From Divine Caroline, here are six businesses that can help you plan a vacation that gives back.
I get so much from travel that I want to give back too. While living in Bangkok, Thailand, I experienced the warm-hearted nature of locals who took me to restaurants, into their families’ village homes, and explained which foods to savor and which ones to avoid. In exchange, I volunteered in the slums of Klong Toey, near the port of the city, to teach the Thai children how to say, “I like milk,” in English. This simple trade of goodwill made me realize that from now on, whether it’s my money, my education, my heart, or my time, I’m adding some sort of philanthropy to my packing list.
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide
For those who like their luxury in a suitcase, Exquisite Safaris is your first stop. Whether it’s an orphanage or AIDS clinic in Africa, or a school and women’s cooperative in Asia, Exquisite Safaris can whisk you by private jet from fantasy to reality in one day. Their personally designed trips include a private guide and a $250 donation to the cause of choice, while guests commit half a day to give back to those in need, creating journeys that help transform both the travelers and the locals in one good deed.
Nomad Charities
Choroa Luxury Safaris have partnered with Nomad Charities, of Bend, Oregon and Nairobi, Kenya, for service opportunities with an end of trip adventure safari in Tanzania. Safaris include mobile camping with high-quality gear and guiding, along with a Serengeti balloon ride. Travelers can choose two-to-three day volunteer postings to build a school, plant an organic garden, or drill for new wells in East African villages. Nomad Charities also teamed up with Nomadic Experience & Summit Expeditions in Tanzania for annual charity climbs up Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Nomad’s orphanage in Kibwezi, Kenya. This brings meaning to the outdoor adventurers’ mission, while keeping the future of children fresh in their minds.
Elevate Destinations
Elevate Destinations has three separate giving programs that allow travelers to decide what type of gesture they want to leave at their destination. Custom designed trips can include a percentage of profits to go to community development programs or the protection of natural resources. Donor trips bring staff and board members of non-profits together with their foreign donors to see how the organization benefits from their philanthropy. The online philanthropy program allows travelers to give with a click, by choosing to donate money to pre-screened NGOs in the region over the internet while traveling. The next time I go backpacking in the developing world, I will definitely put this last program on my radar.
Conscious Journeys
Conscious Journeys takes the heart and wisdom of Tibet and opens it up to travelers. Hosting three three-week trips each year, guests can not only see the beautiful sights of Tibet, but touch, taste, and experience the authentic Tibetan way of life. Whether meditating with nuns, cooking for orphans, delivering supplies to medical clinics, sharing tea with nomads, or teaching environmental clinics, the sky is the limit for guests to contribute their skills and their heart—which is where all of Tibet begins.
Oceanic Society
For those who like to give back to what covers most of our planet, the Oceanic Society hosts travelers to come on board oceanographic research projects and assist scientists in the field. Guests can survey sharks in the Cayes of Belize, assist researchers with the nesting habits of turtles in Surinam bordering Brazil, or stay on the remote Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica and take boat rides to conduct research on migration patterns of humpback whales. While there is plenty of need for humans on dry land, the silent swimmers in the sea could also use a hand.