Do you already have travel plans for after the lockdown? Here are seven organizations that will add real social value to your trip.
More and more people want to pay attention to sustainability aspects when planning their vacation trips. In addition to ecological concerns, such as offsetting the CO2 emissions of a flight, it is above all social concerns that travelers care about. Hardly anyone wants to stay in an accommodation where the employees are treated badly or spend the money where it does not reach the local people.
In fact, the tourism sector is an important source of income for many people in many countries, and some of them are having to cope with a severe drop in sales as a result of the current situation. Although it is to be expected that the situation will ease again in the long term (after all, the tourism industry has already survived other crises and the desire to travel continues unabated in many places), the crisis is nevertheless affecting many people around the world right now.
It is therefore all the more important that we as travelers - as soon as we are allowed to again - actively contribute to making tourism more socially responsible. Because there is still a gap between planned and actual behavior on the part of travelers. The so-called "attitude-behavior gap" is still large in tourism. For example, only four percent of air travel in Germany was recently offset. In order to reduce the attitude-behavior gap in the social sector as well, we would like to introduce you to seven wonderful organizations with social added value that you can support and thus contribute to making tourism a little bit fairer and better:
SocialbnbSocialbnb is an innovative platform that connects travelers with social organizations around the world. Inspired by an encounter in Cambodia, the platform was founded by students from Cologne in 2018. Since then, people have been able to book overnight stays with local aid organizations via the platform. The revenue from the booking then in turn flows into the local social or ecological projects. This means that the organizations are no longer completely dependent on donations, but can build up another financial pillar through the income from the overnight stays. As a traveler, on the other hand, you can look forward to a very special encounter that will certainly remain in your memory for a long time.
Companion2Go
Companion2Go connects people with and without disabilities on its platform by sending them on joint trips or events. Here, participants share a ticket and benefit from discounted or free admission, which is often granted to people accompanying holders of a severely disabled ID. In this way, the founding team not only wants to bring people with common interests together, but also actively contribute to overcoming social boundaries and breaking down (mental) barriers between people with and without disabilities.
TeachSurfing
The Organisation TeachSurfing brings travelers together with NGOs and local educational institutions around the world, where they can share their personal skills. Whether it's a long-practiced hobby or special language skills: As a knowledge giver, you run a customized educational event together with the hosting organization and share your knowledge with local people interested in learning. For the founders, the focus is also on the special cultural exchange, which in turn ensures that your trip will be an unforgettable experience.
Querstadtein
The non-profit association querstadtein e.V. offers city tours of a different kind: Here, people take the floor who are usually talked about a lot. Formerly homeless city guides take you to the places where they once lived and tell you about their lives without a roof over their heads. New Berliners and new Dresdeners who have fled from countries like Syria and Iraq will guide you through the neighborhoods that have shaped them and share their very personal perspectives on their new home cities. With their city tours, the two founders want to offer space for dialogue and positively contribute to reducing fear of contact and rethinking possible prejudices.
With the city tours of querstadtein e.V.
you discover your own city from a different perspective.
Good Travel
On Good Travel you will find a handpicked selection of sustainable travel accommodations in Europe. The selection ranges from city hotels to organic farms, from campsites to family-run wellness resorts. Five sustainability criteria are intended to facilitate the search. The "Social" criterion, for example, includes accommodations that have developed special concepts to promote social interaction, create fair working conditions for employees through special programs, or support social projects such as schools, hospitals, charitable institutions, or the local community.
"We at Good Travel are thrilled that we are increasingly coming across hosts* who are putting the concept of a regenerative economy into practice. This is how impulses are set in the whole industry." - Franziska Diallo & Judith Hehl, founders of Good Travel
FairAway
With FairAway you can have your trip put together 100 percent according to your own wishes and ideas. The special thing about this is that local experts who live in your desired destination put together your dream trip away from the crowds and hotspots. In addition, the tour operator pays attention to various sustainability criteria: For example, the guides and drivers in the countries are paid fairly, and they offer accommodation in homestays and activities where you get to know the local population. This gives you an unforgettable travel experience and at the same time the local population benefits. A win-win situation for everyone!
Karmalaya
Karmalaya means as much as "place, where one can do good" and exactly for it the tour operator of the same name from Austria stands. For more than ten years now, the social enterprise has combined travel with personal development and development cooperation. In various volunteering projects worldwide, sustainable tourism projects are realized in the Global South. Whether you want to help build a temple school or support women in empowerment courses - according to your own qualifications, interests and local needs, you can get involved in meaningful projects worldwide together with Karmalaya.Through Karmalaya, you can, for example, take a monastery break in Nepal and take Buddhism lessons.
Found on: Reisen mit sozialem Mehrwert | Gexsi – Die Suchmaschine für eine bessere Welt