Anyone who's taken a cursory glance at the post dates here has realized that there's been a bit of a hiatus. A brief explanation: I've been travelling. Travelling where, you ask? Beijing, Mongolia, and Vietnam--one last Asian adventure after my year in China. I'm back in the United States now and things seem to be as good as ever (sure we've got no money, but there are still free refills on Diet Coke!). Next stop: Palo Alto, California for the next two years--at least.
And without further adieu, my plus one today: A (travel inspired) Idea
I've spent quite a bit of time with the backpacker crowd in my travels of late and I can't help but think there's an unharnessed resource here. The vast majority of backpackers I've encountered (in Latin America and Asia) are responsible travellers who do their best to support and respect local causes and economies. Many travel without a set schedule and for a long period of time, and many have a desire to give something back to the areas they travel through--specifically impoverished nations in developing countries. These places are like flashing targets for International NGO's. So here it is: why not start an organization that allows travellers to volunteer on location for short periods of time (say anywhere from one day to two weeks).
Of course long-term volunteers are always preferable and there are certainly those already putting in years of service abroad, but with the right type of project and enough temporary volunteers I would bet there's a big opportunity here to make a positive difference. If you could give travellers the chance to sacrifice only a small portion of their travel to give a little something back I do believe you'd have yourself a pretty powerful volunteer force.
Just a thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment