Indie travelers give back to the local economy.
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We better understand ourselves and others when we leave home to experience the world firsthand. Independent travel is a departure from routine -- an opportunity to learn, have fun and embrace life in novel environments and cultures.
-Indie travel is about replacing broad expectations with nuanced realities.
-Indie travel is about seeing yourself in the context of a rich and complex world.
-Indie travel is about defining your values, exploring your beliefs, and crafting your own meaning for life.
Indie travelers value...
-Options over possessions
-Dynamic possibilities over static goals
-Discovery over escape
-Interactions over transactions
-Local information over received information
-First-hand experience over expert opinions
-Mental and spiritual growth as much as physical adventure
-Private transformation over social status and bragging rights
-The present moment over dreams of past and future
Indie travelers do...
-Pack light and keep things simple
-Adapt as they go rather than micromanage in advance
-Practice caution, but not paranoia
-Know how to slow down and enjoy an experience
-Seek pleasure in simple moments and details
-Make meaningful connections and informed decisions
-Learn the economic, political and environmental context of their host culture
-Emphasize listening more than talking
-Practice courtesy, patience, humility, and good humor
-Seek to understand -- not judge or romanticize -- other cultures
-Give back to the local economy
-Share what they’ve learned with others
I am an indie traveler,
The idea of giving back to the local economy is key as the travel industry continues to shift. We are at a point where we need to think of the places we visit more like a scarce commodity rather than a product. The more we value the locations we visit as unique and valuable, the more we’ll want to give back and invest our time and/or money with the locals. Giving back doesn’t necessarily mean financial investment. It could mean something as simple as talking and engaging with the locals – sharing with them a story or joke that will enhance their day, or playing soccer with the youth on the local field. Of course there’s a multitude of ways to give back, from volunteering, to philanthropy, to donations, but in its’ simplest form, giving is about engaging in some way shape or form. And in my personal experiences, I’ve found that giving back during my travels has in many ways been the most rewarding part of being abroad. It’s expanded my boundaries and broken down others, it’s introduced me to people and ways of life that I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise, it has given me a purpose to travel more, it has made traveling that much more meaningful. Through this mindset, we as travelers can push ourselves to new limits, and feel good doing it while we help preserve the uniqueness of each destination we visit. It’s a win win!
I very much agree – in fact I just wrote a post on my blog listing the top 5 reasons to travel sustainably. As I was writing this post, I realized that all of these things that consist of sustainable travel, are also huge components of Indie Travel. In the end, they create a far richer, deeper, more meaningful travel experience.
Strongly disagree, mainly because I don’t think it’s exclusive to indie travel. The most crass and culturally insensitive tourist gives to the local community in a very tangible way too, in the form of jobs and economic activity. No, they generally don’t get out and dig wells or kick soccer balls with local kids and all the things that backpackers like to congratulate themselves for, but the money they spend does benefit locals in a tangible and equally important way.
Also, what is implied by “giving back”? I understand that phrase to imply an obligation to balance an exchange that had theretofore been one-sided, and that’s not what tourism or even indie travel is, unless you’re panhandling your way around the world. The implied notion here that travelers only take, I find, is ironically more true of a lot of the skinflint backpackers I’ve met on the road who fight tooth and nail over every nickel – literally sometimes – that they spend during their trips, and far less true of the supposedly insensitive package tourist, who generally drops a much bigger wad in local economies. The way I see it, when you visit a place as a traveler, you ARE giving. Now I’m being encouraged to give WHAT back exactly?