Travelers who want to give back to the communities that they visit, while also saving money, are increasingly signing up to work on organic farms throughout the world. One organization that helps match travelers with host farms is World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms or WWOOF. Founded in Britain in 1971, WWOOF has attracted travelers […]
Travelers’ interest in devoting vacation time to volunteer in distant communities has surged in recent years. In a 2008 poll, Travelocity.com found that 38% of travelers planned on volunteering during their upcoming vacations. According to a survey by MSNBC and Condé Nast Traveler more than half of Americans want to take a volunteer vacation. The […]
People who seek plastic surgery increasingly have the option to tack on a vacation to an exotic locale. Destinations such as Jordan, Thailand, Jamaica and the Philippines offer package deals that include treatment from local doctors and a resort stays to recuperate. In Jordan, hospitals are offering package deals that include air travel. There’s even […]
While Canada is expanding already protected areas and freezing use fees for visitors, across the United States, parks are facing proposed and actual closures as a result of an economic downturn leading to lower tax revenues for most states. The Honorable Jim Prentice, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, recently announced the […]
A recent Freedom House report spotlights the world’s most repressive countries—places where freedom and democracy don’t exist. The non-profit organization, which promotes democracy around the world, cited North Korea, Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan as being among the least free countries in the world. Along with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, these countries received the […]
A controversial relocation of one of the world’s last free-ranging elephant herds from Malawi’s southern Mangochi district to the Majete Wildlife Reserve in the Chikwawa region has been resumed after the country’s high court overturned an injunction issued by disgruntled locals to halt the rescue project. The Malawian government approached the International Fund for Animal […]
A program called Tourist Assistants, which trains former gang members to become tour guides, is receiving rave reviews in the developing country of Panama. The program was launched in 2004 by Minister of Tourism Ruben Blades, the famous Panamanian musician now turned politician, soon after newly-elected President Martin Torrijos declared war on corruption. The San […]
Take a year off to travel, work or volunteer abroad? The “gap year,” typically taken after high school and before university, is a long-held tradition in many European countries, and in Australia and New Zealand. But the tradition is unheard of in the United States. Author and committed traveler Rita Golden Gelman is launching a […]
A report recently issued by the watchdog group Catholic Land Pastoral shows that debt slavery in Brazil has reached record numbers. The report stated that in 2008, there were 280 reported cases of debt slavery, a six percent increase from 2007. Over one third of the cases were linked to sugarcane production which propels Brazil’s […]
