What’s a Kinder Traveler?
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try to understand each other, we may even become friends.” -Maya Angelou
Travel is one of the world’s largest industries and is estimated to surpass the $8.9 trillion mark by 2026. Internationally, travel is a dynamic force that can either promote peaceful exchange and responsible economic development for the nations of the world – or it can destroy cultures and environments while providing relatively new economic benefits to the host countries.”
A few months ago, as I was preparing for my trip to Thailand and Cambodia, I encountered a number of people who had visited these countries and absolutely loved their experiences. They reminded me that both are developing countries with unique needs that deserve our mindful attention. They explained that travel to these countries can be about so much more than just hitting the typical tourist destinations and getting great bargains. It can be an opportunity to broaden our horizons, open our hearts and lift our spirits.
For example, when I asked one of my health care providers if she could prescribe some medications for general travel related sicknesses, she agreed with one caveat: that when I left and hadn’t gotten ill, that I would take those medications to a local community clinic and leave them behind. She explained that while I would come home and have immediate access to any medication I needed, this was not the case in Thailand and Cambodia where the poorest of the poor don’t have access to basic medical needs. That she was thinking of those in needs thousands of miles away really touched me.
Another friend remembered encountering endless local markets with vendors selling more or less the same souvenirs and trinkets for prices well below what we would consider a bargain. It was apparent to him that even at their asking prices, meeting their most basic needs was marginal at best. In effort to do something that would support these hardworking people, he decided he would not bargain and just pay their asking price. And when he was done with his souvenir shopping, he would just make donations to the vendors from time to time.
Here is what I learned:
- How we spend our travel dollars makes a difference to the local economies and communities we are visiting. While it’s true that you can travel very inexpensively in Cambodia, you can also travel with more impact by choosing to pay more and staying at a socially responsible hotel, like Jaya House. When I learned of all the socially responsible ways in which this hotel was making a difference in their community, I knew that by spending more, I was doing more. I realized that my money was not just going to support the financial well-being of the hotel owner but that a good portion of it was flowing through him and out into his community. Check them out at: www.jayahouseriverparksiemreap.com
- Avoid purchasing items made from endangered and protected species. Elephants, for example, are protected species in Thailand and are revered by Thai people.
- Consider paying a vendor’s asking price. Any way you look at it, we’re getting a good deal and our dollars are supporting self-sufficiency in countries whose governments don’t provide for them in the ways our country does for us.Consider supporting local vendors by visiting fair-trade markets. In Siem Reap, Cambodia, I visited a local market called the Cambodia Local Market which was started by the owner of the Jaya House. His purpose in creating this market is to generate jobs through the creation of arts and crafts in their community. These vendors were driven by a purpose, a vision and certain values that made their wares so very meaningful. For example, there is a jewelry maker who creates jobs for landmine victims who have been permanently disabled. Another vendor creates beautiful antique replicas of Buddha statues and bells from recycled materials. Another makes handmade scarfs using natural dyes and materials like leaves to create beautiful, modern designs. In a country devastated by war and genocide, meeting and interacting with kind, conscientious and socially responsible businesses often left me in tears. There simply aren’t words adequate enough to describe what I felt engaging in commerce in this way in this country. It has totally transformed the way I travel.
- Travel with a spirit of curiosity. Seek to learn about the local culture, customs and history of the country and its people. Pull back your vail of understanding by observing, engaging, listening and connecting with the local people. For example, in talking with the staff at the Jaya House, I learned about a local NGO, called APOPO, whose mission is to save lives through the deployment of scent detection animals, i.e. large African rats with a heightened sense of smell that allows them to detect the TNT in landmines. I will never forget my experience with these amazing animals and what these remarkable people are doing to save lives. Needless to say, there are opportunities to donate when we’re traveling as well as when we’re at home. Check them out at: www.apopo.org
- Endeavor to understand their challenges and how you might be able to support their efforts. For example, I learned from a local Cambodian about their educational system and that children who go to public school have no hope and prospects after high school because they aren’t taught English. And English is needed in the hospitality sector which is one of the few ways out of poverty in this country. He explained that the only real hope of changing the trajectory of children’s lives is for them to leave their homes in the country and attend private schools. Inquiring further I learned that for only $1,000 a child can attend a private high school, while living free with the monks, for four years!
- Travel with a spirit of generosity…consider not bargaining and paying their asking price. And when you don’t need to buy anything else, consider making a donation to the vendors. Our few dollars mean so much to them and make a difference in a way we likely can’t fully appreciate. I will never forget the feeling and the look on one woman’s face when I offered to pay full boat for two scarves she was offering to sell me at a discount. Her genuine gratitude and appreciation reminded me of the power my money has to make a difference.
- Being a kinder traveler not only impacts others but can change you and the way you see the world and your own community in the most life-affirming ways. Being a kinder traveler is part of creating a Kinder World of Commerce.
1 Industry Arc
2 The Travel Collaborative, Co-op America