Jun-2021
Purposeful Travel in Tanzania
As we are looking forward to being able to travel more freely a topic that keeps popping up is purposeful travel. The pause in travel, triggered by the global pandemic, gives us time to reflect that there is an overall lack of purpose in the way people travel, a trend that has grown over the last decade. The aim of travelling should be reimagined from ticking off bucket list destinations to living a destination.
Cultural visit with Hadzabe community. (PC: Annemiek Storm)
This requires making a more conscious choice to travel to an area that provides an authentic experience and where a positive contribution can be made to local communities or contribute to the preservation of natural environments and cultural heritage. These conscious choices not only enrich your visit but your life after vacation as you learn about new places and people. Visiting communities and engaging whether it is just a day visit or as a longer stay helps generate some income for these communities and encourages entrepreneurial small and medium business development. It is also fascinating to learn about diverse cultures and the customs and traditions that bind these communities.
Local chef at Mbahe Farm.
In Tanzania, there is plenty of opportunities to benefit the local community through travel. Entrance fees paid to the National Parks ensure care and preservation of these areas and rangers to conserve and protect the precious wildlife. Employment is a huge community benefit from your porters on Mt Kilimanjaro to the cooks at the Serengeti camps and the small farmers growing the food for lodges.
Those who decide to transform their travel habits, will benefit the sector’s recovery and, at the same time, make a positive contribution to local individuals, as well as to their natural environment and cultural heritage. In the end, purposeful travellers will live stories much more valuable and meaningful than travellers simply ticking off destinations on a bucket list.
PC: Christine Marsh
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