This Slate story and the accompanying video are pretty interesting. They tell of a remote village in Peru whose people had been living in... »
Sermons
Being a Good Host
Forget about being a good tourist – today let’s talk about being a good host. We happen to live in Washington, DC, a city that welcomes (that might be a strong word) 16 million tourists each year. But many Washingtonians seem to take the attitude that all these tourists are at best, an inconvenience and at... »
Being Ethical in Your Travels
You know all about the Mindful Tourist’s tips on how to be a socially conscious traveler. The Ethical Traveler is an alliance uniting adventurers, tourists, travel agencies, and outfitters — everyone who loves to travel, and sees travel as a positive force in the world. They believe that all travelers are, in effect, freelance... »
Chris Guillebeau: “It’s cool, life’s an adventure.”
We are big believers in TripAdvisor’s hotel rankings and reviews, typically always checking them before booking travel. That said, we know to take every review with a grain of salt since everyone has different expectations and tolerance for dirt, bad service, etc. We also know that no trip will go perfectly as planned so... »
Calling Poverty Tourism by its True Name
With the popularity of Slumdog Millionaire, we began to see more and more articles about poverty or slum tourism. Since it left a bad taste in our mouth, we did a little research (also known as sitting on our arse and websurfing) here and there but couldn’t bring ourselves to write a post about it… until... »
A Tourist’s Role in Archaeological Ethics
Remember the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan? This was in spring of 2001, before most people had heard of the Taliban. We remember it well and were horrified watching video of these incredibly amazing and larger-than-life sculptures that had stood for centuries being blown up by tanks and anti-aircraft weapons. This is... »
New Word “Staycation” Brainwashing the U.S.
Boy, “staycations” sure are getting a lot of press these days, aren’t they? Maybe it’s just us, but THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR A VACATION! Yes, we understand the limits people face in this economy and that one of the first things to go will be an expensive trip abroad or across the country. ... »
Say No to Vacation Cell Phones
Here’s a radical idea: Leave your cell phone at home while on vacation. Think back 10 years; this would not have been a radical idea. But now cell phones are almost surgically attached to some people and they are omnipresent – movies, restaurants, schools, beach, etc. But we argue that to be truly “present” while... »
No Bailing Out “Big Tourism”
This recession blows. We have loved ones who are having to postpone retirement and others who are out of work and desperately looking. We are ourselves extremely anxious about our own job situations (blogging don’t pay the bills unless you’re Nick Denton or Arianna Huffington), not to mention our shaky prospects for exciting travel... »
For the Capitalist in All of Us - Ugh.
One of the main reasons I created this blog is because my ultimate dream in life (aside from being a part of and raising a happy and healthy family, blah, blah, blah) is to own a socially responsible, eco-friendly property that aspires to provide travelers with meaningful experiences with other cultures in a beautiful... »
Ecotourism is No Panacea
Princeton University student Sam Borchard wrote an interesting blog post regarding his experience at Kenya’s Soysambu Conservancy. They are beginning an eco-tourism facility there and while he applauds their efforts, once he meets and understands the nearby Maasai culture a little better, he comes to realize that ecotourism will not be the cure-all solution for... »
