(StatePoint) If you’re tired of taking the same old kinds of vacations, consider looking into more meaningful travel alternatives. Whatever your interests are, there are great ways to infuse your vacation with purpose.
Learn a Language
Are your instructional language CDs collecting dust? Fast track the learning process with complete immersion. Consider taking a crash course abroad, where you can easily apply the skills you pick up in the classroom each day out in the streets, stores and cafes each evening.
Benefit a Charity
A traditional vacation club offers members access to vacation homes, vacation rentals, yachts and luxury hotels at discounted rates. A convenient method of coordinating family trips, it helps vacationers know what they are getting with no unexpected surprises.
Consider joining a vacation club that offers such benefits, but with a charitable twist. For example, the Getaway 2 Give collection, the only philanthropic vacation club in the world, makes charitable donations to charities with a portion of your membership fee and travel accommodation fees.
“Why should you just explore the world on your vacation when you can also make it better?” asks Adam Capes, President and Co-Founder of the Getaway to Give Collection.Â
Since its inception, the Getaway 2 Give Collection has donated to such deserving charities as Challenge Aspen, which provides cultural experiences for people with disabilities, and Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation (JAJF), which gives children who will lose their mom or dad to cancer a timeout together as a family and an opportunity to make final, lasting, happy memories. In fact, one Getaway 2 Give membership funds five families to go on WOW! Experiences with JAJF.
To learn about giving back while enjoying luxury vacation experiences, visit www.g2gcollection.com.
Get Natural
Get up close to nature responsibly. Visit the world’s most fragile ecosystems in a low-impact manner. Many such “ecotourism” experiences donate a portion of the profits from your trip to local ecological conservation efforts and local economies.
Volunteer
Take a break from sunbathing and look for local volunteer opportunities at your destination. Interacting with locals in such a meaningful way is an effective way to transition from tourist to true traveler.
Consider building houses for low-income families through a program like Habitat for Humanity, or look into work for which you are qualified. For example, doctors and nurses are often needed after natural disasters to provide medical aid to locals.
Often known as “voluntourism,” you can find a personalized experience through a program like the Getaway 2 Give Collection, which offers both domestic and foreign opportunities, benefitting local people, ecosystems and wildlife.
With a little planning and research, your future travels can have a truly positive and enriching impact on you, your family, and the world.
