I'M DONE EXAMS!
<--- I <3 Toy Story.
Why is my blog called "What a Wonderful World"? Partly because I was listening to the Louis Armstrong song the day I created my blog, so it was on my mind, and I'm a fan of alliteration. However, as a DEVS student (Global Development Studies) at Queens, we learn what mankind has done to destroy and maintain a horrible world and how there are NO SOLUTIONS. Or very few.
And given the history of colonialism, war, the division of labour, the debt crisis, capitalism, etc. etc. I generally don't find that it is a Wonderful World. But, I'm an optimist, and I believe that positivity is the direction towards change. (Ask me in two years if I still feel that way...)
Anyways, one of the reasons the world is so AWFUL is a term known as Leakage, which I recently learned about in one of my classes.
Simply put, leakage is when you buy something and the profit doesn't benefit the local economy. In tourism, leakage is especially bad, especially with cruises and resorts. Because of largely American-owned airlines, hotels, cruises, food, employees, and so on, so little of the tourist's money actually supports the area they're visiting.
The wikipedia page- informative!
I did a little Google search, and I found that some websites only confirmed the misconception that your money is always well spent when travelling. For example...
"just the act of going travelling means you’re supporting local communities: the money you spend in-country on things like food, accommodation and transport all go to local businesses and support local people."
*Caroline pulls her hair out.*
However, there are a few more promising efforts on the world wide web.
This blogger who writes about travelling green in the Appalachia has some thoughts.
And there's an effort called the 3/50 project.
Most things I found took an environmental approach to travelling, rather than an economic one, which is also good, such as,
Tips to reducing your carbon footprint while travelling.
My goal is to really use some of these tips while I travel. In Ghana, I am staying with a host family, who will take care of 2/3 of my meals. I hope to do any shopping and buy the other 1/3 of my meals locally.
In Morocco, I've booked with small local inns and hostels, so I think that's a start.
And for all my friends, I encourage you to take this into consideration when planning trips.
Move past the resort. Get over the cruise.
If you're interested in this sort of thing, a book I enjoyed it is "The 100 Best Volunteer Vacations to Enrich Your Life," published by National Geographic.
(Though I think it's important to consider the repercussions of considering it a "vacation," or "voluntourism.")
Countdown: 37 days
Side note: I made a detailed packing list and started packing! I think that means I'm excited...
Keep Smiling! :)
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