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... »

Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH’-plah-yer-kuh-duhl or “Lady Jaja” as we like to call her) just gave the finger to hundreds of thousands of travelers in Europe and around the world.  Jaja erupted earlier this week sending dangerous ash into the air; winds have scattered the air across many countries, disrupting air travel across the continent... »

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.” ... »

Eric Weiner’s The Geography of Bliss is exactly the book we would write if we were half as good a writer as he is.  See? We just ended a sentence with a preposition.  Oh, that’s not a preposition?  See?  We’re hopeless. Billed as “one grump’s search for the happiest places in the world,” Weiner regales... »

Good news, Captain.  If you’re traveling to the “D.F.” or as many Mexicans call it, ”Mexico,” (meaning Mexico City; and yes, it’s confusing when you’re in Monterrey, Mexico and someone asks if you’ve been to “Mexico” - like, duh, yeah?), you will not be as overwhelmed by the poor air quality as you would have been... »

This is interesting.  Akon, no, not a city in Ohio, but a singer that some of those young whippersnappers seem to enjoy, was slated to have a concert in Sri Lanka, but, alas, no more. Apparently, much of the 70% Buddhist population was offended at one of Akon’s recent videos featuring a Buddhist statue behind... »

We’re happy to report on this Phnom Phen Post story on how the village of Tmatboey in Cambodia is working with conservation groups to establish a model of ecotourism.   Excerpts and some thoughts below: “As biodiversity in Southeast Asia suffers from an onslaught of habitat loss, climate change and overexploitation, a few organisations are determined... »

We’ve all been invited to the destination wedding. Why, one especially fertile year we were invited to weddings in Mexico, Israel, and Thailand, not to mention others in Las Vegas, Florida, New York, Indiana, Maryland, and California. But up until now, destination weddings have not been especially known for their focus on the eco-conscious.... »

Here at Mindful Tourist, we’re big fans of Gandhi.  He was one rad dude.  And, we’re also fans of the hot mess trainwreck that is Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, if only because we like to laugh at people, and those two provide many, many opportunities.  So, we thought what better way to bring these... »