Responsible Travel- Take 2

I'm so loving this. I think so often we limit ourselves in being 'green' and socially responsible...for those of you that aren't willing or don't know how to make a larger committment to the new sustainable movement at home, maybe you could consider amping up your travel? (http://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/copy901504.htm)

But I think this is really the most insightful part of the entire thing. So often, as Americans especially, we see the worlds through our social, cultural and economic lenses and forget that other cultures and socities function so differently than our own. Encountering these cultures and groups is GOOD for us, in my personal opinion, as it grows our imaginations and hopefully makes us think of how our actions and our lifestyles affect the greater world. We don't want to make them conform to our expectations (hello colonialism and etc., etc.) but to fully encounter and appreciate what they offer.

"The tourism industry packages up and sanitises religious rituals, dress, ethnic rites and festivals to conform to tourist expectations. Once a destination begins to see itself through the eyes of tourists it begins to lose its sense of itself and its identity (and pretty quickly the reason why tourists came in the first place)."-

"For example molas, which are blouses worn by Kuna women in Colombia, were designed based on local spiritual beliefs. However as tourists demand new designs the Kuna women are losing their knowledge of the old designs and their meanings."

Some of their tips:

Our tips
1. Read up on local cultures and traditions before you visit – you’ll have a more enjoyable trip, get a warmer welcome and avoid creating any unintended offence

2. Hire a guide from the local community – you’ll make a new friend and discover more about local life and traditions. He’ll advise you on where to go, and how, and where not to go. He’ll also earn an income.

3. Ask permission before you photograph local people – in some countries it can cause offence. In other cases as local villages charge no admission fee its only fair that you a pay a little to take a picture.

4. Realise that often the people in the country you are visiting have different time concepts and thought patterns from your own, this does not make them inferior, only different.

5. Instead of the western practice of knowing all the answers, cultivate the habit of asking questions and discover the enrichment of seeing a different way of life through others eyes.

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