Taking action on the road

For a socially switched-on generation in 2020, it’s all about ‘travel that matters’. By giving something back, we take a small but important step towards making the world an all-round better place, and a giant leap towards deeper cultural immersion and environmental awareness.

Join the social enterprise revolution

‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’, said Gandhi. And if you’ve ever felt helpless when handing spare change to people sleeping rough on the streets, or worried over the plight of refugees, the good news is that you can play a part in changing the future of those who are disempowered or marginalised in society. In tune with the give-something-back zeitgeist, social enterprises are popping up at a rate of knots all over the world to give less privileged people a more defined role in society and a brighter future. With a little pre-planning, you can easily track them down on your travels.

Many of these ethically minded projects are simple yet ingenious: guided tours run by the homeless lending a new perspective on a city, for instance, or coffee vans training them up as baristas. You can stay in boutique hotels staffed by refugees or disadvantaged women. Or choose to get your morning espresso in a cafe or lunch in a restaurant that employs asylum seekers. It’s rewarding to know that whatever you spend is going some way to help someone get a new start in life.

Less selfie, more selfless

Some people shy away from the idea of volunteering, thinking they simply don’t have time during their few precious weeks of holiday. Of course, if time isn’t an issue, there are myriad ways in which you can help out, from wildlife conservation at a game reserve in Africa to construction volunteering in the wake of a natural disaster. But the truth is that there are thousands of bite-sized ways in which you can contribute when travelling, too: whether you have a few hours or days.

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Also Read: Going local, for the locals

 

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via Lonely Planet India