The Consummate Hostess

I think that in uncertain times, it is especially important to look outside of the current situation and be of service. There are so many ways to do this, for example, volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate an old dress to a Dress for Success program, walk dogs at a local shelter or be a mentor to a child. A new form of travel that provides a way to be of service is to go on a voluntourism trip. Globe Aware is a non-profit organization specializing in creating "Adventures in service", or significant voluntourism. They strive to help people and have fun.

Globe Aware adventures take place all over the world in locations such as Peru, Brazil, India, Laos and Mexico. The trips are researched in depth and are designed to be helpful, safe, culturally appropriate and fun. I am very interested in doing either the Cambodia or Peru trip. By all accounts, these trips are incredibly rewarding and provide a fascinating glimpse into a different culture. The GA site offers great fundraising tips and resources if you would like help covering the expense of the trip.

Recently, Globe Aware has been featured in such notable news outlets as Travel & Leisure, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, Newsweek and Budget Travel. Check out http://www.globeaware.org/ for more information.

*Images from globeaware.org.