We can spread awareness

I mentioned in an earlier post that the media play an influential role in our decisions about where to travel and how we choose to travel. Travel agencies and the media portray countries as beautiful picturesque destinations, however these images are isolated from the true reality of the country.

It is easy to believe that the images on websites such as Expedia and Travelocity are true, especially if you are an inexperienced traveler. These images appear to be accurate images of the destinations, however it is merely a secluded view that is separated from reality. This view does not incorporate the history, turmoil and local culture of the country.

Perhaps it is fair to give tourists the benefit of the doubt--they were persuaded by the surrounding media. They were persuaded to believe that the nirvana they are experiencing is the reality in that country.

This tactic is being used by travel agencies in order to make the customer as comfortable as possible. This entails placing them in a location similar to their lifestyle. The travel agency opts out of providing opportunities for their customers to learn about and experience the country in order to generate a higher revenue.

By visiting other blogs or doing more research online, travelers will be able to find images of the real country--poverty, filth and all. These are the images that portray real life without a filter.

It is possible to find responsible travel on blogs and non-profit organization websites, however, mainstream travel agencies, like Expedia and Travelocity, never advertise responsible travel anywhere on their website.

Someone who is explicitly interested in volunteer travel has to search for it online. The option is not readily offered through many outlets.

We can spread the idea of responsible travel easily by word-of-mouth and by utilizing social media to create awareness about this new trend. The trend is emerging amongst the younger generation (teens and 20s) so by utilizing our resources, we will be able to help speed up this trend.


Sources:

www.expedia.com
www.travelocity.com