In general, travel helps to make the world a smaller place. But traveling responsibly and sustainably makes it both smaller and better. If you’ve ever traveled far from home, you’ve probably been personally impacted by the experience of seeing a new part of the world. When we travel, we meet new people, experience new cultures … Continued
You know the world is headed in a good direction when interest in using vacation time to volunteer helping others is at an all-time high. Voluntourism is a growing trend among international travelers, with enthusiasm largely steeped in the desire to make a positive impact on the people and places they visit. However, for both the volunteers and the recipients of their efforts … Continued
When Discover Corps founder Andrew Motiwalla invited me to experience one of his volunteer vacations to Cuba, I was initially very skeptical. As a well-known travel blogger, I have long been an active voice in routing out corrupt volunteer tourism operations that rake in huge amounts of cash without contributing a penny to the people … Continued
Making arts and crafts, playing games, doing homework and learning to speak and read the English language are just a few of the many activities you might find children exploring during a visit to the Forjando Alas Youth Group. The Forjando Alas Youth Group is all about the kids. The after school program is based in the … Continued
Aimless wandering in a new place can lead to wonderful adventures of discovery. With no fixed schedule and no set agenda, you leave yourself the opportunity to stumble upon people, places and experiences that you might not have discovered otherwise. But there’s a big difference between not having a schedule and not having a purpose. … Continued
September 21 was officially named International Day of Peace by the United Nations General Assembly in 1982, to devote this day to “strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.” With the 2015 holiday fast approaching, we’re looking forward to seeing peace being honored and celebrated around the world. Here at Discover … Continued
The state of the world can be mighty frustrating these days. Our nightly news and social media channels are constantly inundated with so many negative news stories, tragedies and struggles. Sometimes, things can start to feel a little hopeless. But the surging popularity of voluntourism suggests that people in general have an innate desire to make things better. Many people are actively looking … Continued
Grandparents Day is just around the corner (September 13), and a growing body of evidence confirms the rising incidence and influence of multigenerational travel. My thoughts turn to August 2013, when I joined my parents, two siblings, brother-in-law, niece and nephew, wife and two young children on a group journey to northern Israel. Traveling With Different Needs … Continued
Responsible travel is wonderful thing, introducing us to new people and places, brings cultures together and helps us appreciate the immense beauty of the world. On the flip side, irresponsible travel can have a negative impact on that world we’re trying to see. If we’re not aware of how we travel, we can wind up … Continued