Maasai guide
in Kenya
Travel SmarTS
Do-GooD Getaways
how your volunteer vacation can
make the biggest impact
by britney hope
From building hospitals in Kenya
to caring for injured Thai elephants,
volunteering is a popular practice for
those looking to give back while get-
ting away. But you don’t have to lay
bricks to make a positive impact.
Today’s voluntourism follows the
mantra that real, positive change starts
with meaningful cultural immersion.
Hiring local guides or purchasing arti-
sanal handicrafts over factory-made
souvenirs supports local communities
and boosts economies.
“Many of our itineraries include visits
to women’s empowerment projects,”
says Cris David, president of Lion
World Travel, which specializes in tours
throughout Africa. “A safari can be
even more fulfilling when you also have
the opportunity to interact with the
community.”
Guests on safari with Lion World
Travel can choose to stay with its char-
itable partner, ME to WE, at Bogani
Cottages and Tented Camp in Kenya’s
Maasai Mara. Guests can participate
in volunteer-based and cultural expe-
riences like collecting water from the
Mara River or attending a traditional
beading workshop with women from
the nearby village.
“Visitors are involved in community
development in a sustainable way
by fostering an understanding of the
locals and how they live,” David says.
“In turn, the community sees ME to
WE as an asset to their future—and
travellers are part of that.”
Although the charity’s program
focuses more on encouraging cul-
tural appreciation than the act of
volunteering itself, the effect is no
less significant: 50 percent of ME to
WE’s net profits are donated back to
the community. This idea of furthering
a region’s growth by contributing to
its income-earning opportunities—
while perhaps less physically satisfying
than hard labour—allows travellers to
enjoy their vacation while still feeling
good about their global footprint.
“Tourism has the potential to be
one of the world’s greatest vehicles
for wealth distribution,” says Joanne
Fillion, G Adventures’ global pur-
pose specialist for Manitoba and
Saskatchewan. “It’s all about making
people aware of sustainable travel.”
As a company that works to
strengthen social development and
economic welfare wherever it offers
tours, G Adventures believes that
making positive change in the world is
as easy as teaching travellers to spend
their money more effectively.
“A lot of responsible tourism is
about supporting local businesses,”
Fillion says, adding that the brand’s
tours often feature “G Adventures for
Good”—responsible travel activities
managed by Planeterra Foundation,
its non-profit partner.
When touring India, for example,
guests get an airport transfer from
Women on Wheels, a service that
employs drivers from low-income
neighbourhoods. Those travelling
to Peru’s Sacred Valley dine at the
women-run Parwa Community
Restaurant, which provides much-
needed income to the region’s
residents.
Another alternative, Local Living
Tours, allows guests to immerse
themselves in destinations like the
Amazon jungle and rural Mongolia
while staying with enterprising
families.
“By travelling with us, guests are
contributing to local economies,”
Fillion says. “Giving back doesn’t have
to mean building a school. It’s about
impacting the communities you visit
in different ways.”
cAA MANITOBA
FAll 2018
23