HOW WE TRAVEL
Engaging with People, Places, and Purpose
Most people want their travels to be meaningful. They want to feel inspired, connected, and changed by the experience. But tourism-as-usual rarely delivers. Instead of depth, it offers a checklist. Instead of connection, it promotes consumption.
At Actuality Abroad, we travel differently. We don’t just visit a place—we engage with it. We meet the people who live there, listen to their stories, and learn from their expertise. Our trips are built on collaboration, not observation.
WE TRAVEL TO LEARN
Travel is an education. Every place has its own way of solving problems, preserving traditions, and moving forward. Instead of relying on outside perspectives, we learn directly from the people who shape their communities.
For instance, in Guatemala, the social enterprise Bici-Tec is pioneering the use of bici-máquinas—bicycle-powered machines designed to support rural communities with sustainable, low-cost technology. These machines can be used for essential tasks like grinding corn, shelling coffee, and pumping water, eliminating the need for expensive fuel or electricity. By designing and building these practical tools, Bici-Tec empowers local farmers and small business owners to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and maintain self-sufficiency in off-grid areas.
Watch the film we produced on Bici-Tec here.
Similarly, in Uganda, the organization Fundibots is revolutionizing education by integrating robotics and hands-on science into classrooms. Their teachers, like Victor, are helping students develop real-world problem-solving skills that will prepare them for future careers in technology. Instead of waiting for outside solutions, Fundibots teaches Ugandan youth to build their own.
Watched the film we produced on Fundibots here.
These experiences are not packaged for visitors—they are real, ongoing efforts to create change. Our role is to listen, observe, and document with care.
WE TRAVEL TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
A meaningful trip is shaped by the people you meet. We prioritize human connection over sightseeing, making space for genuine exchange and collaboration.
In Tanzania, the organization Apps & Girls is changing the landscape for young women in technology. Through coding workshops, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities, they create a supportive environment where girls can develop skills, confidence, and career aspirations. Our time with Apps & Girls wasn’t just about observing their work—it was about engaging in real conversations, learning from the young women who have built their futures through the program, and understanding the mentorship network that keeps this movement growing.
Watch the film we produced on App & Girls here.
In Guatemala, we worked alongside Ingrid Villaseñor, an educator who saw a gap in her community and created a solution: a school that goes beyond academics to address the daily struggles families face. At her school in Panajachel, students receive not only an education but also meals, family workshops, and holistic support. Our collaboration was built on listening—understanding how her work strengthens the community and how education can be a vehicle for cultural preservation and local empowerment.
Watch the film we produced on Ingrid Villasenor here.
In every place we work, the relationships we build shape our understanding. Trust isn’t given freely, and connection isn’t automatic—it requires patience, respect, and the willingness to show up, listen, and learn.
WE TRAVEL TO TELL STORIES
Travel is often documented through personal highlights—a meal, a monument, a beautiful landscape. But storytelling can be more than a collection of moments. It can be a way to shift perspectives and uplift voices that deserve to be heard.
At Actuality Abroad, we focus on solution stories—narratives that highlight local leadership, resilience, and innovation.
In Belize, as deforestation and climate change disrupt the region’s critical rainy season, Green Hills Butterfly Ranch is educating both local and international students about rainforest preservation through an unlikely symbol: butterflies. By raising awareness and fostering connection to nature, they are shaping future conservationists.
Watch the film we produced on Green Hills Butterfly Ranch here.
In Cambodia, Penh Lenh, a jewelry workshop in Phnom Penh, provides vocational training and employment for women facing social and economic challenges. The program helps women gain financial independence, build self-confidence, and rewrite the expectations placed upon them.
Watch the film we produced on Penh Lenh here.
In Kenya, Box Girls is an organization that uses boxing to instill confidence in young women growing up in Nairobi’s Kariobangi slum. One of their early participants, Sonko, boxed her way onto the Kenyan national team, proving that empowerment comes in many forms.
Watch the film we produced on Box Girls here.
These stories matter because they challenge the idea that some places are only defined by struggle. They show what’s possible when people take action within their own communities.
WE TRAVEL TO IMMERSE OURSELVES IN CULTURE
The best way to understand a place is to experience daily life alongside the people who live there. Instead of staying on the fringes, we make choices that bring us closer to the rhythms of everyday life—where we stay, what we eat, and how we move all shape our experience.
This means:
- Living in locally owned guesthouses, where we’re welcomed not as passing tourists but as temporary neighbors, getting a real sense of the community’s way of life.
- Eating where locals eat—at markets, street stalls, and family-run restaurants—**not only for the best flavors but to support those whose culinary traditions are part of their cultural identity.
- Using public transportation, shared vans, and walking whenever possible, allowing us to experience the city or countryside as residents do while minimizing our footprint.
By choosing to immerse ourselves in the daily realities of the places we visit, we move beyond observation and into engagement. These choices don’t just make for a richer experience—they also ensure that the time, attention, and money we spend directly benefit the people who call these places home.
STORYTELLING CAN CHANGE THE CULTURE OF TRAVEL
The stories we tell about the places we visit shape how others perceive them. Too often, tourism flattens a place into a single image—one famous landmark, one type of experience, one version of what it means to go there. These dominant narratives drive what travelers expect, where they go, and how they engage.
But every place holds countless stories, and the way we document and share our travels has the power to either reinforce stereotypes or challenge them. Intentional storytelling expands the narrative, revealing deeper layers of a place beyond what’s marketed to tourists.
For example:
In Bali, where the island is often reduced to resorts and beach clubs, some farmers are working to restore rapidly disappearing rice fields, reconnecting their communities with sustainable agriculture and traditional land stewardship. By documenting their work, we highlight an overlooked reality—one where tourism-driven land development isn’t the only future for Bali.
Watch the film we produced on Balinese rice fields here.
In Vietnam, Mr. Loi, a farmer outside Danang, is proving that organic, chemical-free farming is possible, despite widespread dependence on harmful pesticides. Sharing his journey challenges the common assumption that industrialized agriculture is the only way forward, and it amplifies local solutions that deserve attention.
Watch the film on we produced on Mr. Loi here.
In Kenya, Young County Change-Makers (YCCM) provides education and support for children living in Kisumu’s Nyalenda slum, helping them pursue their dreams of becoming journalists, pilots, and more. Instead of perpetuating poverty narratives, storytelling can focus on their ambition, resilience, and the power of grassroots education.
Watch the film we produced on YCCM here.
Tourism doesn’t have to be extractive. Through ethical storytelling, travelers can shift the focus from consumption to connection, from passive observation to engaged learning. The stories we tell don’t just document where we’ve been—they shape what others believe is possible in those places.
When we expand the stories we share, we expand how people understand the world.
TRAVEL AS A STORYTELLING PRACTICE
At its core, travel and storytelling should be about learning. When you travel intentionally, every conversation, every moment of observation, and every question you ask adds depth to your experience. Whether you document with a camera, a notebook, or simply the stories you tell when you return home, you are shaping the way the world sees a place.
But purposeful travel doesn’t just change the way you see the world—it also changes you.
A trip that is focused on storytelling, documentary filmmaking, or any creative craft is one of the most effective ways to make meaningful progress on skill-building. Away from the distractions of everyday life, you have the space to fully immerse yourself in your craft, hone your technical abilities, and stretch your creative limits.
We’ve seen this in action:
- Participants on Documentary Outreach refine their filmmaking skills in a way that is impossible in a classroom or self-directed project—because they are actively working on a real story, in a real place, with real stakes.
- Travelers who arrive uncertain about their ability to connect with people from different backgrounds leave with confidence, having conducted interviews, shared meals, and built relationships across cultures.
- Emerging storytellers often discover their unique creative voice by having the freedom to focus entirely on their work, unburdened by the usual day-to-day obligations.
This is what makes purposeful travel different. It isn’t about collecting experiences—it’s about investing in your growth while contributing to something larger than yourself.
Wherever you go, ask yourself: What stories are being told about this place? Who is telling them? And what stories are missing?
Because the stories we choose to tell don’t just describe the world—they shape it.