EcoHearth: Come Home to the Earth

"I used to be vegetarian… and then I went on vacation."

I've heard this travel excuse for dropping one's dietary dedications more often than any other. It's as if there are aggressive kamikaze cows that fly into one's mouth when one ventures outside the safety of one's own kitchen. Read on…

I got mothered right my first year at Burning Man. There are things a virgin Burner needs to know. There are protective items mortally necessary to bring. There are taboos that residents want to adhere to. And your first time, you need a mother.

For those unfamiliar with Burning Man, it is a book, a documentary, a planet unto itself. I cannot feasibly describe the magick of the world's most celebrated fire ritual, intentional community and art playground in a few paragraphs or even a few days. Read on…

Here’s my final tip on how to drop tourism and really travel:

Tip 6: Give Something Back
The single most important thing you can do to distinguish yourself as a traveler and not a tourist is to give something of yourself. I had been a lifestyle traveler for more than a decade before I discovered a little traveler's secret called volunteer tourism. You can offer your time, energy and manual labor to all sorts of short- to long-term projects run by locals benefiting their wildlife, environment and communities. And please note that volunteering for a preexisting local organization is very different than bringing your (foreign) organization's objectives and volunteering to force them on another culture. I recommend searching the Global Vision International website for wildlife, environmental and cultural volunteer opportunities in the region of the world you are planning to visit. Read on…

Here are two more ways to help you drop tourism and really travel:

Tip 4: Seek Out Cultural Arts, Sites and Ritual
The community theatre production I attended on Grand Bahama Island was just as rich in entertainment and cultural appreciation as the Ballet Folklorico performance I attended in San Salvador. You do not have to pay to participate in many cultural events, but if you have a few extra dollars, experiencing a Japanese tea ceremony or Bunraku performance while in Japan will awaken an understanding of the culture that remedies any desire to Think You Know Better. Read on…

Last week I shared the first of six ways to help you drop tourism and really travel. Here are my second and third tips:

Tip 2: Step Away From the Rental Car
I've found hitchhiking to be completely appropriate in some countries and not so much in others (like Los Angeles—that's a foreign country, right?). Renting a bicycle is an extraordinary way to burn off some of those extra vacation calories; so too is walking when you are in a city. When I need to cover more vast areas, however, I take public transportation. Read on…