Alternatives
Inspirational, transformative travel in Alaska would be_________________ [fill this in yourself].
“In Basho’s day, life was not yet so prosaic and hard-pressed. One bamboo hat, one cane to wander about with, stopping for a while in any hamlet which struck his fancy and enjoying all the experiences, which were mostly the hardships of primitive traveling. When traveling is made too easy and comfortable, its spiritual meaning is lost. This may be called sentimentalism, but a certain sense of loneliness engendered by traveling leads one to reflect upon the meaning of life, for life is after all a traveling from one unknown to another unknown. In the period of sixty, seventy, or eighty years allotted to us we are meant to uncover if we can the veil of mystery. A too smooth running over this period, however short it may be, robs us of this sense of Eternal Loneliness.” Zen Buddhism, Suzuki
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
--Robert Frost
Satish Kumar walked from India to France. He accepted no money on the journey, and took none along with him.
According to Kumar, the joy and experience gained from focused walking cannot be achieved by other modes of travel. “Traveling by train or plane is not the right way to go on a pilgrimage,” he continues. “Holy places should be walked to.”
“When you walk, you slowly become ready for the spiritual experience. The walking and waiting creates deep longing—you are thinking of Jesus or St Francis or the Indian rishis—and the thousands of people who have walked in their footsteps. There is a tremendous sense of mystery and longing—and even pleasure.”
Peace Pilgrim walked more than 25,000 miles, carrying in her blue tunic her only possessions. She crossed America for nearly three decades, bearing the simplest of messages:
“This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love. I shall remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the ways of peace.”
“My name is of no consequence. I am nothing. My cause is everything. I am not seeking publicity for myself. So far as you are concerned—you and the whole world besides—my name shall remain Peace Pilgrim….In undertaking this peace pilgrimage I do not think of myself as an individual, but rather as an embodiment of all human hearts that are pleading for peace.”
Code of Ethics for Tourists
1. Travel in a spirit of humility and with a genuine desire to learn more about the people in your host country.
2. Be sensitively aware of the feelings of other people, thus preventing what might be offensive behavior on your part. This applies very much to photography.
3. Cultivate the habit of listening and observing, rather than merely hearing and seeing.
4. Realize that often people in the country you visit have time concepts and thought patterns different from your own; this does not make them inferior, only different.
5. Instead of looking for that ‘beach paradise,’ discover the enrichment of seeing a different way of life through other eyes.
6. Acquaint yourself with local customs - people will be happy to help you.
7. Instead of the Western practice of knowing all the answers, cultivate the habit of asking questions.
8. Remember that you are only one of thousands of tourists visiting this country, and don’t expect special privileges.
9. If you want your tour experience to be a ‘home away from home,’ it is foolish to waste money of traveling.
10. When you are shopping, remember the ‘bargain’ you obtained was only possible because of low wages paid to the maker.
11. Do not make promises to people in your host country unless you are certain you can carry them through.
12. Spend time reflecting on your daily experiences in an attempt to deepen your understanding. It has been said that what enriches you may rob and violate others.
(Source: Center for Responsible Tourism)
Reality Tours
Travel can be self-indulgent. Many organized tours are superficial and expensive. Here are suggestions about organizations that offer something different.
Service Civil International
A workcamp is a place anywhere in the world where people of all backgrounds, ideologies, and nationalities live and volunteer together for two to four weeks on a grassroots project organized by a local sponsor for non-commercial causes. Most workcamps occur during the Summer months and have between 5 and 20 international participants. You volunteer, you socialize, you cook and you work (usually no more than 6 hours during weekdays) together as an international group with local people. You are a multicultural, voluntary workforce promoting tolerance and understanding through your activism.
All overseas camps are $175. There is no upper age limit except where a workcamp states specific age requirements.
Witness for Peace
“Trips combine international travel and education with the struggle for peace, economic justice, and sustainable development. Participants witness firsthand how global economic and military policies affect the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, and are introduced to a vibrant cross-border solidarity network for positive social change.” witnessforpeace.org
Bicycle Africa Tours
“Bicycle Africa specializes in soft bike / cultural adventure for Westerners seeking to learn more about Africa at a person-to-person level not usually available to tourists. We offer programs in all regions in Africa because no one place or country in Africa epitomizes Africa. All programs are small group (6 to 10 people), most are self-contained bicycling—a few have support vehicles.” http://www.ibike.org
GATE (Global Awareness Through Experience)
“Most GATE tours (to the Czech Republic, Poland, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador) are 10 days in length, and consist of visits to untouristed local communities and homes, and daily seminars attended by persons representing every stripe of political thinking at the destination. GATE tours are among the least expensive to anywhere, and generally cost $850, plus airfare, for 10 days of all-inclusive arrangements.” http://www.gate-travel.org
Global Exchange
Reality Tours. Participants will meet with representatives from strategic governmental agencies, political parties, NGOs and grassroots community projects to examine important social, economic, political and environmental issues. http://www.globalexchange.org
International Volunteer Programs
“An up-to-date search site for volunteer and internship opportunities.” http://www.volunteerinternational.org
Global Volunteers
Live and work with local people on life-affirming community development projects for one, two or three weeks. Volunteer teams support some 90 host communities on six continents. Offers some 70 varied departures of a “working vacation” to host communities.
http://www.globalvolunteers.org
Plowshares Institute
Offers ‘travel seminars’--"Short term immersion seminars throughout the world to educate North Americans and give visibility to the work of many creative and sustainable community education and development programs.”
http://www.plowsharesinstitute.com
The Center for Global Education
“Examine the root causes of poverty and oppression, explore the dynamics of development, and discover the spirit of hope lived out by people working for social change in the Two-Thirds World.”
http://www.augsburg.edu/global
[Selection from A Pattern Language: Traveler’s Inn not included online.]