Volunteer tourism is a hot topic these days.

While volunteering overseas is not new, the “behind the scenes” reality has rarely been conveyed effectively to the masses.

Daniela Kon aims to change that. She’s an independent documentary filmmaker currently in post-production of her debut documentary ‘Changing the World on Vacation – NGO Volunteers and the Politics of Compassion.’

The film is inspired by her own experiences volunteering with NGO’s in Thailand, India, and Cambodia in 2005/2006 and grew into an investigation into the moral complexity of development work and the personal and political boundaries of sustainability.

Now the film needs your help. Daniela is looking to raise funds to aid in post-production expenses to complete the film and deliver it to the world.

Continue reading this post >>

Most single women avoid traveling alone abroad.

I know I did. Until I got a job that involved traveling alone every month, at which point I had to face the realities of being a single woman traveler.

I’ve had to use the men’s room more times than I can count. I’ve been proposed to by a stranger (thanks to a short skirt). I’ve even had to avoid another traveler whose psychopathic tendencies turned my friendly conversation into some sort of deep friendship.

But the point is that I’ve learned the hard way that when traveling alone, whether you are a woman, man or child, you have to be aware. Aware of culture and surroundings and how you are perceived by others.

Personal safety does not start with a bottle of pepper spray, it starts with being aware of your surroundings.

Continue reading this post >>

Grants offer key sources of financial support for travelers. Winning a grant is an inexpensive way to raise funds to enrich your personal, professional, and spiritual life.

Grants are awarded for travel research, humanitarian work, airfare, lodging, education, career advancement, and to cover living expenses while you are in another country.

I have won many grants to do humanitarian work in Sri Lanka. Through grants I have helped build homes for tsunami victims, started a guava jam project, and bought books and pencils for children in low income areas.

The grant proposal is the basic document that enables applicants to get money. First off, there are three types of grant proposals:

• A Letter of Inquiry (LOI) – A letter of inquiry is a one to two page summary that outlines the project. Funders request a brief description of the project before making a decision on whether to ask for a longer and more comprehensive proposal.
• Letter Proposal – A letter proposal is a three to five page description of the project plan, the purpose for which funds are being sought, and background information on the applicant requesting funds.
• Long Proposal – The most common document that funders seek is the long proposal. The long proposal is three to ten pages long. It contains the cover letter and the proposal summary accompanying it. The common format includes a need statement, goals and objectives, methods, budget, and evaluation.

Knowing where to look for money is key. Researching funders that are likely to give money to carry out your work requires time, patience, and perseverance.

Continue reading this post >>

Travel can be a journey into the realms of fear and loathing, or a happy-go-lucky search for wildflowers.

It can be an exploration of animosity, or a ride to the chapel on your wedding day.

This week Tales of the Road explores a brutal jungle of hidden, festering horrors; a moral wasteland where blood-sucking fiends skulk in the shadows, a place so nightmarish that the author who explored its darkest corners is unwilling to identify himself.

That’s right…prepare to venture into the world of the American business traveler!

Oh – and there’s also a lovely article from the jungles of Papau New Guinea, where American soldiers once battled malaria and the Japanese Imperial Army.

“I would have taken an enemy bullet before going back into those mountains,” said one veteran after hiking across Papau New Guinea on his way to the battlefield.

Continue reading this post >>

Long-term travel is often a tricky financial proposition.

Unless you’ve been gifted an inheritance or a lucky lotto ticket, chances are that someone wanting to join the expat community in a foreign country will have to find work there. Teaching English as a Second Language classes is, by far, the job of choice.

Not because of the perks, but simply because it is the easiest type of work to obtain. In my experience, it seems that simply standing upright and speaking several relatively coherent sentences in English is sufficient to land the job.

There are one-month courses (CELTA and TEFL) that offer certification. However, in most places, especially in the developing world, a college degree is more than enough.

But while ESL teaching is the easiest job to find, but there are others paths to consider.

Continue reading this post >>

It’s time to wrap up the week now with our favourite links from around the web.

Earn air miles just by searching the web…or so says the new upcoming search engine ZooMiles. Currently, you can sign up for their private beta testing.

Thinking of doing some volun-tourism during your gap year? Check out Gap Year Review for objective reviews so you know before you go.

The only thing better than travel, is travel with a monkey. Welcome to Monkey Travel.

Traveling often pushes us to confront our fears about ourselves, and the world. Get a head start by reading 10 Tips For a Fearless Life.

Check out a handy step-by-step guide to getting a first class upgrade on almost any airline.

The most effective social conditioning happens without you even noticing. That said, have you fallen for these negative attitudes pushed by the media?

Backpackers.com has a great writing assignment – tell them the good, bad and the ugly of sleeping in airports.

Enjoy the weekend!

Please note: This is a partnership post.

One thing I’ve learned since quitting my day job and becoming a full-time travel writer: the future of travel writing, travel guides and travel communities is online.

It’s nice to get published in traditional print media, if only because it gives me something to show my technologically oblivious Grandmother, but there’s no doubt that we’re at the tail-end of dead-tree press.

World travelers are a tech-savvy and adaptable bunch.

While there will always be room for a beat-up copy of On The Road in the bottom of our packs, the ease of publishing and accessing information on the Internet is quickly making old fashioned travel publications obsolete.

At the forefront of this revolution is MatadorTravel.com.

Matador combines the community oriented features of a social networking site with quality travel writing, insider destination guides and a growing index of grassroots organizations looking for travelers to lend a helping hand.

Continue reading this post >>

My idea of camping is staying in a hotel room without room service and a wall-mounted blow dryer. Give me a clean hotel room with 400 thread count sheets and a lanai I can walk out on so I may greet the early morning sunrise.

I long for a place with a cool swimming pool and hot tub to soak in after a long day of sightseeing.

Needless to say, we didn’t camp this summer. Instead, without any particular itinerary, our family embarked on a road trip to experience the spectacular United States.

Fueled with excitement as well as gasoline, we stayed in a different hotel each night. We could’ve flown, but that takes the fun out of a good old American road trip.

Sure, airplanes get you there faster, but the seats are rather uncomfortable. Remember when it was glamorous to fly?

Continue reading this post >>