tourism

Volunteer and Explore with Geovisions

Geovisions South Africa

Image source: Geovisions.org

It’s been a while since I wrote about a volunteer organization on the business side of the volunteering equation. The for-profit volunteer industry is one of the main engines driving our global increase in volunteer travel. These are travel companies that provide a vital service for communities in need while they offer great travel and volunteering adventures to their customers. The links between tourism and volunteering continue to blur as itineraries increasingly include volunteering stints amidst sightseeing and outdoor adventure. Often volunteering opportunities are half-time and include room and board, permitting a much more long-term vacation than would otherwise be possible.

Reefs to Rockies: Conservation Through Tourism

Capuchin Monkey

Image source: Reefstorockies.com

Today’s profile doesn’t feature a volunteer company. Instead, it focuses on the other side of the volunteer/tourism binary. Reefs to Rockies is a tourism company, but they have a deeper purpose: conservation. I’m inspired by the work they’re doing. It dovetails nicely with many of the conservation-based voluntour organizations we’ve profiled and demonstrates how a purely for-profit enterprise can give back through responsible, ecologically conscious programs for travelers. I think it’s important to remember that eco-tourism is often remarkably similar to voluntourism: many of the same values and principles apply to both. Eco-tourists choose their programs because, like volunteers, they want to give back. They want their dollars to contribute to a greater good. I think the line between volunteers and eco-tourists is often a blurry one, especially when eco-tourists participate directly in conservation efforts while they travel. For many travelers interested in a vacation, eco-tours are a great way to give back while you kick back.

Interview: David Clemmons, Visionary Founder of VolunTourism.org, Part One

David Clemmons, Founder of Voluntourism.org

Image source: David Clemmons

David Clemmons is passionate about VolunTourism. He is the founder of VolunTourism.org, a rich online resource for people on all sides of the voluntourism industry: travelers, voluntour organizations, host communities, educators, and academics. VolunTourism.org is a public service, offering a multiplicity of perspectives in a space that has traditionally lacked comprehensive and thoughtful information. As the industry grows, Voluntourism.org continues to explore the intersection between volunteerism and tourism: successes, failures, and implications. Mr. Clemmons was kind enough to speak with us here at Journeys, to share his unique perspective on this vast and swiftly evolving industry.

This is part one of a two-part interview. Stay tuned for part two tomorrow.

The Great Projects: Holding Tourism to a Higher Standard

Two Protected Orangutans in Malaysia

Image source: Thegreatprojects.com

It’s interesting how we compartmentalize our minds. We expect non-profit organizations to be responsible, eco friendly, sustainable, and respectful of local customs and regulations. We expect it because they are designed without a profit-incentive. Their motives are supposed to be 100% pure—based on nothing but altruistic humanitarianism or environmentalism. Of course, this is extremely simplistic, nothing is ever 100% anything, but this is the stereotype. When it comes to for-profit organizations, we lower our expectations considerably. We don’t expect the same level of consideration because we recognize the equation has a business side. Why is this? Shouldn’t we be more concerned when an organization has a profit incentive?