This summer, the Frugal Traveler is embarking on the Grand Tour, reimagining the classic European journey as a budget-minded, modern-day jaunt. Over 12 weeks and on less than 100 euros a day, Matt Gross will circle the continent in search of cool hotels, memorable meals and contemporary culture. New columns and videos will be posted every Thursday, with updates and frugal tips throughout the week. (link)

Another travel related endeavor which I am very excited about was created by the company I work for – Endemol. The GAP YEAR is produced by Endemol UK in collaboration with bebo. It follows six young British youth on their gap year adventures, documenting their adventures, thoughts and exciting moments. Fans are encouraged to vote on tasks for the contestants. In addition, produced videos are constantly released, while the travelers themselves update blogs and photo albums with their thoughts. An exciting project, extremely successful in the UK, with a real potential to get people excited about meaningful travel.

Gap Year HQ have sent six travellers – Amy, Andre, Cara, Dave, Lewis and Roxanne – around the world on a six-month trip of a lifetime. We’ll be bringing you a brand new video every single day of the week, giving you the latest exciting and memorable footage from every corner of the world. As well as this, the travellers will be sharing their own photos, blogs and videos on their individual profile pages, which you can check out below. (link)

[tags]travel,gapyear,nytimes,interactive[/tags]

I strongly believe in the promise that these so called Global Souls, or world-travelers, hold for the better future of our society. Travel is a way extend beyond cultural boundaries and gaps, by creating person to person relationships, which are strong and long-lasting. More and more people engage in the act of travel, specifically to developing and third world locations. However, with travel also comes responsibility, and that is what I want to address in this post.

Pico Iyer, said once: “travel for me is an act of discovery and of responsibility as well as a grand adventure and a constant liberation.” A major reason to engage in travel, is getting out from behind our desks and into the world; learning about the things we wish to understand, change, or somehow influence. Regardless of how far we physically travel, the inevitable base of these journeys incorporates cross-cultural communication.

As tourists we may visit a certain community only once in our lifetimes, but our experiences and memories stay with us forever. Responsible travel is a term I’ve seen frequently in the past few months. By traveling responsibly, one aims to be sensitive and aware about local culture and ecology. Tourism is the largest economic sector in terms of earnings worldwide, certainly playing a large role in third world economies. But the masses are harming and changing these exotic, once untouched parts of the world, taking away the very essence of what draws tourists there initially. I strongly believe that by being conscious to our surroundings and acknowledging our different strengths and abilities, when provided with the proper information, it is possible to find ways to give back while visiting foreign cultures, and not only taking.

However, it is often forgotten that tourism and this very process of cross-cultural communication can actually be an incentive for creation. In places like Bali, the influx of tourists has generated new dances, new musical forms, and breathed new forms of life into a culture that they took for granted.

Zaid Hassan claims that The invitation is probably the most indispensable tool we have when we visit indigenous populations around the world. When no invitation exists from local entities, inter-cultural encounters can potentially deepen the gap between locals and foreigners, especially when ignorant travelers disrespect important customs. Many communities value their privacy and prefer not to engage with uninvited strangers. When interested in a specific community, it might be a good idea to invite its members into one’s own community – maybe a cup of coffee. Developing sensitivity toward the invitation is critical in building healthy relationships across traditional cultures.

VolunTourism appeals to people who are no longer satisfied by simply mailing a check to the headquarters of a multilevel conglomerate nonprofit organization. If we are to change and help out in the world, we need to experience firsthand the issues and challenges facing deprived communities. VolunTourism promotes self-education and local participation, while promising a “unique” travel experience while doing good. David Clemmons, editor of the voluntourist e-newsletter. You pay to work. However, the work designed to make an impact. A proliferating number of companies and organizations are sending travelers to do volunteer work abroad, even if they only have a week or two to spare. Cross Cultural Solutions sends volunteers to countries like China and Guatemala, where they work for orphanages, schools and hospitals. Volunteer Adventures includes conservation work on its roster, with projects that use volunteers to plant trees in the Amazon or rescue sea turtle eggs.

Another emerging trend in tourism is reality travel or poorism. Ironically, as most of the travel industry focuses on whisking customers into a fantasy cultural disneyland, these type of tour operators take the opposite tack, escorting tourists through Brazilian favelas, South African townships or Mumbai’s slums. Many of these type of agencies have policies where they donate much of their profits back to these communities. But there is something eccentric about this.

Both of the above options are possible ways to give back while traveling. Personally, I’ve never done either in all my travels. I must say that I don’t agree with paying astronomical amounts of money in order to have a volunteering experience. However, I do believe that by using technology these opportunities can be made in a more inexpensive manner. There exists a cultural gap, and an intermediary is usually necessary to bridge between both sides. I have also never taken these so called slum tours. While in India, I walked in many of these areas by myself. Unless it truly gives back to the people living in those areas, I don’t see a reason for taking such an organized tour. But does it? Reality Tours & Travel in Mumbai have yet to show what they do with their profits, once they do become more profitable.

I’d like to end with a quote taken from an interview with Pico Iyer:
“I think the main reason I travel, if I were to sum it up in one word, is for ambiguity. The reason I love travel is not just because it transports you in every sense, but because it confronts you with emotional and moral challenges that you would never have to confront at home. So I like going out in search of moral and emotional adventure which throws me back upon myself and forces me to reconsider my assumptions and the things I took for granted. It sends me back a different person.”