Voluntourism: Choosing the Right Placement For You
I was conducting a voluntourism workshop not so long ago. Some participants were new to voluntourism and wanted to learn more, some were already semi-veterans of several volunteer tours of duty and wanted to learn how to “do-it-yourself” on a budget. But a couple of participants were rather disgruntled and unhappy former volunteers. They came to complain, though to no one in particular and voice their concerns.
They said they had followed all voluntouring instructions they’d read about to the letter and yet had been totally disappointed with their volunteering experiences. We sat down to chat after the workshop and one thing became immediately apparent. “Nobody told us that before,” they said. “If they had, maybe we would have enjoyed it more,” they said, “and maybe we would have chosen better.”
No, they did not end up with a crooked voluntour operator. Their provider arranged exactly what was promised. So what went wrong? Nothing really. Except for the participants’ initial choice of work.
Recent blog entries
The Best of TravelBlogs in 2008
2008 was a year of tremendous growth for TravelBlogs.com. If you’ve been following along for a while, you may have noticed a shift in focus around the middle of the year, as we started inviting the bloggers we feature to share their stories and advice in guest posts or panel discussions. As editor, I have enjoyed working behind the scenes, coming up with ideas and putting together some great - in my humble opinion - content.
With 2009 just around the corner, I thought I would share the 10 most popular articles on TravelBlogs in 2008.
Support Heifer International Through Passports With Purpose
If you follow the blogs featured here on TravelBlogs, you have probably already heard about Passports With Purpose. Created by Debbie Dubrow of DeliciousBaby, Pam Mandel of Nerd’s Eye View, Michelle Duffy of WanderMom and Beth Whitman of Wanderlust and Lipstick, Passports With Purpose is a fundraiser designed to raise money for Heifer International, an organization fighting hunger and poverty around the globe.
It’s a great organization, and one great fundraiser. Until the 29th of December, you can buy as many $10 raffle tickets as you want, and you’ll stand a chance to win some excellent prizes (listed here).
The Top 3 Reasons For Couples to Pursue “L’Avventura”
To my husband Adam and me, “l’avventura” is the fine art of picking a place to go and seeing where we end up.
Some people might see this pursuit of adventure as a waste of money, elaborate chore avoidance, or even restless leg syndrome, but it works for us. More specifically, it works for our marriage.
Here’s why:
Love Letter to a Reluctant Traveler
So, maybe you and your better half are in a slump. You feel like you’ve tried to plead your case for a vacation, but your partner, in answer, has escalated from stolid indifference to eye rolling, whining to panic. When the emotions and excuses have faded, you’ve found yourself still in your home…waiting.
You remain convinced that making a plan to go somewhere, whether it’s close by or several time zones away, is the answer to rediscovering your passion — maybe even the sound of your own laugh.
If your partner could only see that it’s important to take time for yourselves, away from work, family, friends and chores, they might save not just your love but also their own life. Because if they don’t agree to take you away on a trip, for a few days, a week, or more…you may have to kill them as they lay sleeping.
Before it comes to that, consider handing them this letter.
Monkeys With Suitcases: The Biological Imperative To Travel
It is in our genes, in our genetic code, to be explorers, adventurers and travellers. As life has evolved from the primordial ooze to the wide diversity that exists on our little blue-green rock today, at every step the beings that eventual evolved into us where the ones that got out there, took the chance and made a move. We are chance-takers by genetic necessity. If we weren’t, we would have died out, or evolved into something very different, like rhesus monkeys, sheep or catfish. Overall in evolution, survival of the fittest might rule, but when it comes to human evolution, it is survival of the most likely to pack a change of underwear, a toothbrush and take off down the road.
The Books, Movies and Documentaries That Inspired Us to Travel in 2008
Inspiration to travel can come from anywhere. You taste Gang Panang at your local Thai restaurant and begin to dream of enjoying the real thing in Thailand; you sip Guinness on a hot day and wish you were at a pub in Dublin; a friend’s “Sweet As, Bro” t-shirt recalls your time in New Zealand, and you hope you can get back soon.
Books, movies and documentaries are another great source of inspiration. For this post, I asked travel bloggers to share a book, movie or documentary that inspired them to travel in 2008. They wrote back to me with all sorts of different titles, listing everything from a chick flick set in Ireland to the Bible. If you’re in need of some fresh reading or viewing material this holiday season, I’m sure you’ll find something to suit your tastes here.
10 Reasons to Go Flashpacking the Next Time You Travel
What’s the best way to pack for a year on the road?
Okay, so it’s a trick question. Unless you’re off to tag penguins at a base in Antarctica, there’s simply no need — or even a good reason — to pack for a year.
Eight months ago, my wife Lindsie and I pooled our savings, quit our jobs, rented out our condo, and set off to spend a year traveling the world. But a year’s worth of gear would be impossibly heavy; a year isn’t a vacation, it’s an expedition. So rather than plan (and pack) for all contingencies, we’re flashpacking.
How You Can Change the World Through Volunteer Work
Find a need. Fill a need.
For many of us there comes a point in life, when you take pause, look around and realize we have it pretty good. It’s that moment when you discover that no matter how many points the Dow has dropped, or how high gas prices have become, we still live like kings and queens compared to a lot of people in the world. Then comes the wave of guilt, compassion, inspiration - whatever it is that moves a person to say: “ I want to do something. I, (insert full name here), want to make a difference.”
13 Epic and Slightly Crazy Travel Adventures
Many people dream of going on big adventures; only a few ever do it. For this article, I found 13 individuals, couples and families who had the guts to embark on epic adventures. You may envy them, or you may think they’re crazy. But I guarantee that their stories will inspire you.
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Our latest writing in print and online: January 2009
We have a few articles coming out this month... the January issue of Lifestyle+Travel magazine ...
Daily Travel Photo - Suwon, South Korea
World Heritage Site #23: Hwaseong Fortress From the World Heritage inscription: When the Choson emperor ...
The Night Train To Luxor
After the excitement of camels, pyramids, and hustles, I opted for dinner at a restaurant ...
The Night Train To Aswan
After the excitement of camels, pyramids, and hustles, I opted for dinner at a restaurant ...
How to Negotiate Airline Change Fees
Nobody wants to travel with a sick child (and even fewer people want to be ...
First Thoughts on Dubai
Dubai Skyline from my hotel room Other than higher than normal amounts of turbulence, my ...
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