The Last Tourist

[Anonymous]

With all the opportunities for virtual travel, you never need to leave your house. We can visit museums, see monuments and even talk with locals through the internet. Learning and saving the planet. That’s what we do but we are extreme environmentalists (ie, no kids, no cars).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Volunteer tourism is awful, I will give you that.

So what’s your solution? How else can the nonprofits caring for orphans, educating children, providing desperately needed healthcare, food, whatever survive without this funding stream?

Icymi: the government isn’t equipped to provide the funding or services…despite buckets of money from the US government. Locals aren’t equipped to step up.

I suppose your solution is simply that Americans should send money instead of volunteering AND giving money, right? That would be nice. But the reality is their business model relies on tugging on heartstrings to prompt volunteers to not only donate long term but also help with fundraising through their own networks.

All of this matters.

Unless you have a better solution, pp?

Whatever you need to tell yourself to justify volunteer tourism is ridiculous. It is gross, predatory, oppressive, manipulative and feeding into your savior complex. Want to help these nonprofits? Donate your money. You don't need a trip to pat orphans on the head and take their picture. Just donate. FFS it isn't complicated.

What about church groups doing mission trips to bring supplies, provide healthcare, build homes or hospitals AND donate $$$$$?

What about lawyers showing up in groups to provide pro bono asylum assistance?

Do you only take issue with orphanages? Even if the mission trip/tour group brings critically needed supplies (more easily transported by a group so as to avoid theft by the government or cartels) and large cash transfers?

What about schools?

No, I don't only take on orphanages. The entire volunteer tourism industry is BS. You don't need a trip to make yourself feel better. Mission trips are completely awful ways to try to convert people to their religion, disguised as help. Want to help? Leave the religion out of it. Completely.

Pro bono lawyers do asylum work here in the US. I do it. I don't need a volunteer tourism trip to do it. So enough with your BS. I actually volunteer, regularly, for decades, in my community. I get my hands dirty, I'm invested, I am bought in. I don't need to pay a company to take me to Haiti to bring school supplies, paint their school for a week, and take some photos of some very poor children, post on FB, and leave.

So, the mission trips I’m familiar with partner a church here with a church-based group abroad. There’s no active conversion because the locals are already bought into the religion OR there simply isn’t a religious aspect. All the money, supplies, services, etc. benefit people who otherwise would suffer. The support simply isn’t there otherwise.

I’m a lawyer whose entire career has been dedicated to human rights and anti-poverty work. My org works around the globe. We do immigration work through partnerships with other orgs and volunteers. It’s highly impactful at both the systemic and individual levels. I see both sides of this complex issue; the money matters, and volunteers bring the money.

I think the orphanages are the most problematic, but the issue isn’t the volunteers. If orphanages are the solution to meet the basic needs of thousands of children and the government can’t fund them and regulate them, then what’s the solution? “Just give” doesn’t meet the need, which is why they went this route in the first place. I’m sure there’s a better way to regulate and protect, and I hope there’s more systemic problem solving and infrastructure building developed to better equip families to stay intact.

You can pat yourself on the back to up your ego for all the work you do with that colonialism attitude that you know better and are their savior. We are talking about volunteer tourism. Good luck justifying. Volunteer tourism is wrong. 100% wrong.

I’m curious how you define volunteer tourism?

All mission trips are evil?

All pro bono trips are evil?

What about Doctors Without Borders? A relative did a stint with them in Africa. He had to fundraise and pay for the opportunity to live and volunteer there for a decent stint. Wrong? Or, okay for doctors but not lawyers?

Truly curious.

You know exactly what volunteer tourism is. Have fun in your strange world. Bye.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all the opportunities for virtual travel, you never need to leave your house. We can visit museums, see monuments and even talk with locals through the internet. Learning and saving the planet. That’s what we do but we are extreme environmentalists (ie, no kids, no cars).

No you’re bat$hit crazy if you think this is in any way normal. It’s not.

I will travel until you pry my passport from my cold dead hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all the opportunities for virtual travel, you never need to leave your house. We can visit museums, see monuments and even talk with locals through the internet. Learning and saving the planet. That’s what we do but we are extreme environmentalists (ie, no kids, no cars).

And with zoom and teams, there’s no need to ever leave your home. Work from home. See your doctor virtually. Order your groceries and food online. Hunker down!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will give an F about climate change when whichever President and the likes of John Kerry/ any State department people/ any UN people start flying commercial, especially economy as they are using my tax dollars.

Their motto: do as I say, not as I do. Eliminate the Paris agreements until they all start setting examples themselves.

We are not sheep for these climate change hypocrites.

Eh, strange to fixate on high level politicians who have legit security reasons to travel differently from the rest of us.

The real issue is that America actually does a terrific job of taking steps to protect the earth while the vast majority of the world simply does not. We aren’t the problem, so we can’t really be the solution. Even if every American stopped traveling abroad, the environment wouldn’t really feel a positive impact. Plus, like it or not, our tourist dollars matter. Bigly. Just ask people impacted by the pandemic.

you are seriously kidding yourself if you think America is doing a "terrific job" at protecting the earth. Do you know how much recycling actually gets recycled? How much waste we produce? How much of a single-use culture we have to many others? Now, are we doing better than some, absolutely- in limited numbers of areas- namely cities such as DC, NY, LA, SF. Go to Northern Europe- they turn composting into energy, have alternative energy sources in abundance, electric or hybrid cars everywhere, recycling (that is actually recycled) for batteries, electronics, light bulbs, etc in every grocery store, recycling pick up to include compost. That's actually doing a terrific job.

LOL. You really believe this about Northern Europe? Despite their posturing, their alternative energy sources provide a small portion of their energy (unless you count France and nuclear power). They let war break out rather than risk their natural gas supplies from Russia, and are buying LNG from us as fast as we can produce it. High prices for natural gas (and thus, electricity) is killing their industrial base. Most recycling doesn’t get recycled, especially plastics, because it’s a nasty, inefficient business and China decided they didn’t want to be our dumping ground for pollution, anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will give an F about climate change when whichever President and the likes of John Kerry/ any State department people/ any UN people start flying commercial, especially economy as they are using my tax dollars.

Their motto: do as I say, not as I do. Eliminate the Paris agreements until they all start setting examples themselves.

We are not sheep for these climate change hypocrites.

Eh, strange to fixate on high level politicians who have legit security reasons to travel differently from the rest of us.

The real issue is that America actually does a terrific job of taking steps to protect the earth while the vast majority of the world simply does not. We aren’t the problem, so we can’t really be the solution. Even if every American stopped traveling abroad, the environment wouldn’t really feel a positive impact. Plus, like it or not, our tourist dollars matter. Bigly. Just ask people impacted by the pandemic.

you are seriously kidding yourself if you think America is doing a "terrific job" at protecting the earth. Do you know how much recycling actually gets recycled? How much waste we produce? How much of a single-use culture we have to many others? Now, are we doing better than some, absolutely- in limited numbers of areas- namely cities such as DC, NY, LA, SF. Go to Northern Europe- they turn composting into energy, have alternative energy sources in abundance, electric or hybrid cars everywhere, recycling (that is actually recycled) for batteries, electronics, light bulbs, etc in every grocery store, recycling pick up to include compost. That's actually doing a terrific job.

LOL. You really believe this about Northern Europe? Despite their posturing, their alternative energy sources provide a small portion of their energy (unless you count France and nuclear power). They let war break out rather than risk their natural gas supplies from Russia, and are buying LNG from us as fast as we can produce it. High prices for natural gas (and thus, electricity) is killing their industrial base. Most recycling doesn’t get recycled, especially plastics, because it’s a nasty, inefficient business and China decided they didn’t want to be our dumping ground for pollution, anymore.

+1

There’s a recent survey about perception vs reality when it comes to environmental issues across Europe.

Long story short: all the countries you think are doing a better job are actually doing worse than those most believe are bad.

[Anonymous]

When they ban large gas guzzling SUVs and mansions (neither of which I have or want) then I’ll stop traveling.

[Anonymous]

OP I don’t disagree with some of your points and even got the stink eye in another thread when I called out how crappy cursing is for the environment. But I don’t think that’s what this movie is about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I don’t disagree with some of your points and even got the stink eye in another thread when I called out how crappy cursing is for the environment. But I don’t think that’s what this movie is about?

Cruising. Auto correct

[Anonymous]

I mean we can all put our heads in the sand and pretend nothing is happening. But even if you don’t care about the impact of your travel, you do need to realize that climate change is going to change tourism. It will come to a point when it’s not sustainable anymore. Not at this scale. Not sure if it means only the very rich will be able to travel or eco-travel will become more popular. But yeah-the number of posts dealing with change of plans/cancelled plans due to whatever natural disaster will go up every year.

[Anonymous]

I will stop traveling when people stop reproducing children. That is far worse for the earth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all the opportunities for virtual travel, you never need to leave your house. We can visit museums, see monuments and even talk with locals through the internet. Learning and saving the planet. That’s what we do but we are extreme environmentalists (ie, no kids, no cars).

I really hope this is sarcasm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will stop traveling when people stop reproducing children. That is far worse for the earth.

I will stop traveling when people stop eating beef.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will give an F about climate change when whichever President and the likes of John Kerry/ any State department people/ any UN people start flying commercial, especially economy as they are using my tax dollars.

Their motto: do as I say, not as I do. Eliminate the Paris agreements until they all start setting examples themselves.

We are not sheep for these climate change hypocrites.

Eh, strange to fixate on high level politicians who have legit security reasons to travel differently from the rest of us.

The real issue is that America actually does a terrific job of taking steps to protect the earth while the vast majority of the world simply does not. We aren’t the problem, so we can’t really be the solution. Even if every American stopped traveling abroad, the environment wouldn’t really feel a positive impact. Plus, like it or not, our tourist dollars matter. Bigly. Just ask people impacted by the pandemic.

you are seriously kidding yourself if you think America is doing a "terrific job" at protecting the earth. Do you know how much recycling actually gets recycled? How much waste we produce? How much of a single-use culture we have to many others? Now, are we doing better than some, absolutely- in limited numbers of areas- namely cities such as DC, NY, LA, SF. Go to Northern Europe- they turn composting into energy, have alternative energy sources in abundance, electric or hybrid cars everywhere, recycling (that is actually recycled) for batteries, electronics, light bulbs, etc in every grocery store, recycling pick up to include compost. That's actually doing a terrific job.

LOL. You really believe this about Northern Europe? Despite their posturing, their alternative energy sources provide a small portion of their energy (unless you count France and nuclear power). They let war break out rather than risk their natural gas supplies from Russia, and are buying LNG from us as fast as we can produce it. High prices for natural gas (and thus, electricity) is killing their industrial base. Most recycling doesn’t get recycled, especially plastics, because it’s a nasty, inefficient business and China decided they didn’t want to be our dumping ground for pollution, anymore.

+1

There’s a recent survey about perception vs reality when it comes to environmental issues across Europe.

Long story short: all the countries you think are doing a better job are actually doing worse than those most believe are bad.

Having actually lived in Northern Europe, absolutely! Is it perfect, no. But my compost was picked up on a regular basis which was turned directly into energy. None of my friends, neighbors, or colleagues ordered from Amazon or anywhere else on a daily/weekly basis. There were alternative energy sources galore and policies in place which not only promoted the installation and use of them but rewarded people for doing so- the reward part is also available in parts of the US. While large SUVs were gaining popularity, most people were more interested in energy saving cars. Really, do most people need to drive that large of a vehicle? Public transportation options were wide and varied. There were no "food deserts" meaning people didn't have to travel long distances to get necessities. Sure, smaller land masses make this easier to a degree but there's a lot of middle of nowheres even within smaller countries. There wasn't a constant need or desire to buy it all and buy cheap junk. People in general invested more in quality clothes that lasted. Generalizing again as of course there are fast fashion stores- H&M being one of the biggest culprits and being a Swedish brand. But absolutely Northern Europe as a whole is much more focused on the environment, especially compared to the US as a whole. I have actually lived it, glad you read an article which may or may not have had bias.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will give an F about climate change when whichever President and the likes of John Kerry/ any State department people/ any UN people start flying commercial, especially economy as they are using my tax dollars.

Their motto: do as I say, not as I do. Eliminate the Paris agreements until they all start setting examples themselves.

We are not sheep for these climate change hypocrites.

Eh, strange to fixate on high level politicians who have legit security reasons to travel differently from the rest of us.

The real issue is that America actually does a terrific job of taking steps to protect the earth while the vast majority of the world simply does not. We aren’t the problem, so we can’t really be the solution. Even if every American stopped traveling abroad, the environment wouldn’t really feel a positive impact. Plus, like it or not, our tourist dollars matter. Bigly. Just ask people impacted by the pandemic.

you are seriously kidding yourself if you think America is doing a "terrific job" at protecting the earth. Do you know how much recycling actually gets recycled? How much waste we produce? How much of a single-use culture we have to many others? Now, are we doing better than some, absolutely- in limited numbers of areas- namely cities such as DC, NY, LA, SF. Go to Northern Europe- they turn composting into energy, have alternative energy sources in abundance, electric or hybrid cars everywhere, recycling (that is actually recycled) for batteries, electronics, light bulbs, etc in every grocery store, recycling pick up to include compost. That's actually doing a terrific job.

LOL. You really believe this about Northern Europe? Despite their posturing, their alternative energy sources provide a small portion of their energy (unless you count France and nuclear power). They let war break out rather than risk their natural gas supplies from Russia, and are buying LNG from us as fast as we can produce it. High prices for natural gas (and thus, electricity) is killing their industrial base. Most recycling doesn’t get recycled, especially plastics, because it’s a nasty, inefficient business and China decided they didn’t want to be our dumping ground for pollution, anymore.

+1

There’s a recent survey about perception vs reality when it comes to environmental issues across Europe.

Long story short: all the countries you think are doing a better job are actually doing worse than those most believe are bad.

Having actually lived in Northern Europe, absolutely! Is it perfect, no. But my compost was picked up on a regular basis which was turned directly into energy. None of my friends, neighbors, or colleagues ordered from Amazon or anywhere else on a daily/weekly basis. There were alternative energy sources galore and policies in place which not only promoted the installation and use of them but rewarded people for doing so- the reward part is also available in parts of the US. While large SUVs were gaining popularity, most people were more interested in energy saving cars. Really, do most people need to drive that large of a vehicle? Public transportation options were wide and varied. There were no "food deserts" meaning people didn't have to travel long distances to get necessities. Sure, smaller land masses make this easier to a degree but there's a lot of middle of nowheres even within smaller countries. There wasn't a constant need or desire to buy it all and buy cheap junk. People in general invested more in quality clothes that lasted. Generalizing again as of course there are fast fashion stores- H&M being one of the biggest culprits and being a Swedish brand. But absolutely Northern Europe as a whole is much more focused on the environment, especially compared to the US as a whole. I have actually lived it, glad you read an article which may or may not have had bias.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/05/22/how-europe-s-eco-friendly-nations-are-not-always-what-they-seem

This is the link I was referring to re: perception vs reality.

There are tons of studies touting the very real positive attitudes of Northern Europeans when it comes to protecting the environment, which is obviously good. But the reality is the overall impact is far less than imagined.