Ha! Now this is funny. As you surely know, I love to whine and complain about things I don’t like, including banal, regurgitative, one-upsman, and/or... »
Socially conscious tourism
A Proactive Mindful Traveler
Jeremy Smith writes about how his vision of ecotourism has changed over the years. His personal epiphany is interesting but the best part of this article is the questioning of passive versus active ecotourism. That is, doing the least to harm a place is good, but isn’t doing the most to improve a place... »
Peace Through Tourism
Aside from the crazy and hateful “Freepers” who stand on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia yelling at the peaceful, old Quaker ladies holding signs like “Peace Lives” and “Honk for Peace,” who doesn’t like the idea of peace? We especially love the saying, “There is no way to peace; peace is the way.” ... »
Is Adventure Travel Also Responsible Travel?
If you missed L.A.’s Travel and Adventure Show last month, have no fear. You can still attend one of the other shows coming up: March 6-7 in Washington, DC March 20-21 in Chicago, IL October 2-3 in New York, NY We’re planning on attending the DC show this weekend. We haven’t attended in the past so don’t consider... »
Our New Voluntourism Post
Hey kids, we just wanted to give you the heads-up that in addition to Mindful Tourist, we are now blogging regularly as the Philanthropy Editor at the Lost Girls site. The women behind the Lost Girls traveled the world, wrote a book about it, and have now revamped their site to be completely rad.... »
Promoting Indigenous Tourism
With all the different types of tourism, sometimes it’s hard to sift through and find the ones that are truly worth the effort. Poorism? Not so much a fan, thanks. Staycation? Uh, no. But here’s one that absosmurfly should be on your radar screen if you’re interested in socially conscious tourism, ecotourism, or sustainable tourism:... »
Building from Scratch the Best Eco-Tourism Project in the History of the Universe
After a particularly inspiring trip to Chile this holiday season, we are embarking on a plan to fulfill a long-awaiting dream of opening and operating our own ecotourism facility and program. Yes, unless we get financial backing (dream on, sistah), this plan and its implementation may be many years in the making. But, we... »
Being a Local in Brazil
Our friend Irene Edwards over at GreenSpot just got back from Brazil and had one particular experience that really stood out. Here’s her story: We stayed at the beautiful and isolated Costao Do Santinho Resort, where you can easily get lost in the relaxing ambiance of the Island where it’s located. As I was sitting on... »
Mindréal: Traveling Mindfully in Montréal
The Mindful Tourist is thrilled to publish a guest post from Montréal writer Daniel Baylis. Read on for some very fun stuff! “Bienvenue” or “Comment ça va? – just a couple of words you might hear when arriving in Montréal. The French flair of this city gives it a sexy, European feel, while its creative nature... »
Cruising with Karl
How fitting is this? Karl Rove and a bunch of other Bush apologists are inviting you to spend up to $14,000 to come pollute the ocean and the air with them on a luxury cruise in the Mediterranean. But it figures. According to the League of Conservation Voters (and other environmental organizations): “The Bush administration has arguably... »
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... »
