The Broke Backpacker & The Truth Behind Voluntourism

The Broke Backpacker & The Truth Behind Voluntourism

Desperate to explore the world but unsure how to do it without breaking the bank? Veteran backpacker, Will Hatton from The Broke Backpacker, has been travelling the world for seven years now on a budget of just $100 a week. Today, he tells us his top tips for exploring the world and having epic budget … Continued

Turkey: Visiting the House of the Mother Mary

A place of peace, serenity, and hope. I felt all of these – and a gentle wash of kindness – as I ventured up the path toward the House of the Virgin Mary, or Mother Mary (Meryem Ana), located just a few miles away from the busyness of the ruins at Ephesus, Turkey. It was … Continued

Doctors For You: NEPAL EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND

The earthquake that shocked Nepal last month left more than 8,000 dead as well as over 20,000 injured and countless more left homeless.  Recovery efforts have been slow as the country’s already crumbling infrastructure has deteriorated even more after the earthquake, essentially cutting off aide routes to remote villages spread out over the country.  In … Continued

Helping Nepal: Earthquake Devastation in Rasuwa

It has been just over a month since the magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the poverty stricken country of Nepal.  In the time since, people still have not received help as the rugged landscape and lack of infrastructure has made it nearly impossible for rescue crews to get to the most remote villages.  In most cases, the … Continued

Lisa Niver Thailand Koh Lipe Sunset Beach 2014

Winners: Gratitude Writing Contest 2014

Thank you to all the writers who participated in the 2014 Gratitude Writing Contest! I hope you will choose to share your stories. The 2015 Independence Writing Contest will open in May 2015 and close on July 4, 2015.  The 2015 Inspiration Writing Contest entries are being published and the winners will be announced in June. Over sixteen hundred … Continued

Visit Amanpuri in Thailand and help Palisades Elementary Charter School

Palisades Elementary Charter School Writing and Arithmetic.  More likely, the child will talk about computer lab, music class, or time spent in their school’s garden…the FUN stuff that integrates their core curriculum into real life experiences, and enriches their education and learning ability. Like any public charter school in LAUSD, Palisades Elementary is highly resource constrained.  … Continued

Mongolia Warrior Training

Five Great Holiday Activities You’ve Never Considered

Five Great Holiday Activities You’ve Never Considered Do you have a thirst for adventure and contempt for convention when you travel? If the thought of lounging around on a beach for two weeks fills you with revulsion, panic not: there are alternatives. Whether you want to sculpt your body, hone your intellect or nail a … Continued

Temple of Preah Vihear: Sacred amidst Tensions

When I found out that it was possible (albeit near-impossibility at that time) to visit this sacred temple on a day trip from Siem Reap in 2012, I immediately grabbed the opportunity to see it while it was then — once again — enjoying a short “time of peace”. For a very long time in … Continued

Hong Kong: Kowloon Walled City Park

When I first moved to Hong Kong in 1990, there was a part of the city that was off bounds. It was an ungoverned slum called the Kowloon Walled City, with layer after layer of tenement buildings so close to one another that daylight sometimes never reached the minuscule alleyways. In the center of the … Continued

We Said Go Travel