Traveling for good

Since I became a parent, vacations have been spent with my husband and daughter visiting family in the Midwest or escaping reality in Disney World. When I do get the chance to travel on my own, I venture to more remote locales, pursuing activities that might sound strange, but refresh me more than the Magic Kingdom or a seashore sojourn. So it wasn't surprising to anyone who really knows me that I spent my vacation last year in Cambodia as a pro bono consultant conducting a study for a group that combats sexual violence against children - one of the child-protection issues that stirs my soul. This time, the surprise was all mine during the trip when I discovered - starting with a restaurant meal that former street children prepared and served - a travel trend. Responsible tourism, also known as sustainable or ethical tourism, is about your travel dollars not only buying the experience you crave, but also benefiting your destination's residents and communities. "People are becoming more concerned about their impact on the communities they visit and want to feel they can contribute in some way," said Michael Horton, of ConCERT (Connecting Communities, Environment & Responsible Tourism), a nongovernmental organization based in Siem Reap. ConCERT's mission "is to maximize the benefits from tourism and travel of all kinds for the most vulnerable people in Cambodia," according to its website. Responsible travel can range from staying at a "green" hotel to living with a local family to helping build a school. Websites, including the International Center for Responsible Tourism, offer information on these and other excursions. Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism website lists opportunities for experiencing community-based tourism and community-based ecotourism, in which tourist activities and businesses are managed by or in consultation with residents. The amount of money produced through responsible tourism is hard to measure, but it most likely accounts for only a small portion of the more than $1 trillion in worldwide tourism receipts last year. Wherever the destination, take a few minutes to learn about whether the volunteer activities really benefit local residents, or are centered on making travelers feel good and raising money that might be ill-spent. An example: Horton and some groups caution against visiting children in orphanages. Children are not helped by a stream of random, unfamiliar, untrained adults coming and going. In fact, he said, some institutions purposely neglect children because foreigners are more likely to give money if the youngsters look needy. Imagine if the situation were reversed, Horton said. "Children who are placed in residential care in the U.S. or the U.K., for example, will certainly have many issues and the general public are not allowed free access to such places." The first mention of a responsible-tourism concept was in a landmark 1980s book on the impact of leisure and travel, said Harold Goodwin, a professor of responsible tourism management at Leeds Metropolitan University in England and founder of the responsible tourism center. It gained momentum at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, as many poorer countries sought to make tourism an economic engine. While ecotourism is more popular among Americans, it is the social-good niche that I encountered in Cambodia. The last time I was in Cambodia was 15 years ago, when I did humanitarian work there for six months as part of my graduate-school program. Back then, the Khmer Rouge still roamed and the Southeast Asian nation's main source of visitors was workers for aid agencies. Now, tourism thrives in the impoverished country, and nongovernmental organizations that work with some of the most disadvantaged Cambodians are trying to get a piece of it and working with private businesses to guard against exploitation. I stayed at the Billabong Hotel in Phnom Penh, which on its website declares, "Sex tourists are not welcome." That policy, embraced by many hotels, reflects Cambodia's status as a popular sex-tourist destination. Also on the Billabong's website is a link to the ChildSafe Network, a group of "local and international people, businesses, and groups that protect children from abuse and prevent them from being placed in abusive situations." Other hotels, expensive and moderately priced alike, are members of the ChildSafe Network, with some also supporting local nonprofit groups. The two times I dined at Friends the Restaurant, I sat in the pleasant front patio. The servers, former street children who received training at a local nongovernment program called Mith Samlanh, were instantly and constantly attentive, and chatted as much as their English skills (which were greater than my Khmer language skills) allowed. If the server was new to the job, a more senior staffer accompanied him. The food is served as small, tapas portions - the beef tacos with tomato salsa and the stir-fried chicken with mango and cashews were both excellent; the mixed-berry smoothie perfectly refreshing. Next door to the restaurant is its sister store, Friends 'n' Stuff, where I found a trove of colorful and cool stuffed animals, purses, jewelry, and other crafts made by street children and their families in countries where the nongovernmental organization Friends-International operates. After these experiences, I read in tourist guides about other businesses in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (the gateway town to Cambodia's ancient temples) whose aim is to make money and help disadvantaged Cambodians learn skills and earn money. I decided to buy all my souvenirs at stores that benefit Cambodians. I bought fabric at the Rajana fair-trade craft shop, where the products are made by families in villages throughout the country. A tailor at the shop turned the fabric into a blouse for me and a dress for my daughter. A silk purse came from the National Center of Disabled Persons. When I felt like pampering myself, I went to the Nailbar inside Friends 'n' Stuff and got an inexpensive manicure and pedicure from young women taking hair and beauty classes at Mith Samlanh. For entertainment, I took in a show at the Sovanna Phum Art Association, an independent group that promotes traditional Cambodian music, dance, and shadow puppetry. When I wanted to take home a shadow puppet, the staff made one for me and explained the art and craft of it. (My daughter made out like a bandit from this trip.) I snacked on a cappuccino and lemon cheesecake at the Jars of Clay coffee shop/bakery/restaurant that a British woman started in the 1990s to help poor, young women. Nim, 53 (she gave only one name), has worked at Jars of Clay since it opened, a tenure that has distanced her from the difficult life she led in the Cambodian countryside with an abusive husband. After meeting the Jars of Clay founder, she learned to bake and prepare Western food. Nim earned enough money to feed her two children and send them to school through the 11th grade, a high level of education in Cambodia that most people cannot afford. She beamed as she talked about her children, now grown and married. The job at Jars of Clay has helped Nim feel like the competent mother and skilled employee that she is. After finishing my work, I spent the final few days of my trip in full-pamper mode and traveled to Siem Reap Province to see Angkor Wat and other temples, and enjoy a spa treatment or two. The temples are the country's biggest tourist attractions - about 1.4 million visitors went to Siem Reap last year, according to Cambodian government statistics. Armed with my new knowledge about responsible tourism, I sought out restaurants and shops that benefit the local community in Siem Reap. I already had made a reservation at a fancy, privately owned hotel-spa. Had I known about them, I would have moved to the nearby hotel that trains young, disadvantaged Cambodians to work in the hospitality and tourism industries, or one of the luxury hotels that works with local social-service organizations. Still, I was perfectly fine with where I stayed. Responsible tourism shouldn't be about doing good out of a sense of guilt. That doesn't make for fun traveling. It's about thinking how you can have an enjoyable trip and help local communities through the choices you make. My vacation was all the more invigorating because my choices not only bought me cake and cappuccino and lovely souvenirs, but because they helped create opportunities for women like Nim. Sourced: philly