Eco-Tourism and being an “Agent of Change”

Throughout many of my travels, I haven’t thought too much about how my visit impacts the locals. Sure, I realize that my tourist dollars can support villages and families, but I haven’t planned much around how to be an “agent of change,” as we talked about in my ENG 599 class. Just realizing the fact that I can really do something to change the economy and future in the places I travel to is really intriguing. Lately, I’ve been looking up some different eco-tourism tours around the globe. Have you heard of eco-tourism? Wikipedia describes it as “a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism) Umm… hello. How have I not thought of doing this before? I’m totally into the great outdoors, and traveling, and combining the two! How perfect is this for me!

I want to experience the places that people may not always see. I’m not usually too excited to visit all the big touristy sites; I’m happy seeing it, but I don’t need to take selfies in front of every landmark.

Random story: Recently in London for the first time, I wanted to check out Big Ben, just to see it. Plus, I was planning on seeing some other spots nearby, so I figured it was an easy enough stop on the underground. When I walked up the steps to street level, there were TONS of people just standing around. I knew it was going to be a popular area, with the London Eye and Parliament and Westminster nearby, but this was insane. I’m not big into crowds of people just milling around, so I decided I’d just walk across the bridge to get a bit away from the people and decide my plan of attack. About three quarters of the way across the bridge, I saw a girl trying to take a picture of herself facing the opposite way. I turned around to see what she was doing… and there it was. Big Ben. I pretty much walked directly underneath it, without noticing a thing. Oops. So, I really am a bit clueless when it comes to the big spots. My boyfriend and I took some pictures in this cute square in Paris before realizing it was the Louvre. We stumbled upon Notre Dame while strolling around, trying to get our bearings around our hotel. We’re not quite the “we need to go see this right now so we are walking straight there” types.

Just a fountain in Paris… that we realized was outside of the Louvre

 

Okay… back to my point. So how have I never thought about ecotourism? In the few minutes I spent searching different ecotourism trips, I have found probably ten that I want to go on (I’ve put some of the links to interesting tours I’ve found below.) I love that you can support small families and organizations who are committed to protecting the earth, rather than those who are spending money trying to continue to expand our impact. Isn’t it part of our job, as travelers, to protect the places that we hold dear? For me, I want to see beautiful landscapes, and I want these landscapes to still be around when our children’s children are traveling the world. I don’t think it’s fair for me to have the funds and ability to travel, and leave the landscape worse for the wear. I’d be much happier knowing my money and time is going to help me gain a better cultural perspective, while leaving those I visit with a sense that other people in the world care about their livelihood, their culture, their villages. With sustainability a hot topic here in the United States and around the world, isn’t it important to support those who are helping keep the earth beautiful? From hiking, to biking, to kayaking, to volunteering at an elephant rehab center; there are trips that will suit any personal wish for your trip.

We listened to Rick Steves talk about Travel as a Political Act on Youtube, and while it’s long, it was really interesting. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXL3IrlslSs) He talked about seeing the world through another’s eyes, about getting different perspectives of the world when you are able to travel. You can see that there are other cultures, other dreams besides the ‘American Dream’. We listened to a TEDtalk by Sheikha Al Mayassa about “Globalizing the local, localizing the global,” where she talked about the cultural awakening in Qatar today, especially led by the women of the country. (http://www.ted.com/talks/sheikha_al_mayassa_globalizing_the_local_localizing_the_global)

The more we travel, the more we learn not only about the world around us, but also about ourselves. We realize our way is not always the best way, and that other cultures can teach us many valuable lessons.

Stay tuned… maybe within the next year I’ll be able to write about my own experiences with ecotourism! If you’ve been on any trips – self led or with a guide, let me know! I want to hear your experiences 🙂

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Links to some eco-tourism trips that you should buy me! (Some of these are totally within price range and some of these… well… aren’t. At least not yet! But I can dream, right?)

Laos: 

Green Discovery Laos | Outdoor adventure travel and eco-tourism

Costa Rica: http://www.greenwaytours.com//costaricavacation/Costa-Rica-ecotourism.html

Peru: http://elevatedestinations.com/itineraries/amazon-conservation-adventure/

South Africa: http://enkosiniecoexperience.com/SiyafundaBushExperience.htm

Borneo: http://www.nathab.com/asia-adventure-travel/the-natural-wonders-of-borneo/dates-fees/

Norway: http://www.naturetravels.co.uk/ski-touring-norway-husky-arctic-tg9xw1.htm

Keep in mind these are just a tiny, minuscule amount of the cool trips out there! I’m ready to go now now now!

Flagstaff – not your typical Arizona city

After reading some of our articles and blog posts from class this past week, I thought about the “single story” vs. “multiple stories”. I thought it would be interesting to see the answer from this short poll… I asked the first word people thought of when they heard the word ‘Arizona’. The most common answer, even those that live here in the state, was hot, followed by desert, cactus, and sunny. I moved from Minnesota to Arizona in 2004, and while those words definitely do describe parts of Arizona, they don’t quite describe my “home”.

I am so glad I was able to explore and find another story about Arizona.

A view from Mt. Humphreys Trail

Flagstaff, Arizona is a beautiful mountain town located at 7000 ft. elevation. Situated at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, it is about two and a half hours from Phoenix, an hour from Sedona, and an hour from the Grand Canyon. Yes, it’s sunny. In fact, we average 266 sunny days a year. And yes, we are high desert, but we are mostly surrounded with ponderosa pine trees and aspen forests… not the typical saguaro cacti that covers the southern part of the state.

We are not like Phoenix. We don’t average 100+ degree temperatures for half the year. We have all four seasons, and many years we average about 100 inches of snowfall each winter. There is a ski resort, albeit a small one, at the top of the nearby mountains which draws skiers and snowboarders from all over the state. And while it can be expensive to live here, if you love the outdoors, there’s no better town!

Choosing Flagstaff for college seemed like a tough decision – that is, until I visited the city. I had been visiting and researching schools in the midwestern states, mostly Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Arizona was my outlier. I had a friend who went to school out here and she convinced me that I would love it. I wasn’t so sure. I pictured sand dunes, cacti, and scorching heat. I didn’t really know anything else about the southwest. Oh, and my college admissions advisor at my high school had never even heard of Northern Arizona University. So pretty much, I was on my own.

In 2003, my parents and I flew into Phoenix over the 4th of July weekend to visit NAU. I remember the date, because it was the only weekend I had off from the summer camp where I worked. We stepped out of the extremely air-conditioned airport to catch the shuttle to our rental car and immediately I was covered in sweat. Apparently, the fleece jacket I had been wearing since our early, early morning flight in Minneapolis was a bit overkill in the already-110-degree-heat-at-8am Phoenix weather. I wasn’t so sure about living in this state.

As we drove up I-17 in the rental car, the city of Phoenix faded into the rearview mirror. Soon, there weren’t many buildings along the side of the highway, and we were out in the middle of the cacti, sand, scrub brush, and sun. I remember a brief moment of panic when I saw the sign on the side of the road warning drivers to “Turn off air conditioning for next 5 miles to avoid overheating”. What a decision. Roast to death in a burning hot moving car, or roast to death on the side of the road after the car overheats… luckily, we braved the heat of the moving car with the windows down and survived to tell the tale.

I remember getting closer to Flagstaff and seeing the mountains rising up in the distance, with the pine trees quickly replacing the scrub brush of the desert. I thought it was very serendipitous that I-17 ended in the city of Flagstaff, turning into one of the main drags through town. It was like all roads led me to this place.

We pulled off at the first sign to Northern Arizona University and I told my parents, “This is where I want to go to school.” I hadn’t seen any of the buildings of the university, nor the downtown area that I now love, but it was one of those moments where you just KNOW.

Now, almost 11 years after my first visit, I’m still so happy with this city. Yes, it’s hard to find friends who will stay in town longer than a temporary stay. Yes, it can be expensive to live here. Yes, it can be a hassle to get to the Phoenix airport, or find places to buy clothes, or even to see popular bands in concert.

But I also love being able to walk two minutes from my house and take my dog on a hike through the pine trees and mountains. And I love going out to eat or for a drink and having a really hard time deciding where to go, because there are just so many great restaurants in the small town. And I love that I can still experience the four seasons, but can also drive easily to escape the winter if I need to.

I just really love the southwest, and Flagstaff is a perfect place to be in the heart of it all. Hopefully, you’ll believe my “second story” about Arizona and come for a visit!

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Thankfully, I didn’t believe the “single story” about Arizona. We need to try and find “multiple stories” about a place, a culture, a situation, like what Chimamanda Adichie encourages in her TEDtalk.

David Spurr talks about idealization in his chapter from this week’s readings. I was excited to come to Flagstaff and start over, and perhaps I did idealize the situation a bit before coming to live here. There are definitely issues about living here, which I mention above. But isn’t it important to weigh the positives and negatives of any situation, culture, or location in your mind before making a decision?  I am not forced to live here by any means. And of course, no matter where I visit or go, there will always be a positive and negative side to life in any particular place. Surely Laura Flynn, in her memory of her first trip to Haiti, might have idealized the stories and positions she would be placed in during her visit, but was faced with another reality when actually in the situation in Haiti. We all find ourselves wishing and hoping for that perfect situation, but it’s just an impossible dream… somewhere that can exist in our minds, but cannot quite be fulfilled in life.

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Flagstaff statistics quoted from: http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/arizona/flagstaff

A bit more about the history of Flagstaff:

Click to access flagstaff_history.pdf

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-flagstaff.html

Some of my favorite places in/near Flagstaff:

Hiking trails: http://www.arizonasnowbowl.com/things-to-do/hiking_trails.php

National Monuments: http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm

Grand Canyon: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

Restaurants:

Tinderbox and Annex – http://tinderboxkitchen.com/

Karma Sushi –

Karma Sushi Bar & Grill

Cafe Ole

Diablo Burger – http://www.diabloburger.com/index.php