Going Beyond Travel

We travel for many reasons – for work, for fun, for family and friends. For matters mundane (sales conference anyone?) and sublime (The Saints won WHAT?). But in the end the reward of travel is often our personal gain. Be it as simple as just completing a work project, or as joyous as watching a Caribbean sunset while realizing that your colleagues in Minneapolis just got hit with another foot of snow, those who travel generally do so out of self interest.

Sometimes, though, the opportunity arises to travel beyond ourselves. My wife recently took such an opportunity and traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia in support of one of our favorite charities – Caring for Cambodia (CFC). Now we’ve both been to Siem Reap before and have consistently rated it as one of our favorite destinations. However, I’ve never heard my wife refer to a trip to Cambodia – or anywhere else for that matter – as life changing. But that is exactly how she described her time working with CFC earlier this month. The work was not grueling – helping to film a teacher training video, helping the teachers with some basic task work, and sourcing needed educational materials at local shops and markets. But it was meaningful.

This was no leisure holiday. Sightseeing was limited, meals were often taken quickly between tasks, and shopping was on behalf of the hundreds of children attending the CFC schools in and around Siem Reap. It was early mornings and long days. But this time, the reward of travel wasn’t just for herself, but for those kids, for their teachers and families – for their community. It was a good reminder to me of one of my core beliefs about travel, and the concept of going “beyond travel.”

You see travel isn’t just a chance to go and see a place, tick the tourist check boxes, buy the souvenirs and come home. Travel is an opportunity to truly go beyond. Beyond your current horizons, beyond your comfort zone, beyond your assumptions. It’s a chance to travel beyond the usual polished tourist track and see a place as it truly is. And it’s an opportunity to engage with the places you find when you do that. To leave a bit of yourself behind, and carry a bit of that place back with you.

There is a growing trend out there towards volunteer tourism. There are opportunities to do everything from sports coaching to helping researchers study wildlife around the world. I would encourage you to consider a volun-tour when you begin to plan your next adventure. Need some ideas? Check out www.responsibletravel.com. And I hope to see you out there soon!

~Mark