Sitting comfortably at home after traveling in the developing world for so long has certainly had benefits. The first few weeks I marveled at the softness of the toilet paper, the variety of products available in the stores and the ability to open the fridge to find it fully stocked. After being gone for so long these were things I really appreciated and unlike what so many people expected, I slipped back into this comfortable life without a problem. Reading emails from a friend who’s traveling in Asia as she describes the trough toilets and pit latrines I laugh with the knowledge of having been there and done that, having survived the worst bathrooms in the world.
Reflecting a bit about our trip, beyond the bathrooms and funny signs, I’ve begun to seriously ponder the impact of all that travel. Not our environmental impact, which we consciously tried to lessen, but our social impact. I’ve spent what seems like hours pondering and theorizing on what more we could and should do as a travel community. Is just traveling enough?
Speaking with other travelers, it’s clear I’m not the only one considering the larger impact of the travel community. Many of us travel because we love the people, the cultural interactions and the awareness of something new. We love teaching, learning and sharing. We love the places, we love the things and most of all we love the experience. Some people volunteer on their trip, others move through wanting to do something, but not knowing what to do. Others know what to do, but can’t find a way to make their efforts part of something larger. It is as though we need to take a page out of the outdoor community book and create our own “leave no trace” philosophy. Maybe we should call it “leave a trace.”
While traveling throughout the developing world, we were shocked to see the negative impact of aid organizations. We were disgusted hear about volunteers paying several thousand USD to volunteer for ineffective—and sometimes morally unethical—organizations. We were horrified to discover how much money had done so little and in response we wrote a series of posts, called Hunger Porn to call attention and raise awareness to what we saw. We were that third category of travelers above, we knew what to do, did it in our own way, but didn’t know how to make it a part of something greater.
Travelers are probably some of the most well positioned people in this world to increase awareness, raise interest and tell the everyday stories, triumphs and failures of these people and organizations. Beyond writing a single blog post how else can we connect not just ourselves but our network to these people in support of tackling some of the world’s biggest problems?
I’m not saying each and every blogger needs to take on an issue and save the world. I’m saying that perhaps we need to think beyond ourselves and use our travels to support, connect and engage. Let’s use our skills and our experiences on a larger scale, to support organizations we respect.
My proposal is simple. As you plan your next itinerary, make a plan for action. Find an organization you respect that operates in the places you are going. Offer your skills, think of a way you can be of assistance and contact them. Sure a day of volunteering can be rewarding, but what about teaching them to make a video for their next fundraising effort? What about taking pictures for them and developing them into a slide show? What about capturing and recording their member’s stories and instructing them on developing a blog. Do something that will help them not just for a day, but for a lifetime.
Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.
Cathy Sweeney says
Excellent post that has me thinking about how I can make a difference when I travel. Thanks for that.
Norbert says
Great post! The reality is that we, as bloggers, have a good platform to do an incredible outreach to spread whatever message we want. Many might not notice this yet, but travel blogging has a great influence in how people see and learn about the world.
Jillian says
@Cathy- You’re welcome. Being back at home has put me in a reflective mood I guess!
@Norbert- I agree. I was thinking about how influential the blogosphere has become. Before we left on our trip few of our friends blogged, now I feel like everyone does and with the dramatic increase in Social Media sights we’re all so interconnected. It feels like we do have an incredible platform to do good!
Lisa says
When traveling I am always awed at the children — many (if not most) don’t know what they are missing without iPods, X-Boxes, and Wii. They make up their own games, enjoy their families, and strive to learn. When traveling, I try as much as I can to do something that will impact the lives of these children. Before traveling to Nicaragua, we collected clothes from friends and family, and brought them to a local orphanage upon arrival. In Burma we enlisted the assistance of a US-based organization to identify an orphanage near Rangoon that needed assistance. Before leaving we collected money and upon arrival bought them food, bicycles, PJs, pillows, mosquito nets, school supplies and lunch pails. We also treated them to a day at the zoo and a very rare lunch at a restaurant. In my latest post on insearchof-blog.com, I write about our efforts to help the children of Bhutan by organizing a book collection. These efforts were not that hard to organize, and made a world of difference to the children whose lives we touched. And in return, they changed me forever.
Rease says
Great post! So weird, I just started looking for a place to volunteer a couple times a week here in Buenos Aires. I purposely did the search in Spanish so I could find local organizations that don’t ask for US dollars to volunteer. That makes no sense. I want to help, not throw my money at organizations that won’t put it to good use.
John in France says
Congratulations on this very well written post. Superb! This is always the dilemma – what organisation should you work through? We can all make a difference!
Grace says
I’m glad you guys brought this to light. I was born and raised in a developing country and now as an expat when I surf around the internet looking for volunteer travel opportunities I am shocked that volunteers are asked to pay $$$. I think the best way is to do a lot of research. Then book your travel independently after reaching out to local and legitimate organizations. The money you save can go to these people in need!
Grace says
Oh by the way if anyone is traveling to the Philippines in the near future and you are thinking of doing volunteer work. I would be more than happy to give out recommendations =)
Jillian says
Thanks for all the great comments guys!
@ Lisa- Thanks for sharing your experiences. It sounds like you’ve already found a way to leave an impact on those communities. How have you found the organizations you support? Do you continue once you’ve returned home?
@Rease- Searching in Spanish sounds like a great way to find a local organization. What have you found? I would imagine most of the larger organizations have websites in Spanish and English?
@John- Thanks. I started thinking about this a while ago, but then when the earthquake happened in NZ, it was great to see so many kiwi’s blogging about specific organizations to give to. Knowing who the people affected wanted the world to support was a great indicator of the impact of the organization’s work. It got me thinking about the power of the travel community to report on the impact of global organizations.
@Grace- I was hoping to hear about your experience in the Philippines. What about writing about the organizations you support on your blog? I’d certainly be interested in your perspective on who and why.