
gilphotography.com / courtesy of Kelley Louise.com
Best travel idea emerges
Kelley Louise was passionate about the travel and social good before it became a buzzword in the industry. She launched out of college and traveled to Uganda, following her passion to work with non-profits. Part that first job was interviewing as many people as possible to uncover the root of problems in the community. That work snowballed into her blog, the Culture Collective, and led to becoming Executive Director of Travel Social Good.org
Click here to hear the full interview about the best travel and the future of tourism with Kelley Louise on the NPR podcast,
Journeys of Discovery.
Kelley knows everyone can’t take off to work in another country. In America most of us get two weeks of vacation and need the rest, not just to plaster walls in a jungle or any other number of projects. It doesn’t mean we can’t support social good while vacationing. What needs to grow is finding ways to ensure that our tourist dollars and efforts help the local communities that we visit.

Kids learning about sustainable farming at Marando Farms in Fort Lauderdale
Creating those connections starts locally, in our home towns. “It’s not just about giving back,” Kelley says, ‘it’s about a lifestyle.” And that needs to begin long before we start packing a suitcase.
Interested in taking action locally?
There are 23 local Hubs of Travel Social Good in cities across the globe and more are being created. It’s a great way to support local causes and social good is social fun, as Chicago Lead Coordinator, Lena Kazer says “I’ve met some incredible people.” Supporting credible non-profits in your city is satisfying work and play. Check out what some of the Hubs are up to and attend an event.
The 2016 TSG Global Summit – Travel Social Good
The Business to Business initiatives of Travel for Social Good aim to push far beyond volunteerism or ecotourism which, as Kelley says, “Are great,” but the aim is to make the travel industry more sustainable. The Summit and all that Travel Social Good does is to take action, to make a difference by doing. That’s why this year’s summit at the United Nations Headquarters is invitation only for action-based leaders and decision makers in the industry. From established to entrepreneurial, non-profit to tech focused levels, from the different sides and ways, leaders are coming together to solve this problem. During the summit attendees are venturing into New York to experience selected local companies who are making sustainability and tourism viable partners. The next day discussions and sessions begin in earnest.
What are your best travel ideas for social good and keeping it local?
Great post! We all love travel, but traveling+doing good/helping local communities it´s already a more profound experience. It´s all made me think of how we all could go on making our world a better place by doing these kind of things…
Thanks, Anna. As avid travelers I too feel we need to be more active about preserving the places and people we love. Appreciate your thoughtful comment.
Wow, this is really inspiring! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I love travel, as I know you do too, Carmen. We just need to keep it real and sustainable, therefore available, far into the future.
This sounds like a really interesting initiative. Although I fully commend anyone who spends their holiday(s) volunteering, I do agree that these kind of programmes need to be more sustainable. It’s really interesting to see that these Hubs are located all around the world. Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll be looking into this further.
Great, Katja. This is just one of so many initiatives. Perhaps you’ll start your own Hub one day!
Very interesting! Definitely agree–volunteering and giving back should be a lifestyle. It’s great to volunteer both at home and while traveling! The TSG Global Summit sounds like a fantastic summit!
We’re lucky that volunteerism is becoming more available. I didn’t look for or find that on recent trips given the short time frame but will in the future. Giving back locally is important at home or anyplace we travel too.
Hi, nice and inspiring person – thanks for sharing the story. And the Global Summit sounds amazing, too!
Glad you found it inspiring, Veronika.
Very commendable work and very interesting. Checked out the Social good website and where the hubs are. Great thing to be involved in if you are interested in making a difference.
Thanks, Kerri, couldn’t agree more. Even if we don’t get involved with these Hubs there are lifestyle choices that can make a difference.
I like the idea that sustainable tourism starts locally. The idea of the this being a lifestyle is so true. There are so many decisions we make every day that impact communities near and far. Being educated about how to choose is important. Even though the summit has past, I bookmarked the page to read more about it. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you dropped by, Jackie. I hope you find a way to get involved in either the next Summit or one of the Hubs.
Great story and kudos for being a pioneer in the field. I was not aware of Travel Social Good summit and it sounds like a wonderful thing. Keep on making a difference. We should all follow suit.
Thanks, Melody. Kelley Louise is to be applauded. She’s set her life on a course of service and is making a true impact that serves all of us who love to travel and want to preserve the places we visit.
I was a little unclear- are there opportunities in the US as well as abroad? Like you said, not everyone can travel around the globe, but many people do vacation w/in the US and there are so many areas even there that could use help. Would be a great thing for those who can’t go across the pondL
Yes, LeAnna, there are hubs in the United States and where there isn’t one you could create it. I visited with one of the organizers of the Chicago hub and if I were more involved in BtoB travel industry, I’d set one up in my hometown. I hope you connect.
Beautiful thoughts. I think because I tend to book my accommodations with Airbnb, the locations tend to be in a local neighbourhood. I find that when I buy anything from food to accesories its going to the locals. I like the idea of giving back to your local community. I do that here in Toronto. Great post!
Thanks, Christopher. I’ve used Airbnb in Toronto too and enjoyed it. Big fan of the shared economy here. Glad you liked the post.