| Last year we visited a luxury resort in Jamaica as part of a group there for a meeting. Prior to going, we discovered that we could bring school supplies to help a local school that the resort was sponsoring. What a nice idea! We were glad to contribute and our group collected quite a nice stash of supplies for the local kids. When we travel, we can indeed help others. Depending on the destination and the need, there are many ways to do this. Today, I will cover three.
1. SUPPORT A LOCAL ORGANIZATION THROUGH YOUR RESORT We recently visited Sandals Whitehouse, a luxury resort in Jamaica. This resort is built along a beautiful beach in the midst of a primarily poverty-stricken area. Resort management gives training to and hires locals to give them employment they would not otherwise have, thereby improving their quality of life. They also reach out into the community through The Sandals Foundation with donations to enable and support local schools. They provide a list of school supplies that guests may bring to donate to the school. They also offer opportunities to their guests to visit these schools, volunteer for an afternoon to read to children, or to do whatever needs done. Many resorts have a similar program, I mention Sandals because I am familiar with it.
2. BUY HANDMADE CRAFTS FROM LOCALS You contribute to the well-being of locals when you purchase the handmade items from them. While in Merida, Mexico, a few years ago, there were many ladies selling woven bracelets made of threads.
3. PARTICIPATE IN VOLUNTEER TRAVEL What is volunteer travel? Most of us have heard the term. In a nutshell, it’s travel where you give something back to the local community. You learn about another culture, another country. You give of your time, skills, and knowledge, which benefits others and benefits you. It’s a little bit of everyone, from health care professionals, teachers, skilled laborers, conservationists, and business development specialists who spend a week or more to those who lend a hand doing a small task for an hour or more!. There are many reasons to volunteer while you’re traveling and there are literally thousands of charities and organizations that look for help from passing travelers. For example, the Maui Humane Society has the “Helping Paws” program where visitors can come spend time with the We may not have a lot of time to give, but maybe if we each look for some small opportunity, we can make a difference. The next time you take a vacation, consider asking what you can do to help. We are happy to assist you in learning about these opportunities as you plan your vacations. Have you ever participated in a program that you would like to share? Let us know and we will put it “out there” for all to see!
|
Our guide explained that these ladies had been provided with the thread and taught how to weave in order to help them earn a living. I may not have needed the bracelets, but for $1 each, I could give some happiness to several women in the area. It was my contribution to their income. Support the local artists, wood carvers, weavers with at least some small purchase. A purchase is a business transaction and gives people some pride in their work. There can be some really nice side benefits to this. Terry brought back a lovely alpaca cape for me that he purchased when he visited a local tribe in Peru! (Win-win, right?)
animals. Some, who are staying on Maui for a longer time can actually “temporarily adopt” a dog or cat for their whole stay. Most end up taking them home with them at the end… Where can you find out more? Do a search on “volunteer travel”, and many opportunities will appear. Churches also offer mission trips and encourage members to participate as a group, usually in some specific area such as building a school.
Let's Get Acquainted!
Schedule your complimentary getting acquainted session using my convenient online scheduler.
Comments are closed.