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 transire benefaciendo

transire benefaciendo
"to travel along while doing good."

Jayne and a friend in Kabul  Ukraine  Meeting a Ukrainian painter  visiting a bird sanctuary  Luxor ICT center

While reading Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (required reading by anyone who wants to travel abroad - or has already done so), I came across a phrase, transire benefaciendo. It's Latin and can translate as to travel along while doing good (not everyone agrees that this is the translation, however). Later, I found out that the phrase did not originate with Verne, that it can also be found in The Seamy Side of History / L'envers de l'histoire contemporaine, 1848, aka The Wrong Side of Paris aka The Brotherhood of Consolation.

Regardless, I fell in love with it via Jules Verne, and I love the idea of doing good while traveling along, especially in developing countries, so I adopted transire benefaciendo as my motto.

What is "doing good"? It doesn't necessarily mean volunteering abroad. I'm actually not too fond of a lot of volunteering abroad - I find it vanity volunteering, volunteering that's all about the volunteer and how he or she wants to feel, not what local people actually need. Vanity volunteering, whether abroad (voluntourism) or local, puts the volunteer in the decision-making role - here's what I want to do - rather than a listening role: what do local people need? What does this nonprofit need? I shall ask and listen to the answer.

I think transire benefaciendo is also about traveling with purpose. It's a trip, a journey, with the intention of learning, with an intention of local interaction. It's travel that is mutually beneficial for both the traveler and the people in the place where the journey will take place. transire benefaciendo is purposeful travel, about widening a traveler's understanding of the world rather than ticking something off a bucket list.

And I don't think transire benefaciendo is something you do only abroad. It's also something you can do in your own community. In fact, transire benefaciendo is a mindset for living.

It does NOT mean you give up having a relaxing day beside a pool. It doesn't mean you give up a day of pampering. But it does mean not booking a "slum tour." It also means not traveling abroad or to a rural community during a global pandemic, when your travel could spread a deadly virus and, if you become ill, you could tax over-burdened health-care systems. It does mean considering the image of privilege and inequality you promote by traveling to regions where people are months or years away from getting the vaccination that allows you to travel safely. It DOES mean thinking about what you do and how you are setting precedent for travelers that come after you.

It does NOT mean interacting with people if you just really don't feel like it in a moment or allowing people to violate your personal space or talking with people if you don't feel safe - women readers know what I mean. You still get to set boundaries, most especially if you are tired, confused, or feel unsafe. It does mean thinking about local people as people trying to make a living for themselves and their families, with their own hopes and dreams.

If you want to travel and learn, and/or to travel and help others and/or help the environment, and/or travel in a way that respects local people and their health, safety and culture, whether you are traveling by car, train, plane, motorcycle, bicycle or hiking, whether you are traveling within your own region or abroad, this page is for you.

 
Observe & Learn

My husband and I took a motorcycle tour of Eastern Europe back in 2008. Two of the most memorable moments were in Romania: at one point, we pulled over to the side of the road and watched a traditional village funeral procession go by slowly. The coffin was on a tractor, with both people and cars walking behind. The people carried colorful streamers of fabric, and all of the cars had their mirrors covered. Men walked with men, and women and girls walked together separately, weeping. We removed our helmets and watched. I was so sad and moved. Also in Romania, while we were camping on the coast in Constanta and looking for restaurants, a wedding party came walking down the street, everyone in full wedding gear, including the bride, and a few people playing instruments behind her. So I started taking pictures of her - she was GLOWING - and it delighted her and the wedding party

When we moved to Oregon, we spent several months being miserable: we had ended up in a very unfriendly town (though, honestly, Oregon is just not a very friendly state), and got weird comments from neighbors when we said things like, "I'll be out of town next week - I have a business trip in Serbia" (response: "WHY would you go THERE?!?"). One day, I snapped: people from all over the world make vacations in Oregon. We needed to treat living there like we were expats, discovering some exotic land in the time we were there. I made lists of historic sites and state parks and other public lands, I made a list of places to go white water rafting, horse back riding and hiking. We looked at maps of back roads to explore by motorcycle. We made lists of local festivals. We watched Oregon Field Guide and Oregon Experience almost religiously. And we did something almost every weekend. Result? It completely changed how we feel about living here. We know more about Oregon's landscape and history than most Oregonians. I get thank you emails a few times a year from motorcycle riders who discover my guide to motorcycle routes around the Portland, Oregon metro area (PDX).

One day, we decided to figure out a bicycle route to the town next door that would completely avoid Oregon state highways. Our goal was to eat lunch at a Mexican grocery store we knew had a restaurant in the back. The whole day was an adventure, all within two miles of our house. 

In short: we have tried to assume that there is SOMETHING to discover about wherever we are. It changes not only anywhere we travel, but wherever we are living. Our best ideas, and best experiences, often come from just observing.

 
Be a "Good" Tourist Matters

When I travel, I try to be conscious of my behavior and actions and the consequences these can have on the environment and on perceptions by local of people of those visiting their home. I have values that center on respect and caring, and I don't abandon those values when I'm not at home. I do not want to do harm nor contribute to an exploitative or destructive practice while I am traveling. How does that manifest itself when I travel?:

Remember: Your negative behavior may not have any negative effects for you, but it will most certainly have effects for future travelers. Part of the reason I try to be a "good" tourist is so that, when you go to the same place, you will be welcomed.

Here's even more clear guidance for travelers from "the West" to travel with respect for others.

 
Doing Good On Vacation in a Developing Country or Poor Community

These are simple things you can do to help others when traveling to a developing country or community with a high poverty rate. None of this is voluntourism - paying money to go abroad to supposedly volunteer for a few weeks - I do not support voluntourism.

Note that some of the tips require preparation BEFORE you leave your home.

I drafted the first version of this list originally in February 2006 for Lonely Planet's Blue List, which, sadly, is now defunct. It was the highest rated and most-popular volunteer-related article by far on the now-defunct Bluelist (thanks to the more than 100 people who rated it so highly on that web site).

Just Being a Tourist Does Good

Read & Make Tourism Pledges

Tourism pledges are voluntary pledges you make, in your heart or on a web site, that are meant to change the attitudes and behaviors of travelers so that they respect local people and local environments. The Icelandic Pledge created by Visit Iceland in the summer of 2017, kicked off the pledge movement, closely followed by the Palau Pledge later that year. Then came New Zealand’s Tiaki Promise in 2018 and the Sustainable Finland Pledge in 2019. On World Animal Protection’s website, you can pledge to not ride elephants on your next trip, to see dolphins and other animals only in the wild, and to be an animal-friendly traveler. You can promise to avoid air travel for a year, to reduce your carbon emissions, with the Flight Free Pledge. Or take the Travelers Against Plastic pledge to reduce your use of single-use plastics when you travel. There are LOTS of tourism pledges out there! A few ways to make your pledge count: Use pledges to plan your trip. Revisit the pledge during your trip so it stays fresh in your mind, like a responsible travel mantra. Share your pledge on social media and your blog. Talk with other travelers and ask if they’ve taken the pledge. Also see Do Tourism Pledges Really Work? These pledges are voluntary, not compulsory, and there's been no serious evaluation of them and tourists that make them in terms of if travelers really commit to them.

Volunteer Vacations Within Your Own Country

Lots of countries, including the USA, provide opportunities for you to go on a meaningful, non-exploitative volunteer vacation within your own country. You will need to be responsible for your own transportation and health insurance and probably your own accommodations and food. You may ALSO be asked to pay a fee to cover the costs of staff providing you support, and any materials you will need during your service. You also need to make arrangements before you arrive onsite at an organization; don't expect to walk in the door and say, "Here I am, ready to volunteer!" and find an automatic warm reception - most opportunities fill up months in advance and just-show-up volunteers cannot be accommodated. Organizations have protocols that volunteers must go through, in order for the organization to protect its work and its clients; please respect these by contacting the organization long before you arrive.

What can you do on a volunteer vacation within your own country? In the USA:

Remember: YOU are responsible for all of the costs associated with any of the aforementioned USA volunteering.

 
Volunteer Vacations Abroad

I do not support voluntourism: paying money to go abroad to supposedly volunteer for a few weeks doing some work you do not have a great deal of expertise in doing in your own country, with a program that takes everyone and anyone that can pay the fee. You will not teach anyone English in just a few weeks. You will not make a difference in the life of a supposed "orphan" in just a few days or weeks. No ethical organization would ever allow people to pay to "volunteer" to interact with wildlife, even "orphan" animals being "rehabilitated." If you pay money to "volunteer" abroad, it's NOT a quality program if they take anyone and everyone, regardless of skills or experience, just so long as they can pay the fees.

Before you pay to volunteer abroad, note that many - MOST - programs are not worthwhile and, in fact, harm local people -- especially those programs focused on orphans. Friends-International, with the backing of UNICEF, has launched this campaign to end what is known as orphanage tourism. For now, the campaign is focused on Cambodia, but don't be surprised if the campaign expands: an incendiary report by South African and British academics focuses on "orphan tourism" in southern Africa and reveals just how destructive these programs can be to local people, especially children. There's also this blog from a person who paid to volunteer in an orphanage, and realized just how unethical it was. Unless a program is recruiting volunteers who have many years of experience working with children, certifications, references and criminal background checks, and unless the program places volunteers for many months, not just weeks, stay away from the program.

Also beware of programs meant to help animals. Unless the program is recruiting volunteers who have many years of experience working with exotic animals, experience running a program at a rescue organization or zoo, have certifications and references, and even an appropriate degree, the program is probably just a way for a nonprofit to make money. You might even be putting yourself in danger by paying to volunteer at such a place. If the program has photos of people cuddling exotic animals, like baby tigers, absolutely stay away: no responsible organization would allow animals to be handled by humans in this way. Same for if there are photos of people riding elephants - again, no responsible organization would allow animals to be handled by humans in this way.

More on warnings about these type of pay-to-volunteer-abroad programs:

I detail the different incarnations of volunteering abroad here and it includes recommendations for some of the credible short-term volunteering programs I've been able to find. 

Lonely Planet published a book Volunteer: A Traveler's Guide to Making a Difference Around the World - there are at least three editions (I haven't kept up). When I read the first edition, in 2010, it listed and reviewed more than 190 organizations that provide short-term volunteer-abroad experiences. I have not researched most of these and I'm skeptical of many of them, and I haven't read the revised edition of the book. There's The Career Break Book, published in 2004 by Lonely Planet; and The Rough Guide To A Better World (free) published by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Rough Guides - I contributed materials to these books, actually. But, with that said, I can't vouch for most of the organizations recommended in either book.

The 2022 version of the Lonely Planet guide to Belize has a section in the back on volunteering opportunities for foreigners in the country, and I'm assuming this is now a feature they include in their latest travel guidebooks. I have not researched these and I am skeptical that Lonely Planet has done the vetting that's necessary to ensure that these are quality, not-exploitative programs. Research any organization yourself before you hand over any money to volunteer! Please also see this resource, Vetting Organizations in Other Countries

I recommend the book How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas, by Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zehara Heckscher, if you can find a copy (it's out of print). It will give you details about what international volunteering really entails, why some organizations require that international volunteers pay, suggestions on how to raise funds for such, and a good overview of your options. But best of all, it provides tips and worksheets that can make your volunteering have real impact for the local people, and benefits for you long after the experience is over.

 
Volunteering On Your Own Abroad (DIY)

Volunteering through an established international organization offers you a way to network your volunteer contributions with those of others, so that your volunteering doesn't happen in a vacuum. It also better ensures that the activity you are undertaking is legal - in many countries, like Indonesia, it is against the law for foreigners to volunteer in the country.

Volunteering on your own, rather than through a volunteer-sending agency, can incur many unintended consequences: for instance, what happens if the family you are helping accuses you of stealing, or of doing something inappropriate with one of their children? Or, what if there is a coup, or a natural disaster -- who will be responsible for evacuating you? If you are injured during your volunteering, who will make sure you get to a hospital? Volunteering through an official organization helps protect you from many possible hazards and dangerous circumstances. And these circumstances do happen - volunteers DO get hospitalized, even arrested.

If you are absolutely bent on volunteering on your own while abroad, then please see this resource, Vetting Organizations in Other Countries. You need to spend a lot of time researching NGOs in other countries and making sure they are legitimate. And it is on YOU to verify if it is legal for you to volunteer in another country - don't jeopardize the legal status of any NGO nor risk a hefty fine, jail time, or being permanently banned from a country by risking it without doing your research first. 

With DIY international volunteering, you will need to provide your own health insurance, travel insurance and evacuation insurance (including the kind that will cover transportation of your body should you be killed). You have to handle your own visa application and research to ensure that volunteering by foreigners is legal in that country. If you are a US citizen, it's a good idea to register your trip with the State Department, which will make it easier for them to help you if you lose your passport, if a crime is committed against you, if you are arrested, or if you otherwise need their assistance.

Forget trying to do things while on vacation or extended travel that would bring you into direct access to kids, or, if you are a man, with women; organizations should do extensive background checks on people who want to provide such service, in addition to providing a great deal of support and supervision to such volunteers and, therefore, it's simply not cost-effective nor appropriate to involve short-term volunteers in these type of activities. If organizations aren't doing this, then you are being unethical by undertaking these activities, even with their approval. In addition, by engaging in these activities, you set yourself up for possible exploitation: what will you do when a parent tells local police you harmed their child while you were "helping"? Never, ever be alone with just one or two people of the opposite sex, or with children - insist on all activities happening in a main room, with LOTS of witnesses.

If you are bent on DIY volunteering abroad, then your best bet is to work with an organization in your home country, that's geographically near you, that has contacts in a country you are going to visit, BEFORE your trip, to see if you could do anything for an NGO they are working with while you are abroad. For instance, if you live in or near Portland, Oregon, there is an association of organizations based in Portland, Oregon that work internationally, and you could review the list of members, see if any serve an area that you are going to visit, and introduce yourself to any that do - meet with them face-to-face, let them get to know you, share your professional references with them, and see if there is an NGO they are working with abroad that you could help with for a few days, provided you have an expertise that is needed by that NGO. But note, there is NO guarantee an organization in the USA is going to endorse your volunteering abroad with a local NGO they work with, and take no for an answer. 

If you are a tech expert, there might be short-term assignments for tech volunteers that you could propose and undertake for an NGO abroad.

If you have volunteered online with an NGO via the United Nation's Online Volunteering service and established a good relationship with them, you could ask that NGO if they would be open to your visiting their NGO if you are in country, making it explicitly and repeatedly clear that you would be responsible for your own travel and accommodations and that, if you visited, you would do so entirely as an unpaid volunteer and have no endorsement of the UN whatsoever as a part of your trip. You could propose an activity you could undertake to help the NGO while there or you could simply document your visit with photos and videos and then create an online account of your visit, highlighting the work of this NGO and, if possible, linking to the NGO's online donation page (do NOT accept financial donations on behalf of any NGO - this is illegal in many countries, and you must pay taxes on any money you receive, even if you intend to donate it). 

Please do not ever say you represent an organization, or speak on any organization's behalf, while you are abroad unless you have written authority from the organization to do so.

Do not expect, nor ask for, someone to serve as your translator, trainer or guide during your DIY volunteering experience unless you are ready to PAY, by the hour, for those services!

Before a trip, ask local organizations if there are things they would like you to bring to an organization, such as children's books. Do not bring medicine or clothes. Keep items small and benign, and looking like they are a part of your overall travel items, or you could be charged customs fees.

Do not walk through the door of an NGO and say, "Here I am, ready to help your orphans!" Before you travel, vet any organizations you might want to help. These can be environmental organizations, a microfinance group, a school serving children with disabilities, a telecenter, etc. A surprising number of organizations in the developing world have web sites, so establish contact before you trip, letting the organization know you are interested in their work, you want to visit while on vacation, and how you want to help: Could you help changeover their computers from pirated copies of Microsoft to OpenOffice, or help them download and automate free virus-scanning software? Are you Girl Scouts leader who could give advice to a school or organization working with girls? Are you an HIV/AIDS educator with advice to offer? Do you volunteer or work in an animal shelter in your home country and have advice that could help a shelter in a developing country?. If you are NOT a certified ESL teacher, do not volunteer to teach English classes. If you are NOT a certified elementary school teacher, do not offer to lead a class of students at the local elementary school. If you are not an experienced carpenter, do not offer to build something. People in developing countries deserve qualified people to help, just as people do in any country.

As mentioned earlier, make an assessment of an organization's most critical needs while you are onsite, and after the trip, blog about your experience and tell people how they can donate to the organization, or arrange a fund drive or other support campaign for the group once you are back in your home country. As noted earlier, the Perros Project is an example of such an effort that was born out of a vacation by two Americans visiting Peru, and that project does sometimes recruit qualified volunteers to join them on their annual visit to Peru to support local efforts.

Finally, if you volunteer on your own, without affiliation, then you must always say that you are a tourist, NOT a volunteer, to anyone who asks: policemen, border guards, customs agents, airport staff, etc. You are NOT an official volunteer, and you must not claim to be such while in country; to do otherwise could result in your arrest for working illegally, and/or a fine for the organization for employing someone illegally (even though you aren't being paid).

Here is an excellent thread on Lonely Planet about working while traveling abroad.

When you travel, please be on the lookout for, and report, sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism. There are people who look for volunteering abroad opportunities that will bring them into contact with children, with the intent of sexually exploiting those children. ECPAT is a global network of organisations working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and trafficking of children for sexual purposes. It seeks to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights, free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation. And it has an online platform set up to help you recognize and report the sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism.

And don't be Savior Barbie. Seriously, don't be Savior Barbie. If you go overseas, please be careful regarding how you document your trip online or in print.

Funding for your travel for good

I cannot emphasize enough how rare it is to get someone else to pay for you to travel to multiple countries, or to travel to one country short-term, no matter how good your heart. It is SO much more effective for a foundation or corporation to fund local people in another country to teach their children, to build their schools, to build their wells, to help little baby turtles, etc., than to send a foreigner to that country to do what local people are perfectly capable of doing themselves. In addition, so many - too many - volunteering abroad projects reak of white saviorism (see previous section).

Thinking of companies "sponsoring" your travel, in exchange for product placement? Again, I cannot emphasize enough how relatively rare this is. Yes, you've seen travelers that have this kind of support - but consider there is probably a thousand for every one of those that tried it and failed.

Your best bet if you want to travel and do good in short-term gigs is to work hard where you are, live frugally, save money, sell your stuff/downsize, have a financial goal, and when you reach that goal, take off.

That said, if you have made it this far on this page, here's a reward: the Overland Expo Foundation is affiliated with the Overland Expo (trade shows). They are a nonprofit made up of group of seasoned professionals coming together with common values and goals to advance the overland community. For instance, the Foundation gave financial assistance to the Motorcycle Relief Project, an organization that promotes ADV motorcycling as a way to bring together struggling veterans and first responders. Here's an example of the projects they have supported. If you have a unique volunteering abroad project, one that is particularly worthwhile and, even better, sustainable after you leave, you might want to apply for funding.

Also see:

 
What About Long-Term Opportunities for Highly-Skilled People?

If you want to know what skills and experience you need to have to make you an attractive applicant to long-term volunteer placements agencies that do not charge volunteers, please see Reality Check: Volunteering Abroad, which lists such agencies.

Also see:

If you have read this far, I'm going to assume you are serious about both traveling and doing good, about transire benefaciendo. So I'm going to let you know about a nonprofit:

Again, please remember that travelers from "the West" need to travel with respect for others,

Also, see this guidance on what to keep in mind when traveling abroad during a global pandemic or to an area that is experiencing a serious crisis.


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  Quick Links 
Index of resources for women travelers (how to get started, health & safety considerations, packing suggestions, transportation options, etc.
 
Advice for camping with your dogs in the USA
 
Saving Money with Park Passes in the USA
 
Advice for women motorcycle riders and travelers
 
transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping.
 
Suggestions for Women Aid Workers in Afghanistan (or anywhere in the world where the culture is more conservative/restrictive regarding women)

Advice for Hotels, Hostels & Campgrounds in Transitional & Developing Countries: the Qualities of Great, Cheap Accommodations

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