We are travelers who have found ourselves at a crossroads.
For us, traveling is not about seeing the sights, but connecting with the people that live differently than we do. We understand the power of educational travel experiences and how it can (but does not always) uniquely supercharge a person’s personal growth.
We have come to realize that much of the travel industry, of which we are a part, continues to contribute to systems of oppression that exist around the world. Education abroad should be the arena from which we can combat racism, colonialism and white supremacy. Instead, it often perpetuates the global power dynamics which cause harm to the peoples who we are so keen to meet.
Our way forward is to design educational travel experiences that are truly co-created with the communities we intend to visit. We seek out, listen to, and honor different cultures’ voices, struggles and successes. The focus of our travel learnings is on the work of individuals and organizations that are solving chronic social or environmental problems in their own communities. Discussions on identity, belonging, racism, classism, and colonialism have become an important part of our programs.
We want to…
- use the power of enterprise and community building to make the world more equitable
- improve global power dynamics between those who travel and those who host
- create powerful environments where other travelers can learn how to do better, too
- create travel experiences that truly live up to the positive, transformative expectations
Education abroad should always be rooted in equity, mutual respect and partnership between people from different cultures. Now that we’ve recognized we weren’t doing our best, it is our responsibility to take action.