Mary Gould contacted me about this book project – to collect stories of volunteer tourism and collate them into this book.
Our goal is to touch the reader’s heart and mind through stories.
“Transformative Tourism: Stories from Volunteers” is a collection of short stories written by people who participated in volunteer tourism trips. This edited volume will contain the transformative, enlightening, uplifting, and challenging stories told by the men and women who serve as volunteers around the world.
The Call for Stories has gone out – Contact Transformative Tourism
- They are wanting 500-1500 words
- 250 word abstract/story proposal by 1 March
Hoi An is a UNESCO world heritage site, what used to be a thriving port, is now a quieter tourist town with heaps of opportunities to explore the older history of the area. We are taken out to My Son, centre of the old Champa Kingdom, a visit to a traditional pottery making village, a Cooking School on a boat for lunch and a visit to LifeStart Workshop. The next day I am desperate to see the sea, but we are running out of time to cycle there, so Jenny and I hop on a moto for the trip $5US each, including time to walk on the beach. The surf looked messy and dangerous, but I could see how you could easily spend a day here swimming, eating and walking. Read more
From the Cat Cat View Hotel in Sapa our Venus Adventures for women guide Jennie has been negotiating a day and a half of trekking for us with our Hmong guide May. There are lots of options including climbing Vietnam’s highest peak Mount Fansipan – we meet two Australians who are off to do that.
may-hmong guide
May shared a bit about her life with us. She took off her hat to reveal her beautiful long black hair which has not been cut since she was 8 years old. Hmong people marry young – from 14 years for girls. May is now 27, has 2 children, lives with her husband and his family. She speaks very good english which she has learnt mostly from tourists. When she is guiding her husband and extended family look after the children and the land – their buffalo and rice fields. Read more
Hanoi is amazing, there has been so much to explore and to experience. The food is exquisite and VERY cheap, the coffee is awful – I have now opted for the local tea.
Here are a few top tips for women travellers from my time here: Read more
Dianne Sharma-Winter writes: I came across this term Conscious Travel on the internet the other day as I was fishing in the great sea of communication that flows across continents and consciousness. With the corporate office where I came to share my talents with a company who promotes themselves as one which offers cultural insights as it’s unique selling point in the background, I skim read the blog and wondered at the vagaries of life.
My recent experience of this kind of Five Star “Stick Your Telescopic Lens in the Face of a Villager”, who has been paid to entertain you with the charming aspect of their desperately simple lifestyles” approach to tourism was perhaps the best example of Unconscious Tourism, a kind of tourism that smacked of voyeurism is something that I despise. Read more
Guest Blog by Karen A. Chase reflecting on being a Deliberate Tourist. “I went to Paris. I was about to turn forty. I wanted to see all Paris had to offer and you simply can’t do that in a six days-and-five-nights stay, and this was my fortieth. It was something to celebrate. So I saved, planned and spent a year preparing for it, and decided to go for a month.”
Bonjour 40: A travel log – (40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds) Read more
I have just come across the phrase Conscious Travel today – and was excited and intrigued. This is definately a movement I want to be part of and see where it takes us.
Conscious.Travel is both a movement and a learning program that enables places to attract and welcome guests in a manner that doesn’t cost the earth. Read more
In a grey-green, wet, windy winter of New Zealand, many long for a winter holiday in the sun – Niue Island is a perfect unspoiled choice. Why not take a short Air New Zealand flight (only 3 hours, leaving Auckland at 9.15am each Saturday morning) to ‘’The Rock’’ – Niue Island – in the South West Pacific.
Charmaine and Tanya of Earthtalk@awhitu in New Zealand share their recent journey with Women Travel Read more
Thinking of traveling abroad? Would you like to do more than sample new tastes and soak in cultural landmarks? Suppose you could make a difference to other women whilst traveling through another part of the globe? Well, you certainly can, and you’re spoilt for choice!
As Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American female congresswoman, has said, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.” And, perhaps, for an enriched traveling experience upon it.
Opportunities exist to engage in meaningful volunteer work particularly in the field of women’s health, enterprise, justice and social programs across the globe. Here are a few (of many) not-for-profit and charity organizations which offer on-the-ground, functioning programs where you can contribute your skills and passions to a worthwhile cause: Read more
Nga mihi nui kia koutou
Mõhio (moor-he-aw) v. is Maori for to know, comprehend, realise. It is the name taken by a the new entity which has emerged from award winning Auckland Maori tourism company Potiki Tours
After beginning the New Zealand company Potiki Adventures Ltd in 2003, much has changed and evolved for what is now a multi award-winning, internationally renowned business. Way back then it started as an Outdoor Adventure business with Maori perspectives – aimed at working with young international travellers. Originally the name Potiki was chosen to acknowledge that the company was the youngest and most inexperienced in the tourism ‘family’, like a last born child – the potiki.
However, over the intervening years the tourism side of the company has undergone massive changes, adapting and changing its direction in relation to target market, style and content of the tours – in particular moving away from adventure tourism. Additionally, in December 2009, Potiki founders Melissa Crockett and Bianca Ranson formally split the company in order to each focus on building businesses based on their individual areas of interest – Melissa taking the Tourism side and Bianca taking the Outdoor Adventure side of the original company. So in January 2010, two new companies were formed – Potiki Tours Ltd (Melissa’s new tourism company) and Potiki Adventures Ltd (Bianca’s new outdoor adventure company).
Under the sole direction of Melissa Crockett, Potiki Tours has continued to provide the existing tourism products sold extensively to an international tourism market throughout North America, the UK, Europe and Australia. We have also developed innovative new products such as the freshly launched Insider’s Guide Tour, a walking tour of trendy inner city suburbs. (Described by the Senior Editor of US Forbes Life Magazine as: “A highlight of my time in Auckland”.)
From its original beginnings providing Maori themed adventure tours for backpackers, this forward thinking boutique tourism company has really grown up. These days the focus is on providing unique interpretative tours of Auckland city and surrounds. These range from small group Maori themed sightseeing and ‘Insider Guide’ tours, through to private contemporary art tours for high net worth international travellers.
So, in order to reflect this change and the related growth of the company, we are excited to announce that we are changing the company name. Taking immediate effect, the new name is:
Mõhio Tours – mohio (moor-he-aw)
meaning to know, comprehend, realise
This name reflects what we believe clients gain from joining one of their interpretative tours. Whether it be an insight into the beauty of Auckland’s landscapes, knowledge of the unique indigenous Maori culture, uncovering some of the best kept secrets about the inner city from Aucklanders ‘in-the-know’, or discovering the links between traditional Maori iconography and contemporary New Zealand art.
It also explains a little of our journey, from the potiki of the tourism industry, to a strong innovative company, who strives to know what will work best for their customers and realises how to deliver those experiences.
We know we have a lot to offer our clients, but we also acknowledge that we will always have plenty to learn. Cultural exchange is about sharing knowledge between both parties – learning about the similarities and differences is often one of the most fascinating things about travel, and this will continue to form a key component of the Mōhio Tours experience.
In addition to the new company name, we have moved offices to a great new location in the CBD. We are in the historic Fire Station building in Beresford Square, just off Pitt Street. However this will be our administrative base, so as per usual we will continue to pick up our clients from city accommodation, or meet them at pre-arranged pick up locations.
Finally – we are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded Enviro-Silver status in our recent Qualmark accreditation!
We would like to thank you for all of your past support and look forward to continuing on our journey with you through this next exciting phase of development.
