News & Dispatches

Tourism On The Rebound In Nepal

Badri Rai is celebrating some good news this month. Nepal’s Department of Immigration just announced that foreign tourist arrivals shot up 28 percent in the first half of 2017 – 460,304 tourists arrived via air in the first six months of 2017, compared to 359,672 in the first half of 2016. This is a big […]

‘Inspired’: The Future of Cuba’s Booming Travel Industry

Note: See end of article for new policy update When Malia Everette came back from Cuba in 1991, one word summarized her feelings about the experience: inspired. “I saw a nation doing so much to steward their social successes over decades of socialism, with so little in terms of material resources,” said Everette, founder and […]

How to Champion Community Rights while on a Nature Vacation

“We have been residing in this area for decades, and all of a sudden the government told us to vacate,” Rafiz Ali told Reuters journalist Rina Chandran last September. Ali was a community leader in one of three of illegal settler villages in the buffer zone of India’s Kaziranga National Park. In 2016, in an […]

You Wouldn’t Ride an Elephant… But What About a Camel?

Exhausted Camel The camels looked happy enough. It wasn’t until closer inspection that I began to notice things. The wooden splint pierced through the nose with ropes attached to either side to control the camel. The various sores and scratches across the camel’s body. During my recent travels around Rajasthan, India, one of the highlights […]

Migrant Worker Abuse in Thailand

Labor Rights Promotion Network founder Sompong Srakaew and 2 travelers Migrant workers make up more than 10 per cent of Thailand’s workforce, the vast majority of whom come from neighbouring Myanmar. Yet, there are few safeguards to protect these workers from systematic abuse by employers and large companies. The exploitation which many of these workers […]

Consider the Following When Looking for a Sustainable Place to Stay

It’s time for vacation. You might be dreaming of secluded beaches, or bustling cities, or mountainsides lush with foliage. No matter what, you’re skipping town and you’re excited. Of course, there’s a lot of planning to be done before you can hit the road. This is especially true if you’re an eco-conscious traveler who wants […]

Disability Travel: Accessibility for all?

More than 15 years ago, Josh Grisdale was exploring Tokyo when he encountered a problem that few of us actively consider. After maneuvering his electric wheelchair off the train, he discovered there was no elevator. The subway staff were quick to help, and carried Grisdale down four flights of stairs. “[To the staff], I was […]