Travel for Good Meaning
There is not a one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to travelling. Addressing the question of how can I travel for good requires tapping into understanding the very reason you are embarking on a journey before you’ve even left the door.
Travel has the power to impact not only yourself but those that you cross or surround you before, during and even after you travel. You may be influenced to travel for a good cause after research has led you into discovering some impact you are passionate about. You travel to do good in supporting the initiation and playing your role in carving its path to, in return, carve your own.
Perhaps the good meaning is how exploring a new destination makes you feel. How stepping foot in a completely different setting ignited by new sceneries, smells and tastes make you feel. You travel for that good feeling.
Why Would You Travel for Good?
Travel can be a force for good
We have already seen that travel can be a force for good. If you choose to travel purposefully, the impact on the local communities can be huge. Not only does community-led travel lead to unique experiences, but it also allows you to learn and engage with new cultures whilst making a positive impact. By being directly involved with a community or project that betters the destination, you see first-hand the future social and economic development that your involvement is making on the community. Remember, you are always a guest in these locations, and you will learn and grow far more than you can give. This approach is one of the most rewarding feelings!
Travel for Personal Growth
Travel has external benefits on the community that surrounds you. But, the internal impacts of travel on personal growth can be profound. Travel helps broaden the mind and teaches you lessons you can’t learn sitting at home. Whilst there can be negative and positive aspects of travelling, all of these will help you build confidence.
The confidence that travel enables you is perhaps one of the most rewarding things. Whether that be by taking the plunge into a wilder ocean, you would never have dared to dive into on home soil. It’s a moment that connects you even more to yourself and the country.
Perhaps you experience personal growth from a negative experience. You get lost in the midst of a medina-like city, or you lose a valuable item. You have to take your own initiative to solve the situation, which, in doing so, allows you to grow. Whilst these moments may seem awful at the time, the growth that it enables is truly transformational!
Travel for Good Food
One of the greatest perks of travel is that it awakens the senses. There are so many joys we experience at the moment as we travel. You travel for good company, for good food, and good music. You travel to immerse yourself into something you may never have dreamed of engaging with before. If you’re ever in two minds about travelling to a particular spot, try the local cuisine. Do it! Food puts you in a heightened state that will increase the intensity of the memories you make and cherish at that moment forever.
Travel for Good Ideas
Travel can inspire a new way of thinking that may transform your future travel experiences. Engaging with projects abroad may inspire you to do the same on home soil or in a completely new destination. There are many forms of travelling for good meaning. We’ve described some of the examples below and how they differ so you can decide what best fits your needs.
Social Enterprises
Social enterprise-powered travel enables you to support a project where a community need has been identified, and your impact is directly assisting in cultivating a solution. A social enterprise requires active engagement and an in-depth level of involvement. In doing so, this connects you on a deeper level with the people of the destination at hand. It creates one of the richest travel experiences by cultivating interaction, participation and exchange with locals.
Conservation Travel
Conservation travel creates a deep connection for travellers with nature by supporting the protection of the land. It ensures that money infused into travel goes towards the maintenance and support of natural wildlife and lands. Multiple organizations pioneered this form of travel, including WWF and ATTA, who use innovation to align the industry with nature conservation.
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of travel that unites social enterprises and conservation travel into one entity. Essentially, it’s responsible travel to natural areas that sustain the well-being of local people through communication and education whilst also conserving the natural environment. Engaging with ecotourism allows you to assist in building environmental and cultural wellness with locals and nature. It can be both a positive experience for visitors and hosts and creates memorable travel experiences.
Locally run initiatives
You can also travel for good by visiting and supporting locally run initiatives and opportunities. When travelling, it’s always good to support smaller projects where the locals are at the heart of initiating the change. It’s a great way to travel for good as it means that residents can earn directly from the initiative whilst also learning key entrepreneurial and social development skills.
Travel for Good Destinations
Want to travel more responsibly, but you’re not sure where to start or go? We’ve got some great suggestions. Check out some of our favourite places that will set you on the right track for getting started.
Responsible Tourism in Tanzania
Tanzania has launched an initiative to encourage and promote a more sustainable tourism industry standard that focuses on protecting the culture and natural environment. Tourism businesses are supported toward a more sustainable economic business practice. It’s a good idea to keep an eye out for tourism initiatives associated with the RRT. That way, you know they have already gone through the relative processes to be more responsible in their approach to tourism.
Community-based Tourism in the Bolivian Amazon
Community tourism is one of the best ways to truly connect with local culture. In the Bolivian Amazon, it’s possible to visit the Chalalan Ecolodge, a joint initiative created in 1995 to provide employment opportunities through nature-based tourism. It was founded with Conservation International, which trained villagers in a broad range of management and tourism activities. It’s a great way to be involved with a community-based tourism initiative knowing that the income is going directly to the families.
Ecotourism in Costa Rica
You can find some great Ecotourism opportunities whilst travelling in Costa Rica. We’ve already highlighted the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens, which protects over 30 species of butterfly. They even offer a 10-week volunteering programme. If you don’t have time for that, taking a tour of their beautiful gardens is a great way to support the project.
Conservation Tourism in the Caribbean
We’ve already told you about The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) in this article. Initiatives like these are great to get involved with and often have programmes to participate in the conservation process. For example, with WIDECAST, your work can be anything from monitoring the nesting areas to assisting with the hatching process if you hit the right season. It’s a great way to not only assist in protecting the environment but educate yourself as you travel.
Volunteer Abroad Grants
Volunteering is a great way to travel for good without spending so much money to do so. In fact, volunteering abroad has been globally recognized as a great way to broaden your horizon and enrich the lives of those you meet along the way. Thanks to this recognition, you can find lots of grants that give every individual an equal opportunity to have this experience, as they can sometimes be expensive. You can find a great list as a resource from goversease.com here.
Travel for Good Quotes
Looking for some inspiring phrases to kickstart your travelling for good? You can check out a few of our favourite awe-inspiring phrases below.
- “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust.
- “Responsible travel is not only better for our world, it’s also more interesting and memorable. Responsible tourism is the future of travel.” Simone Reeve.
- “Tourism is important because it can create sustainable local economies. I’d much rather have 1,000 tourists going up the Tambopata than 1,000 gold miners.” Frans Lanting.
- “Don’t destroy what you came to enjoy.”
So now you’ve discovered what it means to travel for good meaning. What form of good-meaning travel appeals to you most? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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