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We know the profound impact of travel – particularly interculturally-focused travel – on young people. It can literally change the course of their lives and careers. However, this kind of life-changing experience is usually outside the means of students from lower-income backgrounds.
Coffee People
The deeper you go into the world of coffee, the more you fall in love. This love most certainly hits you the hardest when you experience coffee at its beginning - its origin, alongside the communities who produce it. Of course, it’s hard to mention coffee without talking about Colombia. Its distinctive geography makes Colombia perfectly suited for producing a beautiful and top-tier quality cup of coffee.
A Transformative Adventure
A transformative adventure by Victoria Blonde, student from Lansing Catholic High School.
"Be safe. Be Present. Speak your Truth."
Over a year ago, Human Nature Expeditions was introduced to Trees, Water & People, a non-profit organization based in Fort Collins, CO. Rayna and I instantly connected with Daniela from TWP, and we were energized by the common mission and values that our two organizations shared. While we stayed in touch, looking for ways to support each other and deepening the relationship between Human Nature and TWP, Covid hit and our opportunities for collaboration in the field diminished.
Regenerative Tourism & Cuba on the Horizon
With borders slowly opening, vaccines quickly being distributed, and safety measures in place, future tours are looking promising. As TWP Tours staff, we have had a full year to reflect on our trips and how we can focus on positive impact and change in a new world defined by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are excited to be a part of a new form of travel, that supports local small businesses, communities, employees, while also becoming travellers instead of tourists. Becoming travellers means that we are more aware of ourselves, the people around us, the local culture, history, and how our way of travel can have a positive impact on the places we visit.
A Great Connection
During the summers of 2018 & 2019, I was fortunate enough to attend a school trip to the Pine Ridge reservation in southwest South Dakota. It was a partnership between my school and the lovely people of Trees, Water, and People. Myself and everyone else in attendance were prepared to plant some trees. I signed up for the trip originally because I thought it would be fun, a good way to make some stronger connections with people at my school, and a great opportunity to learn. So, after about a seven hour drive that day, half of it sitting in our van filled with groceries for the week, we finally arrived.
Beautiful Ballenas of Baja
“They’re coming. They’re coming!” We watched from the prow of our small boat as our driver, scanned the horizon of San Ignacio Lagoon for signs of the approaching residents. It was a beautiful early morning in Baja, the sun still low in the sky as we made our way across these magnificent protected waters of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, A UNESCO World Heritage Site. The largest wildlife sanctuary in Latin America, this is home to many species of mammals, including the very rare Baja California Pronghorn, California Sea Lions, multiple types of sea turtles – leatherbacks, green, olive ridley, great birds such as ospreys, herons, and cormorants. We were there for the largest of them all – the Pacific Grey Whale!
Joy and Juxtaposition - An Experience in Cuba
I haven’t had many opportunities to travel the globe. I was taught as a child that the world is big and the tiny space we take up makes a difference. We are small in the grand scheme of things, and still have power to influence others positively as we walk through the world.
Going Below the Surface
I have been a board member at TWP for 4 years and would like to share my experience and perspective of the recent tour to Guatemala that I joined in September 2019. The experience of a tour with TWP allows you to participate and enjoy the communities and countries where we travel. This happens in a few significant ways that I would like to highlight with a few of my own expressions and passions.
Total Widening of Perspective
TWP’s travel arm returned to El Salvador in May, with a sweeping tour that opened eyes, warmed hearts and, maybe, just maybe, blasted away a few myths that pervade mainstream news reports. El Salvador is dangerous. Perhaps in some places, but anywhere can be dangerous, even your own backyard or kitchen if you happen to be inept with sharp objects. At El Porvenir, the biggest danger we faced was eating too many pupusas or scorching our fingers as the women of the village taught “pupusas-101” on a fuel-efficient stove installed specifically to show off to the visitors.
Meeting the Heart of Honduras
A trip to a place with a different culture, a language you don’t speak, and the life challenges you may vaguely perceive but hardly understand is an adventure. The adventure that allows one to abandon the sometimes stale, mundane, or frustrating repetition of daily life is usually a brief experience but it still becomes the source of personal contemplation and growth.
Thriving Beyond Expectations
When I first began visiting our projects last summer, I felt lucky to be part of developing communications around our innovative and meaningful community development projects, but it was too early for me to truly understand the bigger picture of what it is that we do. After I visited Guatemala in August to meet with members of the community of La Trinidad who had been displaced (again) by the eruption of Volcán De Fuego, I began to understand the impact of TWP’s work on a slightly deeper level.