ownership question does not constitute a precise local impact measurement. It's possible, of course, for locally-owned businesses to source everything from abroad and to hire foreign workers. Similarly, it’s possible for foreign-owned businesses to invest heavily in local communities. But research shows that locally owned businesses tend to keep and spend the money locally rather than sending it elsewhere.

The Ripple Score, acknowledged as neither a replacement for measuring leakage nor for multiplier analysis, instead offers a first-step method for G Adventures to both validate the assertion that it “works with local companies” and to consider how that assertion might be quantified and understood by the company and its customers.

While it's easy to criticize this measurement approach as an oversimplification, it's important to note that G Adventures does business with over 7,000 services delivered through 2,000 suppliers throughout 800+ tours in more than 100 countries across its product portfolio. While the Ripple Score could be seen as imprecise, it's a start.

Beyond offering consumers a shared language around the local impact of their travel dollars spent with the company, the Ripple Score also helps identify gaps and areas of improvement for G Adventures. Tours with low Ripple Scores highlight opportunities where the company might better discover and engage local suppliers.

Furthermore, it provides competitive motivation for other tourism companies to begin asking themselves similar questions. Imagine if all tour operators around the world did the same and shared this information — and how it was compiled — with consumers.

How Travelers Can Use the Ripple Score

Here's how the Ripple Score is calculated.

First, it's determined whether each business is majority locally owned or not (1 or 0). Then, this is multiplied by the amount attributable to the service provided by the business. For example, if a supplier answered “yes” and provided $250 of services in a tour where $2,500 was spent locally, their component score would be 10%. If the supplier answered “no”, then it would be 0%. All component scores are then added to calculate the total Ripple Score for the tour.

If you see a Ripple Score of 100 – the maximum possible — on a G Adventures tour, that's an indication that 100% of the suppliers used on that tour are majority locally owned. A score below 100 indicates that one or more suppliers is not locally owned.

For example, our recent Wonders of Brazil tour featured a Ripple Score of 100. Same with the Highlights of Madagascar tour we took last year. What does this mean in practice? It implies that all accommodation we stayed in during the tour was locally owned. Same goes for the local guides and tour companies engaged for all included and optional activities, as well as for the transportation and meals included in the tour fee.

If I see a Ripple Score of 100 does that mean that the entirety of the tour price ends up in the local economy? Not likely. The tour price include other costs of doing business such as commission for resellers and travel agents, marketing expenses, staff costs, administrative overhead and other costs.

Although the original concept for the Ripple Score was to comprehend the total tour price, G Adventures opted first to focus on the money spent inside the destination for each tour to avoid the trap of inconsistency posed by the variability of certain cost components like sales commissions.

Following Your Travel Money: It's a Journey

A growing number of travelers demand that travel purchases deliver economic benefit to local communities. As awareness of our individual and collective impact grows, so too will the sophistication of frameworks to understand and measure that impact. Tools like the Ripple Score and sustainable tourism supplier assessments will continue to evolve and aid in economic transparency.

A few years from now, perhaps we will be able to take for granted that all travel products and tours will incorporate a common local economic benefit measurement methodology and score. When we spend $100 on a vacation we'll know how much of that remains in the community. Attention to that figure might help raise it dramatically from today's $5.

Until then, travel consumers must continue to ask questions and demand clarity and transparency from travel companies.

It will be good for travelers. It will be for the good of the industry.

And most importantly, it will be in respectful service to the communities we visit.

The post How Do You Know Your Travel Money Stays Local? appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Travel holds tremendous potential. For the traveler, it offers a path to experience, education and personal transformation. For local host communities, it provides a means to economic benefit and cultural exchange. It’s this magic “travel equation” that among other things first inspired us to quit our jobs for the road over ten years ago, and to this day encourages us to continue traveling, exploring, learning, and sharing.

However, developments across the tourism industry are not always rosy. Over the years, we’ve seen our share of rapacious tourism development and the cumulative effects of thoughtless individual actions conspiring to harm local cultures, economies and the environment.

Sadly, overtourism dominates the headlines as more and more destinations and environments feel the negative impacts and pressure from high visitor numbers. Awareness of the “invisible burden” of tourism is rising.

So what can a traveler do? The cynic says nothing, the hopeful say plenty. And that's where sustainable travel comes in as part of the journey.

First, there’s a process. We’d like to think of it as a chain beginning with one’s core values. Couple those with an evolving awareness and informed decision-making, and you have a platform to take action. Recognize your right to choose, vote with your feet, exercise the power of the purse, and appreciate that your actions — even at their smallest — have consequences. Micro changes to macro differences; over time this makes change.

“But what does all this gibberish mean on a personal level?” you ask.

What does it mean in terms of some simple actions we all can take on our next trip? In other words, what does it mean to be a good global traveler? To align your values of caring for this world and its people with your travel decisions and spending?

Here are a few sustainable travel tips that address cultural, economic and environmental considerations that we've picked up and applied along our travels.

Human fallibility caveat: Think of the following as suggestions — not hard and fast rules but guidelines to supplement your own better judgment.

Note: This post was originally published in April 2012 and was updated on June 5, 2019 with more sustainable travel tips, examples and resources.

Cultural Responsible Travel Tips

1. Remember first that you are a guest.

Come bearing respect for your host country and its people, and demonstrate this by your actions and engagement. In return, you’ll maximize the likelihood that you will be treated in kind.

2. Dress respectfully.

If in doubt, err on the side of more clothes, less skin. Not only does dressing appropriately help you fit in, but it also reduces the possibility of offending. Remember that this is their country and their home, not yours. Buying and wearing a local piece of clothing (e.g., a headscarf or an outfit in the local style) can help you fit in. It may even jumpstart a few conversations.

3. Release your inner child.

Don’t be afraid to show your curiosity when you travel. Not only does asking questions satiate your curiosity and enable you to learn more about the place you are visiting, but it offers a gateway of exchange and engagement with local people. Consider starting with simple, non-threatening topics like food, markets, and children (ages, names, etc.) and you just might find a conversation that leads to family, life, politics, and more.

4. Use open body language.

Smile, be polite, be gracious. These simple acts and their spirit can take you a long way. On the smile front, we don’t advocate fake, goofy grins, but a genuine smile does make a positive first impression; it can help build goodwill, especially when you don’t share a spoken language. Remember that over 50% of communication is non-verbal.

5. Learn a couple words of the local language, at least.

Even if you consider yourself a foreign language lost cause, try to retain at least 4-5 key words in the local language that you can use for greeting people, niceties, and politely ordering food. The big three (hello, please and thank you) offer a good starting point. We also try to learn an oddball word that will throw people off, break a smile, and start a discussion.

6. Become aware of child welfare issues and engage responsibly with local children.

Several years ago when we traveled through East Africa we were confronted repeatedly about what the responsible or best thing to do is when it came to issues like begging children, school visits, volunteering at orphanages, or photographing local children. What we quickly realized is that some actions we travelers (as well as companies) think are “helping” may actually have unintended negative consequences for those same children. That's why awareness and education about child welfare in travel is so important.

7. Ask permission before taking photographs of local people.

This may sound self-evident or obvious, but we've seen so many instances where a traveler sticks his camera in a person's face to take a photo without ever engaging or asking permission. Don't be that person.

It dehumanizes the whole photography process and creates even more barriers between travelers and local people. Instead, interact and ask permission first. If there is no common spoken language then use charades to communicate that you'd like to take the person's photo. If you do speak a common language then explain why you would like to take the photo. For example, that you don't have markets like this in your home country or that you want to show people back home about that country.

It may take a little more time, but your portrait and people photography will much better for it as there will be a human connection and memory.

Economic Responsible Travel Tips

8. Eat local. Stay local.

Patronize local businesses. When you travel, maximize the likelihood that local people are benefiting economically from your visit.

This isn’t to say that you should avoid businesses that are foreign-owned, but try to determine whether these establishments hire local people and are invested in the local community. It’s important to point out that some foreign-owned establishments (especially smaller ones) are there because a foreigner fell in love with the place and hoped to stay and contribute.

9. Don’t spend all your money in one place.

Consider patronizing a variety of restaurants and shops in order to spread the economic benefit of your visit around the community. An added bonus of this approach is that it affords you variety, such as the opportunity to try different foods and to engage with different people.

10. When it comes to souvenirs and handicrafts, try to buy direct.

Buying souvenirs directly from the craftsperson or from a cooperative puts more money in the hands of the artisan rather than in the hands of middlemen. Seek out artisan markets where you can buy directly from the artisan. Look for cooperative shops that are transparent regarding the percentage of sales that go to the artist. Particularly when it comes to fair trade cooperatives, the quality of the artwork is often higher, as is your feel-good quotient.

11. Frequent social enterprises.

Social enterprises are businesses that focus on training people (e.g., hospitality training for street kids) for better futures. Sometimes they support a separate charity with the profits of the business. Our experience is that the quality of the food, crafts, and services is often above average.

Provided you ask a few questions (or read the organization's literature), you'll know what percentage of the proceeds is going where. Next time you travel, consider doing a bit of research to see if social enterprises are at work where you are headed. (Southeast Asia destinations in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are loaded with them.)

12. Choose tour and homestay providers that are invested in the community.

Homestays, community-based tourism and community visits offer some of the best opportunities to engage with local and indigenous people and to better understand how they live. Ask questions of the agency or of your guide regarding their relationship with the community you hope to visit. Consider choosing programs where operators are transparent regarding what percentage of the fee goes directly to the family or community.

Travel Tips to Reduce Your Environmental Impact

13. Reduce your single use plastics to not leave a trail of waste in your wake.

The more we travel, the more we see how plastic and other waste — water bottles, straws, take out food containers, plastic utensils, etc. – is contaminating water sources and destroying the environment in places big and small.

While I've always been concerned about plastic bottle waste and have always carried my own refillable bottle, it wasn't until a recent trip to Koh Rong Island in Cambodia that I realized the full extent of plastic waste and pollution. Every morning as the tide would go out, piles of trash – much of it plastic connected to drinking and eating items – covered the beach. It was a visual reminder of how all that use and consume — plastic cutlery, drink cups, styrofoam food containers, etc. — can eventually end up in our oceans and fields, even if we technically throw them away in trash bins.

With more and more travelers each year the negative impact of traveler-related waste is increasing, especially in the more remote and fragile environments. With a few small changes we collectively can reduce our plastic waste footprint considerably — not only on the road, but also at home. Here are more ideas for responsible travel products, from collapsable tupperware to shampoo bars, that help you reduce your environmental footpring.

Here are a few recommendations to reduce plastic waste when we travel:

• Bring your own refillable water bottle with you and refill it with ultraviolet (UV) purified and/or filtered water. More and more hotels and restaurants have big filtered water jugs with free or a low-cost refill. We carry with us a Camelbak BPA Bottle as our standard water bottle. If you're going to more remote areas, consider using something like the Steripen to kill all the bacteria yourself (note: this doesn’t get rid of bad taste, so you may need to buy some rehydration salts or lemonade powder to make it taste better).
• Bring your own chopsticks and utensils. Yes, you may feel a little strange bringing out your own utensils at a street food stall. But, when one adds up the amount of plastic forks, spoons, knives and chopsticks that we use when eating out it's a convincing argument. This is something that we are trying to get better about remembering and actively applying during our travels (and at home). Here are a few travel utensil options in to get you started.
• Say no to plastic straws or bring your own. This takes a bit of foresight, but letting a waiter know that you don't need a straw with your cocktail, beer (in many Asian countries they think women prefer to drink beer with a straw), juice or shake will greatly reduce the amount of straws being used and discarded. We recently purchased bamboo straws as an alternative and are looking forward to trying these out during our next trip.
• Bring your own reusable coffee cup or tea cup. I have to admit that takeaway coffee is a weakness of mine, but I'm not more aware of the waste that comes from this habit. Pack a reusable coffee cup with a lid so that you can have your caffeine fix and take it with you on your walk, bus, or whatever activity you're doing. Some coffee shops are even offering a discount if you have your own cup with you. Here's a starter on some of the best reusable coffee cups out there.
• Keep a fabric tote bag in your pocket or purse. This greatly reduces the need for plastic shopping bags at grocery stores or other shops, and it allows you to carry a lot of stuff as fabric is stronger than plastic. Not to mention, you look more stylish and local walking down a city street with a fun tote bag vs. a plastic bag. For the foodies out there, check out the food-themed tote bags on offer by our friend, Jodi, from Legal Nomads.
• Re-use Ziploc and other plastic bags for packing, if you need to use them. Let's face it, sometimes having a plastic bag is useful for packing as it serves as a sort of waterproof container for clothes and other items in the case of rain. This is especially true when you're doing a lot of outdoor activities or trekking. Try to replace Ziploc or other plastic bags with dry sacks of different sizes as they last longer and are stronger. But, at the least save and re-use your packing plastic bags over and over again.

14. Respect the boundaries of animals.

If you are asked to keep your distance from animals, or not to touch them, heed the request. Unwanted attention can cause stress and anxiety on animals, sometimes resulting in altered behavior or even worse, abandonment of their nests and young.

When we were in the Galapagos Islands we saw travelers deliberately stray well off the path because of the “I can do what I want because I paid for this!” mentality. Kudos to our guide who would have none of this and continually herded them back on the trail and educated them on the potential damage caused by their actions.

In addition, avoid activities like elephant riding, photo shoots with tigers, swimming with dolphins in swimming pools and other wildlife encounters where the animals are kept in captivity only for the tourist attraction. For more on the behind the scenes of these wildlife tourist attractions, read this insightful article on the dark truth of wildlife tourism from National Geographic.

15. Choose tours and activities that have a conservation focus.

It may sound counterintuitive to think that tourism and tours can actually help conserve and preserve wildlife and nature. But, we've seen it in action with some impressive and remarkable results.

For example, our recent G Adventures tour to Madagascar was part of their Jane Goodall Collection focused on conservation and wildlife. So as part of our trip we not only visited national parks, but we also visited community parks that were driven by local villages who replanted forests to bring back the lemurs and other wildlife. At Anja Community park they were able to increase the lemur population from 20 to 400 in less than twenty years.

16. Reward environmentally friendly hotels and establishments.

Consider giving preference to businesses that recycle, source produce locally and engage in environmentally friendly development.These days, this means more than not washing the towels and sheets every day.

Mind also how the establishment treats and invests in its local employees. Do your research to be sure that the establishment is the real deal (e.g., look for reputable sustainable tourism certifications), and remember that actions speak louder than words.

17. When it comes to trash, set a good example.

Don’t just throw away your own trash, but on occasion, consider picking up errant pieces of trash in otherwise clean areas, especially if someone is around to view your good deed. You may think, “Well, this isn’t my responsibility and this isn't my country,” but we’ve noticed that local people take note of what tourists do. Your deed may actually begin a conversation about trash and the environment.

Our experience: When we picked up plastic bottles on a beach at the Bay of Bengal in southern Bangladesh, several Bangladeshi tourists took note and began to help us, embarrassed by what others had done.

18. Don’t take what you shouldn’t. Don’t buy from others who do.

Visit places to appreciate their natural resources and their culture, but be careful what you take home. Some governments keep strict regulations on what sorts of cultural artifacts and bits of nature visitors can collect or purchase and take out of the country. Respect these rules and don’t buy from people disobeying the law (e.g., selling protected shells, skins, antiques, etc.).

19. Use public transport.

Public transport is not just a way to get around, it’s an experience in and of itself. We understand that public transport in a new city where you don’t speak the language can seem downright scary, but we cannot recommend enough that you give it a try. Not only is public transportation an environmentally sound way to get around, but you’ll interact with and meet local people and get to observe “real life” away from tourist sites and shops.

20. As much as you can, walk. Or, rent a bike.

Not only is walking and bicycling environmentally friendly, but these modes of transport also offer a closer, more engaged relationship with the people and places around you. Some of our most memorable experiences happen while walking or bicycling because we are able to meet people and see things that we otherwise would have missed if we happened to be zipping by in a car or bus.

And for the final twist: The above doesn’t just apply when traveling. We can all be good global and responsible travelers, even at home.

By no means is this an exhaustive list, but rather the beginning of a conversation. What other responsible travel tips or actions would you add to be a good global traveler?

The post Traveling Sustainably: 20 Ways to Be a Sustainable Traveler appeared first on Uncornered Market.

When we told friends last month that we would visit social enterprises in Peru which intersected with the travel industry, we could read in their reactions both affirmation and confusion.

“Social enterprise…hmmm, that sounds cool. But what does that really mean? And what does it have to do with travel?”

Similarly, I recently suggested to clients in Kyrgyzstan that the regional DMO (Destination Management Organization) operating models Audrey and I helped them set up — tourist office-agencies which developed the local tourism sector while earning money from its local tours and services to sustain operations — resembled a social enterprise. We considered this a strength.

“Social enterprise…what’s that?” They asked. “And how do we do it?”

Before we answer those questions, a step back as to why this matters – to those of us who travel, to the local communities we visit, and to the world as a whole.

Note: This article was originally published June 12, 2018 and updated on April 3, 2019.

Overtourism vs. Community-Based Tourism: The Opportunity Landscape

We’ve all seen headlines about 1.2+ billion tourists and the potential environmental, cultural and economic havoc overtourism can wreak on the places we visit. Not to mention, the negative impact on the destination and experiences that brought tourism there in the first place.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Tourism done well and right can also enhance local communities so that they are at once attractions and also better places for local people to live. This is the sustainable tourism holy grail: travelers traveling with social impact in mind, making deliberate travel decisions aligned with their values, having more meaningful travel experiences, and engaging with businesses and organizations that care.

A tall order, isn’t it? Among the mechanisms travelers have to achieve this, social enterprise.

We’ve always minded the social impact of travel throughout our work, travels and writing. However, it was our recent “G for Good” tour-meets-study trip in Peru with G Adventures which further catalyzed our thinking. Our experiences in Peru exposed the supply chain and demonstrated in detail exactly how purchasing travel services (e.g., tours, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, souvenirs, etc.) through social enterprises can deliver benefits to travelers and communities at once.

It also expanded and deepened our sense of what those benefits are.

What are Social Enterprises? A Working Definition

Though the concept has been around for ages, the actual term “social enterprise” originated in the U.K. in the 1970s. Initially, it meant a financially viable common ownership organization operating in an environmentally responsible way, delivering something referred to as “social wealth.”

“What is that in ordinary speak?” you ask.

Fast-forward to today, using layman’s terms. A social enterprise is roughly a market-driven organization which also fulfills a social or environmental mission. We could debate and parse words, but the two concepts required to pass the social enterprise sniff test: the organization makes money, then invests a significant portion or all of its proceeds/profits back into community projects.

Social enterprises are not entirely dependent on grants or donations (this is how they differ from NGOs). Instead, they are financially sustainable through the sale of their products and services.

It's also true that social enterprises and their products often appeal to consumers on an altruistic level. That link may even inform the business model and messaging. Regardless, the essence of the social enterprise remains the same: earn money and invest the lion’s share to serve the community.

Let’s talk features and some common examples you might find in your travels.

5 Key Features of Social Enterprises in Travel: What Makes Them Unique?

1. Organic and Driven by Community Strengths

A social enterprise may find motivation and market access through an international partner, but its essence is organic. Its products and experiences typically draw on the existing cultural raw materials and strengths of the local community.

If you peel back the layers of how a social enterprise came to be, you might find a community which asked itself, “What do we need to accomplish our goals? And what cultural assets, strengths, and elements of identity can we bring to bear?”

Sure, sometimes outside advice or financing is needed to kick-start the project and help achieve those goals, but the ongoing physical and mental energy emanates from within the community.

Adrienne Lee, Director of Development at Planeterra Foundation, explained: “We'll work with our community partners and ground partners to develop a tourism plan that encompasses and drives their vision and mission-driven work (help brainstorm what we've done in other countries, look at where we might be able to replicate models, collaborate on ideas) and develop this budget with them.

We provide our funding for the length of the program to get it off the ground. Once it's “market-ready” and included into tourism product (or G Adventures itineraries), and our budget for the tourism enterprise is completed, we usually step away at this point.”

2. Market-Driven and Viable

In Kyrgyzstan, we worked with four regional DMOs, focusing first on inventorying capacity, then branding and identity, and finally on implementing a rapid sustainable product development process.

The aim: to create market-ready tour products that highlighted the unique strengths and characteristics of each destination while also tapping into the leading travel market trends of food, culture and light adventure. These new local experiences rose to meet traveler demand to do and engage more in each destination, but in a way that emphasized community, identity and dignity. Throughout the process, the DMOs behaved as social enterprises.

After just one tourism season, average stays in each of the destinations – Karakol, Osh, South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, and Jyrgalan – is on a steep upswing. Each destination now has a brand identity in line with products and traveler experience. Moreover, community members now say things like, “We think about ourselves differently…we never thought about ourselves or our abilities in this way.”

3. Surfaces the Human Supply Chain

A travel experience is created and delivered differently from an object like an iPhone or a purse. Sure, people might have helped make those things. But, when I hold those products, I rarely experience direct human contact.

Not so in travel. Travel is high touch, high context. When I travel, people are not only involved throughout the process, they are essential.

This is especially true with experiences delivered under social enterprise. Impacted communities aren’t just a backdrop. Their human engagement components are the main event. They serve as critical, differentiating features of the travel experience. The idea: you are immersed in the community or environment, and your purchase and engagement make a direct, positive impact on the people you’ve met.

In this way, tourism truly is the people’s business.

Our first travel encounter with a social enterprise was in Hanoi, Vietnam ten years ago. The Hoa Sua School network of restaurants, bakeries and cafes throughout the city provided hospitality training and practical work experience to disadvantaged youth. Not only were food quality and service level high, but we also knew that our money (and our time) spent at the restaurants contributed to the futures of the young people working there.

4. Their Ecosystems Spawn Knock-On Businesses and Benefits

Because social enterprises are community-centric, they often spur development of other micro-enterprises to fill gaps and meet new supply needs. For example, at Parwa Community Restaurant in the Sacred Valley — a three-year initiative co-financed by the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American development bank and G Adventures, implemented by Planeterra — one local entrepreneur set up a business to harvest quail eggs essential to one of the lunch courses on the menu. Another community member entrepreneur now offers trekking snacks made from local, natural ingredients to sell to travelers headed for the Inca Trail.

When a social enterprise is successful, the community may draw other needed attention, too. At the Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Cooperative, another Planeterra Foundation project, one woman told the story of how the cooperative’s success encouraged the local government to begin improving local roads. Absent the community’s social enterprise success, she believes the government would have continued to ignore their requests for infrastructure assistance.

5. Transcends the Transaction

Especially for external partners creating or making an investment in social enterprise, it’s about having skin in the game. And we’re not just talking an economic or financial stake, but an emotional one.

Unlike some Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, social enterprise is not about donating a bunch of money to salve one’s conscience, or throwing a couple of paragraphs in the annual report to tick off the “we’re doing something good” corporate checkbox. Don't get us wrong — those types of donations and support are also essential. But building or investing in a social enterprise is different.

Social enterprise creation requires active engagement, depth of involvement and connection. It demands the expenditure of personal capital, emotional capital, and time. When done well and thoughtfully, the result is the creation of something that matters to an entire community of people beyond just those directly employed.

To think of it another way, social enterprise investment resembles venture capital where not only is money invested, but time is spent mentoring, guiding and building relationships. This approach typically offers better stewardship and oversight of one’s investment, but it first requires a greater level of care and commitment.

As a traveler or a consumer, take a step back from any transaction or interaction with a social enterprise and ask yourself: Does it feel as though involved parties and partners are present and engaged? Do they really care about more than just the financial bottom line? Can you feel it?

5 Ways Social Enterprises are Good for Travelers

Social enterprise-powered travel generally fits within in the category of responsible travel or sustainable travel. Its features rich, engaging, high-context travel experiences – in part because there is no trade-off between travel pleasure and advocacy or giving back.

Instead, those are all bound together. And as a result, a traveler’s experience is enhanced or multiplied.

How?

1. Cultivates Interaction, Participation and Exchange

Social enterprise-powered travel often allows travelers to participate, to create, to interact directly with local people and communities, in a respectful, engaging way. It’s not just about observing or watching, but actively engaging in a hands-on way that chips away at barriers, assumptions and fears.

What travelers often implicitly understand in social enterprise contexts is that they and community members both – that is, each of us – has something special to offer that’s reflective of our life experience and our home culture. In this way, social enterprise travel dissolves any sense of “levels” of humanity – through interactions and experiences which simultaneously emphasize what we have in common while constructively and curiously highlighting the differences that brought us to visit the community in the first place.

When we worked with Destination Osh and Destination Karakol in Kyrgyzstan on developing food-related tours with local families and entrepreneurs, our emphasis encouraged hands-on, interactive experiences. The idea: travelers and hosts create something together while everyone shares a bit of himself in the process.

The result: bread-making courses, a family dinner where you make your own ashlan-fu (a delicious cold, vinegar-based soup), a plov (traditional rice-based dish) cooking class. The essence was interaction, not transaction. Because of that, travelers engaged in resonant experiences where their purchases all impacted locally and directly — with people the travelers actually met.

2. Builds Connection, Meaning and a Sense of Stewardship

Travel experiences delivered through social enterprise develop connection between travelers and the local community and environment. These connections also build meaning in multiple layers — in part by cultivating an immeasurable sense of care for more than oneself. Social enterprise enhances the travel experience by enabling us as travelers to develop a growing sense of ourselves, our world and our place in it.

Also, long after a social enterprise experience, its memories reinforce a relationship between the traveler, the community and the organization that brought them together.

3. Offers a Natural Platform for Transformational Travel

The binding of connection, meaning and exchange offers a natural platform for transformational travel – the idea that after my travels, I emerge changed, perhaps engaging with the world and my life back home differently upon my return.

Often times, we talk out of cliché about our travel experiences changing our lives. However, social enterprise and travel animates and motivates. Community-engaged travel experiences offered by social enterprises often plant seeds of thought and care. They provide human anchors that expand our experiential vocabulary and enable us to articulate how a travel encounter has impacted us.

Because its high-context, social enterprise often allows a traveler to more clearly articulate “This is how my travel experience changed me. This is who touched me and how I was touched.”

4. Delivers a Local Experience

Travel experiences with social enterprises are by nature community-based. So their essence, features and details are entirely local. As a traveler, you don’t need to interact with a social enterprise during your travels to ensure a local experience. However, if you engage with a social enterprise, it’s virtually guaranteed.

It’s hard to imagine an experience more local and real that the Maasai Clean Cookstoves social enterprise experience in northern Tanzania. While many tours in Tanzania visit a Maasai village on a show-and-souvenir display, this social enterprise begins by using a portion of the tour fees from G Adventures passengers headed to the Serengeti to purchase a clean cookstove for a Maasai family in a nearby village.

It then takes travelers through a stove installation process. And it's all led by local Maasai women who articulate the importance of this simple cooking device to the well-being and health of local families. Travelers enjoy a unique, intimate experience in a Maasai village, with a Maasai family.

5. Delivers a Differentiated Experience

To the point, travel experiences delivered by social enterprises are typically not of the ordinary, beaten-path variety. Because of their local, personal, community-based nature, they often feature something unusual, something different – sparking the feeling of, “I never thought about it or looked at it this way.”

This was also the case of Parque de la Papa, a new G Adventures and Planeterra Foundation partner in the Sacred Valley.

I admit to having a conflicted relationship with potatoes since they often serve as tasteless filler. Potatoes were not something I would have considered building a travel experience around. Well, no longer. After meeting a local farmer and potato enthusiast at this local organization that works with nearby agricultural communities to preserve 3,000 varieties of Peruvian potatoes, I'm convinced. No longer the lowly potato.

There were over 500 or so varieties of potatoes on display of funky shapes, colors and flavors (Yes, I ate many… and they tasted unreal!) that I had never before seen or imagined. Moreover, the discussion on potatoes and the importance of their preservation to food security of these communities helped me better understand the historical and cultural relevance of potatoes to Peru and to its people.

In other words, I'll never look at the humble potato in quite the same way again.

G Adventures pays a tour fee to Parque de la Papa for an educational, cultural and culinary experience en route to Machu Picchu. While 42 people are employed by the park, around 2,500 people in nearby communities are impacted indirectly by this social enterprise. Not to mention, the sustainable stream of income from traveler visits allows even more research to be conducted on preserving indigenous food sources and seeds.

Rare in travel that something so unassuming could have such wide-ranging impact.

5 Ways Social Enterprises Are Good for Communities You Visit

The desire to give something back to the places we visit is wholesome and ought to be encouraged. However, we need to find the appropriate outlets or channels to give effectively. The market-based, community-aware nature of social enterprises naturally lend them and their experiences to delivering direct impacts to communities and facilitating positive outcomes.

Here are just some of the impacts and benefits we've seen social enterprise-powered travel deliver to local communities.

1. Preserves Traditions

Social enterprises often aim to preserve storytelling patterns and local traditions, not only because that preservation is essential to the community and its identity, but also because those assets are valuable to delivering differentiated experiences to the travel market.

Social enterprise travel experiences typically offer culture concurrent with reality, evolved and presented in a way that feels like living history. In some instances, social enterprises rescue and resurrect valuable traditions that communities didn’t even realize they were in danger of losing.

Ten years ago, many of the local indigenous designs and traditional methods of weaving almost died out in the remote Sacred Valley village Ccaccaccolla. Although tourism in nearby Cusco and Machu Picchu had been growing, the village was far enough off the main road that they were missing out. Economically-viable opportunities for local women to produce their traditional handicrafts were evaporating quickly.

With the development of the Ccaccaccollo Women's Weaving Cooperative, G Adventures brings close to 15,000 of its tour passengers per year to visit this social enterprise. Forty-six local women now earn a living for themselves and their families by sharing their traditional weaving techniques with travelers and selling their handicrafts directly to visitors without the need of an intermediary.

Several women reporting having used their income to send their children to university, something that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. Others have invested in developing a homestay program for travelers interested in an overnight Peruvian village family experience. Mothers are once again teaching their daughters traditional Incan weaving methods and designs, hoping to sustain their passage through the generations.

2. A Dignity Based on Identity and Exchange

Social enterprises are not about charity or an unequal hierarchical relationship where one gives something to another. The key feature of social enterprise is exchange – not only of goods, services and experiences, but of a kind of cultural interchange which communicates that we all have something of value to offer one another.

This relates to the organic nature of social enterprise – where business, products and experiences link back to a sense of personal pride and stewardship for one’s community.

Key to this is the concept of identity. Engage in social enterprise-powered travel and you’ll feel and hear a sense of pride – especially when travelers from all over the world come not only to see the local nature and landscape, but to see and experience a local community — their culture, crafts, cuisine and life.

Ownership and development of this asset becomes local; and transformation ripples at the individual, group, ethnic and community levels.

This concept was first highlighted and demonstrated to us by Rabee’ Zureikat, founder of the Zikra Initiative in Jordan, an organization whose core philosophy is “riches come in many forms.”

In our experience with the women of Ghor al Mazra'a as part of a Zikra Initiative experience, they shared with us their cultural wealth — their crafts, cooking, culture, and a glimpse into their lives, their family and a primarily Afro-Jordanian community along the Dead Sea.

In other words, everyone, no matter his or her socio-economic position, has something of value to share with this world. Enterprising on the basis of this simple principle delivers a continual sense of pride, confidence and dignity.

3. Focused and Targeted

Social enterprise typically concentrates its effects on small, often marginalized communities. One social enterprise may only affect a limited number of people, but it likely does so deeply. It leads and offers examples within the wider community and to ones nearby who might wish to do something similar.

In this way, social enterprise and travel helps alter the world through micro action and effect.

4. Inclusive

Social enterprises often exhibit the core value of inclusivity – a way of living which is essential to serving the community. That inclusivity implies opportunity, especially for those who might otherwise be excluded due to their socio-economic status. It's important to note that inclusivity is provisional only on the basis that one is willing to work, to cooperate and to develop a skill. This is why job training is often a crucial component to social enterprise, as it’s along the path to expanding the pie and growing the benefit to the community and its members.

When we traveled recently to Phnom Penh, Cambodia earlier this year, we came across a network of social enterprises run by Friends-International. These businesses apply a vocational training business model which provides practical and in-demand skills and professional experience to targeted disadvantaged and marginalized youth, populations typically excluded from such opportunities.

For example, at the Friends Nails Bar, Audrey dropped-in for a manicure and pedicure. The entire organization, including the affiliated souvenir shop and restaurant, was geared to developing a professional bearing and helping its employees build confidence to continue working or launch their own businesses as they develop.

5. Economic Impact is Additive, not Extractive

If you wish to measure the full cost of your visit – ask yourself, “Besides the money I paid, what of value is left on the ground in the community after my visit?”

In other words, what's the net impact?

Essential to social enterprise is the development of an asset base or knowledge base. It’s not about travel companies running roughshod over a destination merely for profit, stripping it of its essence until it’s no longer recognizable.

The impact isn’t just money and jobs, either. It’s about an ecosystem and mindset which invests in homes, infrastructure, clean water, access to education, and more. It’s about taking stock of how the community has benefited from the enterprise, particularly outside of the direct financial exchange.

Social enterprise asks, “What is the path of the quality of life for people who live there? What is the viability”

Parwa Community Restaurant is located in a small community which is home to 65 families. Through the restaurant and organization's proceeds, community management has chosen to re-invest their profits into projects that spoke to business investment (i.e., tending an organic garden and expanding the restaurant’s capacity to host more travelers), as well as to initiatives that improved the well-being of the community and its environment. For the latter, they invested in things like water containers on community members’ houses to improve access to clean water, a new toilet block to improve sanitation, and a reforestation program to replace trees consumed for firewood.

And that’s only from 2017 profits. In previous years they invested in a computer room for local students, educational scholarships and other home improvement projects. These annual “reinvestments” have the potential to impact the community for years and generations to come.

How travelers can seek out social enterprises

At this point you might be thinking: “All this sounds well and good, but how do I go about finding social enterprises for my next trip?”

A few ideas and recommendations:

• Choose a tour operator — international or local — that partners or actively works with local social enterprises to deliver services or offer tour experiences. We’ve provided examples from the G Adventures social enterprise model in this article. You can also limit your search of their experience catalog to those tours which include a Planeterra Foundation project visit or local social enterprise component. When researching local tour operators ask about how they work with local organizations and communities to be sure that the money from your tour fees also stays in the regions instead of just in the capital city or major cities.
• Consider seeking out organizations who operate as Benefit Corporations (or, B Corporations), a type of legal entity which includes positive impact on environment, community, employees and society in its legally defined goals. B Corporations are recognized in a growing number of states in the United States (33 at the time of writing) and countries around the world. B Corporations can then use free third-party impact assessment tools to bolster their assertions of doing good or pursue independent third-party certification like the B Corp certification. You can find a listing of travel related B Corporations here.
• Conduct online research as to whether there are local social enterprise restaurants, accommodation, tours or shops in the locations where you will be traveling. In addition to mighty Google, Grassroots Volunteering's social enterprise database is a good first stop for tourism-related organizations around the world. Asking your network of family and friends, especially if they are also keen travelers with an eye to social impact and giving back, can also delivers great results and discussion.
• When you're on the ground ask around and keep your eyes open: you'll likely find that your awareness of social enterprises will surface them more quickly in your field of view. (When you learn of something new and your attention is raised to it, the phenomenon is referred to as “selective attention” or blue car syndrome). Cafes or restaurants will often display flyers or signs on their bulletin boards of local social enterprises or community organizations. Sometimes, you'll even literally stumble over the organization, as happened to us in Alice Springs, Australia, where by last-minute chance, we came across a local Aboriginal art gallery at a Salvation Army Community Center.

Conclusion: Intersection of Social Enterprise, Travel, and Healthy Communities

The great thing about the intersection of social enterprise and travel: we can all get involved – travelers, travel industry and trade, and members of host communities.

As travelers, we can achieve two-way impact, experience, and exchange. And as we optimize the impact of travel on ourselves, we can also optimize our impact on communities as we honor and respect the nuance and realities of the places we visit.

Travel companies — now, more than ever — also have the opportunity to innovate experiences which simultaneously engage travelers and serve communities just as it impacts their bottom line. To keep this in check, communities, too, must care.

It just takes a little interest, effort and time – to educate oneself, to get perspective and to continually tune our decision-making processes and choices.

But we’d argue it’s worth it. When it comes to the intersection of travel and healthy communities, we all have a stake.

The post How to Use Social Enterprises to Improve Your Travels…and Make a Difference appeared first on Uncornered Market.

“I used to see guides from other places taking travelers around the favela,” Russo, our local guide, said as he began his story at the entrance to Vidigal favela.

“What are they saying about my community if they don’t actually live here? I thought I could be a better guide. This favela is my home. I’ve spent my whole life here.”

We kicked off our recent trip to Brazil somewhat unconventionally with a visit to Vidigal, a favela in Rio de Janeiro. When people hear the term favela, their minds can run exclusively to poverty, gangs, drugs and violence. However, during our Vidigal favela tour with Planeterra Foundation and their local partner Favela Experience, we encountered a more complex story.

We met with community organizations and micro-enterprises that serve as the center point of cultural exchange and engagement for visiting travelers. Together, they create experiences based on local culture, stories, and people. The genesis is deliberately local. So too is the conclusion — with economic and social benefits intended to register first and foremost in the community.

Before we discuss our encounters with residents and leaders of the favela, let's talk about what a favela is, the ethics of favela tours for travelers, and what to look for when choosing a respectful and responsible favela tour.

What is a Favela?

Favela is Brazilian Portuguese term literally meaning “little bean” and roughly equating to “shanty town” or “slum.” It's basically an informal district whose residents have often built their homes in the outskirts of major cities — usually in areas like hillsides — where land was once considered uninhabitable by urban developers.

The first favelas in Rio de Janeiro date back to the late 19th century. After emancipation, freed slaves were driven into the hills because they couldn’t afford to live within city limits. These marginalized informal communities then grew through waves of internal migration (e.g., from other parts of Brazil to cities like Rio de Janeiro and Saõ Paulo), especially during times of economic hardship. A story familiar and universal: people fleeing difficulty at home seek a new life and economic opportunity in the city.

Over time, these once informal settlements became permanent. Shops, restaurants and other businesses emerged to serve local residents. Despite this development, favelas usually remained cut off from most or all government services. Economic opportunities in reality were limited, too, particularly when Brazil's population took off in the 1950s and everyone looked to cities for economic salvation.

Hence, the rise of drug trafficking in the favelas and the corresponding reputation of them as centers of violence and poverty. The temptation from a distance to generalize all favelas as slums — “they're all the same” — is reductive and often inaccurate.

“I want to demystify the favela,” Russo said. “Yes, there are bad things here. But there are more good things.”

When windows open onto neighborhoods once considered off limits, there's an opportunity to shift perceptions from objectified narratives of poverty and danger to the humanized ones of residents making their way.

The Ethics and Evolution of Favela Tourism

If you question the ethics of favela tourism and whether it pedals poverty as an attraction, that's good. Intent and impact of tourism in marginalized areas demands examination — whether those visits take place in the favelas of Brazil, the townships of South Africa, or the slums of major cities in India.

To this point, we asked a few locals in Vidigal what they thought about tours in their neighborhood.

The community representatives we spoke to are generally in favor of developing tourism in their favela. Their support is qualified, however. Tours and tourism must be developed from and by the community — as in local people creating experiences based on local culture and history, and delivering it all under a premise of cultural exchange. The money must stay local, too. Benefit must be accrued throughout the community.

A fair expectation, no?

Unfortunately, most favela tours to date have not unfolded in this way. The first wave of favela tours included tourists voyeuristically peering and taking photos from tour buses, never exiting the bus. “Too dangerous,” they were told by their tour organizers who'd charge them $150 or more for the privilege and quick thrill.

Favela walking tours were the next step. But the first of those were led by guides outside the community. Communities saw little benefit. Tour fees and money exited right back out to the tour companies.

Favela Tours with Social Impact: A New Model

Community-initiated favela experiences defined by and led by residents represent the next evolutionary step in favela tourism. When given the opportunity, local people are proud to show what is different and unique about their communities. That's our repeated experience, anyhow.

Planeterra Foundation partners with Favela Experience and Favela Inc, a social impact incubator in the favela, to identify local community organizations and micro-enterprises to form the core of a traveler's experience in Vidigal. Economic benefit is registered locally. So too is civic and cultural pride.

Interactions and conversations from these experiences will inform and shift your perspective and assumptions, just as they did ours. The result: a slow dissolving of the narrative of “otherness,” poverty and danger and its rightful replacement with the story of human beings.

As Russo explained: “None of my TripAdvisor reviews from travelers are about poverty. Instead, they are about the culture and smiles and life that they experienced here on my tour. It changed their view of people living in poor situations.”

When a traveler books a G Adventures tour in Brazil that includes the Planeterra Favela Experience in its itinerary, a portion of that tour fee is paid to the community partner organization as the lead supplier of the favela tour. The tour money is then divided further so that each of the community organizations and micro-enterprises involved is fairly compensated for their work in delivering the tour experience. This provides a steady and reliable source of income to the local organizations for employment and investment.

Furthermore, a portion of tour fees is invested in training, capacity building and support for new and interested community organizations and micro-enterprises. In this way, tour fees contribute to an ongoing cycle of community growth and sustainability.

Faces of the Favela: The People and Community Organizations We Met

The people we encountered were crucial to our expanded understanding of life in the favela. Together with their organizations and micro-enterprises, they form the network backbone of each Planeterra Favela Experience. For the traveler, they also communicate a kind of living history.

Russo and Vidigal Trilhas

Russo swept his hand across the only entrance and exit from Vidigal, a neighborhood with an official census population of 12,000 whose actual population runs nearly three times that. The neighborhood homescape ranges from modest finished buildings to others in states of mid-construction with unfinished floors, exposed brick and rebar.

Russo shared his story of growing up and spending his whole life in the favela — from a childhood in a simple wooden house at the top of the hill to working in a local shop for much of his early adult life. His stories wend their way through the early days of dirt roads to the paved streets coursing the favela today.

That our experience began with and was framed by Russo seemed appropriate. He was among the first local guides in Vidigal. When he initially noticed guides from outside the community escorting travelers through the favela, he decided, “If they can do it, I can do it too.”

With that idea, he founded Vidigal Trilhas, a local tour company, among the neighborhood's first.

As he saw it, the experience — for visitors and the community alike — could be improved if locals told the story of their community, rather than to have someone else tell it for them.

Along our walk, we came to football pitch and practice area for a local percussion group, Batuca Vidi. It was once the territory of a local drug gang. As Russo tells it, he and his friends worked to build the football field because they wanted a place to play. The pitch then fell into disrepair, becoming a drug hangout once again. He and others sought to restore it once more. In a turn of common interest, the gangs supported them and helped clean and rebuild.

As it turns out, many of the drug traffickers had children who needed a place to play, too.

Through community engagement, the neighborhood evolves.

So did what prospective visitors might see and learn.

Isis and Batuca Vidi

Shortly after our tour began, an energetic young woman named Isis appeared, as if out of nowhere. As we discovered from three unexpected encounters with her during our walk, her energy places her everywhere at once despite her busy schedule.

Raised by her grandmother, Isis began playing percussion instruments when she was nine. The most recent chapter of her story begins when, during one of her practice sessions on the street, five local kids approached her and asked, “Can you give us a class?”

Those five kids became her students. Despite having no instruments, they joined her by playing buckets. Interest grew and impromptu drum classes and jam sessions took place in the streets.

Isis later launched Batuca Vidi, a more formal percussion school aimed at teaching school children both music and dance. Batuca Vidi now has over 30 students, ranging from 6 to 17 years old.

With sponsorship from a Brazilian music company they've also transitioned to real drums and instruments.

Thanks to her self study of English and the social entrepreneurship training provided to her by Favela Inc, she now finds herself invited to share her organization's story around the world as she continues to grow it. When we met, she was about to set off for Grenoble, France to advise a local Muslim youth community interested in following a similar model. Later this year, her students will welcome this group from France for an exchange where they will stay and create music in the favela.

When you meet Isis you see a young woman who navigated difficulty to become a community leader. For her, music played a big role in providing opportunity. She wishes to offer a similar path to other favela youth.

Experiences like this reaffirm that positive ideas can travel the world in fascinating ways. And, we all have a little something to teach and to learn from the world we inhabit.

Paulinho and the Sitiê Eco Park (Ecological Park)

Our path continued to the Vidigal Sitiê Eco Park, on the favela's green edge. When I'd first heard of this favela experience component, my expectations were admittedly low. I was surprised, however — not only by how green and lush this urban forest park was, but also by how much had to be overcome to reclaim the space.

When we met the park steward, a gentle soul named Paulinho, it made perfect sense. He was a positive energy force and a sharer of natural medicine and life wisdom. We learned the story of how he and others removed more than five tons of trash over a three-year period following a 2006 landslide which ran through the area to the main road below, killing several people.

As Paulinho walked with us through the park, he treated us to an impromptu natural food and medicine tour featuring samples of tiny local sweet peppers, healing herbs and tasty greens — all of which demanded to someday appear in high-end restaurant salads. He explained the challenge of changing people's trash dumping behaviors. As he planted fruit trees, vegetables and herbs, he incentivized local people. The deal: don't throw trash here and you can come to the park for free fruit and vegetables. He was not only able to change behaviors regarding trash disposal, but also around respecting and valuing nature.

Paulihno shared a unique philosophy on the park and its role in the community. To him, the park was a place of positive energy. But, he said, it also drew in the negative energy of broken souls. He found that sometimes the down-and-out are attracted to the park, finding solace there. His role was to create a balance between these energies by helping those in need and perhaps even saving a few lives along the way.

“If you protect nature, nature will protect you,” he said.

Messias and Vidigal Capoeira

We met Messias, a master in capoeira — the Afro-Brazilian martial art that involves music, dance and acrobatics. In a training area fashioned on the top floor of a community municipal building, he explained capoeira and its West African slave origins. Once repressed by various forces in Brazil, capoeira is now a national symbol and is used to export Brazilian culture worldwide. An estimated nine million people around the world still practice it today.

Messias founded Vidigal Capoeira as a community organization eight years ago. 80 participants, young and old, are involved today.

“In capoeira circle, everyone is the same; there is no social status,” he explained.

His goal is for students to take this philosophy outside of the classroom and into their everyday lives.

During the favela experience, travelers have the opportunity to participate in a capoeira training session led by Massias' students.

I asked him if engaging with travelers on these tours changed his perspective on capoeira. His response reflected the nature of exchange.

“It’s good for the students. They see firsthand the power of capoeira to bring different people together regardless of country, size or social status.”

Then I asked him what surprised him most.

“They have so many questions for visitors,” he said. “They are curious to know about their countries, where they come from.”

Nilda and Vidigal Beer

After taking in the depth of our favela experience, we landed quite appropriately with a fresh Vidigal Beer on the rooftop of Novo Era co-living workspace, the home of Favela Inc and Favela Experience.

Luciano, the founder of Vidigal Beer, is a self-taught craft beer maker who began experimenting at home, combining traditional brewing techniques with some creative twists inspired from the favela. He and his wife Nilda used the initial investment from the Planeterra project to purchase some new brewing equipment, receive training to professionalize their operations, and to better market the Vidigal Beer brand.

During our visit, we sampled an on-point pilsner, perfect for the Rio summer heat. However, we've heard great things about the Vidigal Beer IPA as well. To get a sense of meaning and scale, the micro-brewery currently produces about 50 liters of beer a month, a sufficient volume for its owners to work and provide for their family.

It was a fitting way to end our visit with a sweeping view above the favela. We looked coastward to Ipanema Beach, a scene whose contrasts underscored that — in Rio de Janeiro and the wider world — we are all connected.

Favela Tour Questions You Might Ask

1) What questions should I ask about a favela tour in Brazil?

When you see a favela tour advertised, don't feel bad about asking hard questions to understand how the tour is organized, who is leading it, and where the money and benefit goes. This will allow you to evaluate whether the favela tour is ethical, respectful and incurs positive impact in the community.

• Who created and organizes the tour? Is it driven from the community itself?
• Who benefits from the tour? How? Do tour proceeds remain local?
• Will I have a local guide? How will I be able to engage with the community and its people?

2) Are Favela Tours Safe?

In general, yes. More and more, community members are aware of tourism and its potential benefits. And when you are guided by someone from the community, it further demonstrates your commitment to contributing positively to that community.

It’s important to note that you may come across drug traffickers, maybe even ones carrying machine guns — graffiti-covered ones, no less — during your experience. It’s important to observe just as we did: they are not concerned with you. Instead, there’s an occasional cat-and-mouse between them and local police who are typically kept at bay with bribes. Admittedly, this encounter placed me outside of my comfort zone and startled me for a very brief moment. However, I never felt threatened.

This is what you learn on your visit.

It’s also important to note that many drug traffickers respect and support social projects. Why? Because their families live in this place. Many of them harbor hope — hope for a future where their nieces and nephews and their own children won't need to be involved in the drug trade because economic opportunities exist in ways they did not when they were growing up in the favela.

3) Do I need a guide to visit a favela?

While it is possible to walk around these neighborhoods on your own, it’s not something we would recommend. The value and benefit of visiting a favela is not about the voyeurism of sneaking a peek, but about the interaction with local community members in a unique way that only a local guide can facilitate. This type of interaction highlights context and understanding about the history and evolution of a favela neighborhood over the decades, and in particular, how its residents approach life, engagement, and community development today.

A thoughtful favela experience like this places you in conversation with engaging community leaders. They are the pace-setters for the favela community. Most importantly, this is their home.

The post A Favela Tour in Vidigal, Rio de Janeiro: How to Do One Respectfully and Responsibly appeared first on Uncornered Market.