Travel and Do Good

The trip has been planned for months. You’ve taken time off from work. You’ve cleared the kids’ schedules. You’ve tried to plan the most epic vacation filled with various activities and adventures. 

Have you thought about how you might give back and do good when traveling on the trip?

Let’s be honest, this is the one thing that gets overlooked, but this is the one thing that may bring the most joy to your travels.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it also doesn’t have to involve too much of your vacation time. No matter the length of time, or the number of supplies you donate, it’s more than if you didn’t do anything at all.

You might stop right here and say, nope, that is not what I want to do on my vacation. And that’s totally fine! In fact, there have been trips we have gone on that did not involve an aspect of giving back. But hear me out. On the trips where we gave back, it had a lasting impact on our entire family. So I want to provide some travel tips and highlight some ways, big and small, that you can travel and do good. And you might be surprised to discover that you may have already been giving back without even being aware you were doing so. 

So where to start?

There are so many different ways you can do good through your travels, whether donating supplies or your time, shopping locally, or even staying at an accommodation that gives back. Start by selecting the option that works best for your family and the destination you are visiting. No matter how you give back through good traveling, I promise you will walk away more fulfilled than you might imagine.

Pack Supplies to Donate

We have packed small backpacks filled with supplies to larger suitcases/duffle bags filled to the brim. It depends on the location we are traveling to and the needs of the organization we are working with or the community we visit.  

If you want to help support a local community, see if the hotel you are staying at has partnerships with organizations that give back. If you are staying at a vacation rental, ask your host, as they may have ideas of the community’s needs. Lastly, there are a variety of organizations and schools in each country that could greatly benefit from additional supplies. 

There is a wonderful organization called Pack For a Purpose, which partners with accommodations and tour agencies worldwide to collect supplies from travelers who want to make meaningful contributions to the places they visit. To donate, you will first choose your location, select an accommodation or tour operator, learn about the community’s needs, and then pack supplies to donate once there.

Here are a couple of ways we worked with accommodations to donate supplies. In Belize, the hotel we stayed at, Chaa Creek Lodge, has an initiative called Pack-a-Pound. We found this info on their website when booking our accommodation. We reached out to the hotel to find out what items were needed. We were limited in space, so we each packed some school supplies in our backpacks. While it wasn’t a large amount, it was enough to help a schoolroom of children.  

When we visited Guatemala, we found a local organization called Fundamaya, which desperately needed supplies for the elderly. We packed a large suitcase filled with blankets, toiletries, and more for this group of people in need.

Pack a few supplies in each of your bags, and you’d be surprised by the difference a few things make to a local community. Or pack a large duffle bag filled with supplies. As we usually only fly with carry-ons, if bringing a large bag filled with donations, we check this bag. Sometimes we have used an older suitcase/duffle bag and just left it with the organization. Other times we have packed in a duffle bag that folds up. So we can transport the items down, but once delivered, we can pack the duffle bag into our other suitcase. 

Support the Locals

Giving back to the local community can be as easy as shopping locally or organizing activities with local providers. Think of the incredible markets you have passed through on your travels. By purchasing directly with these vendors, the money goes directly into their pockets and community. Search out the small local shops and restaurants and consider hiring a local guide to tour the destination. Some of our best conversations have been with the locals we have met while traveling. You learn a bit more about their lifestyle, community, and overall outlook on life. Not only are you giving back, but you are gaining a deeper understanding of their culture. 

There are also many locally-owned cooperatives worldwide whose proceeds go directly back to the community of those working there. For example, we visited a local weaving cooperative in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Here we learned about the traditional Mayan techniques used to create beautiful handicrafts. There is a small shop set up selling handicrafts. If you choose to purchase from them, the proceeds go directly to the women and their families of the cooperative. 

Stay at a Property that Gives Back

So many incredible hotels worldwide give back a portion of their proceeds to the local community. This is a terrific option if you don’t have the time to volunteer or the space to donate supplies. Just by staying at the hotel, you are doing good! The hotel we stayed at in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, Porto Hotel del Lago, recognizes the importance of giving back to their community. By engaging and training residents from nearby communities, they ensure that the entire region can benefit from the success of the hotel. So we knew that some of our money would go directly back to the community just by staying there.

My friend Meg at Go and Do Good has an incredible directory of hotels throughout the world that give back to the local community, charities and ministries.. If you are deciding where to stay, this is a great place to start. 

Do Good and Give Time

Giving back your time when on vacation can be so rewarding. But for many of us, those travel days are limited, and finding space in the schedule is hard. But if you can find a couple of hours or even an entire day to set aside some time to give back, these opportunities have been the most rewarding for us.

On our first big international trip as a family, we donated our time to a local orphanage in Brazil and helped paint a local community center. The kids were ages 4 and 6 then, so no matter the age of children, getting them involved is always worthwhile. 

And more recently, we spent an entire day visiting a local school on the outskirts of Nairobi. We toured Naomi’s Village that is home to over 90 children and then saw the school that continues to serve these children plus an additional 300 more. We had a chance to play on the playground, visit a classroom and meet and play with many of these children. Naomi’s Village goal is to provide holistic, intentional, and loving care for Kenyan children in need and it was so beautiful to witness the incredible acts of kindness this school is doing for the children in the community.

Go on a Group Tour that Does Good

I have a wonderful friend, Dianne, with Travel on Purpose, who plans multiple group trips yearly that do good. She partners with organizations in countries such as Guatemala, India, and Uganda to plan week-long trips for travelers looking to do good. On these trips, you will have the opportunity to meet with the local organizations who are doing good on the ground and connect in a meaningful way with the community 

Visit a Destination after a Natural Disaster

It may not seem that appealing, but you’d be surprised at how much good you can do by visiting shortly after a natural disaster. I’m not talking days after, but maybe a month or two later, assuming the infrastructure is ready.

For example, in 2019, Hurricane Dorian hit some of the islands in the Bahamas. Many families were displaced and were in desperate need of supplies. We chose to visit a nearby island called Exumas, which wasn’t affected as gravely but was working with the other islands to get them the necessary supplies. We asked our Airbnb host for ideas on how we could help. She connected us with a local church collecting supplies for displaced families. We packed a huge bag filled with toiletries and other necessities for people of all ages.  

After natural disasters, these countries are even in more need of tourism. Just by visiting, you are helping their local economy and community. 

As a recap, here are the best ways to find out where and how to donate:

1. Check with the hotel/accommodation you are staying at to see if they partner with any organizations who provide supplies to local communities
2. Visit Pack with a Purpose and see if they have needs in the area you are visiting
3. Shop locally, hire local tour guides, support the local community
4. Consider visiting the location after a natural disaster as the community will be in need of supplies and the tourist dollars
5. Consider donating your time while on the trip
6. Check the Go and Do Good Hotel Directory
7. Check Travel on Purpose website for upcoming do good group trips

Whether you are packing a suitcase filled with supplies, volunteering your time while abroad, shopping at local markets, or staying at a hotel that does good, you are helping the local communities through each of these actions.  No matter how big or small you may think your action is, every effort is worthwhile and tremendously helps the community you are visiting.