Advice for Travelers:

Travel With Respect

The world is a place of inequality. To be able to travel - and to travel abroad - is a sign of a person's privilege.

You absolutely should travel if you have the privilege - it's a wonderful, soul-enriching act that will bring you joy. If it wasn't such, I not only wouldn't do it, I wouldn't have devoted an entire section of my web site to it.

But never forget that to be able to travel depends on your economic status, your passport and how the world labels or categorizes you. Never forget that to be able to travel is a privilege that you have.

There are people who want to travel but cannot travel because:

These people without your privilege to travel see you, the person that has such. And, sometimes, they also see your pity and condensation. Or your outright disrespect and arrogance. And that contributes how they see and treat all travelers - including me.

If you travel, please travel from a place of respect. Do so because you understand your privilege, you understand that you have a role in how all travelers - especially foreigners - are perceived. Do it because it's the right thing to do.

What does it mean to travel with respect? It means:

What about foreigners wearing local clothes? There is not universal agreement on this. Local people often don't have a problem with foreigners that live in the area wearing clothes that represent local culture - they often see it as embracing and celebrating and honoring their culture, not appropriating it. But your friends back home may chastise you when they see the photos of you in such, or if you attempt to wear such in your own community. I have a beautiful Nigeria outfit, with a gele, a gift from dear Nigerian friends. But I can't wear it, not even for a photo, because my white friends would erupt that I was engaging in cultural appropriation. I look awesome in it, by the way, but you'll never see it. I do sometimes wear clothes I bought in India and Afghanistan, when I worked and traveled there - the clothes are comfortable, great to work in, and aren't obviously "foreign" such that most people in the Portland area won't say, "What in the hell are you wearing?" Before choosing to buy something in a local style, I always ask local people themselves about how they would feel about me wearing it, and I ask more than one person - different people may have different views on this.

Keep learning. Nothing is set in stone. I'm still learning myself. I'm sure there are photos I've taken that someone would consider inappropriate. I've taken down some photos I published online upon reflection years later. Let's not play "gotcha" when it comes to photos and clothes - do your best for yourself, per your own conscience.

Final thoughts.

I'm not the travel police. I'm not the fashion police. I'm not the culture police. I'm not the taste police. I'm not here to play "gotcha."

I hesitate to judge others because I know I am far, far from perfect.

I'm not posting this page from a place of bullying or judgement - I'm publishing it from a place of sincerely wanting you to have a wonderful time traveling, and for you to NOT contribute to attitudes that make it hard for others to travel. Just think about your own attitudes when people not from your community come to where you live and fill up the restaurant you love, frequent a place of business you do NOT like in your community, increase car traffic, etc.

Also see:

globe
transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good."
This is extensive advice for those wanting to make their travel much more than only sight-seeing of the most famous places and shopping, whether in your own country or abroad, and how to make your sight-seeing an activity that educates you and benefits local people and not harm local environments. I was the first person on the Internet to use this term, transire benefaciendo, in association with traveling and doing good (or, at least, not doing bad / being harmful). This page strongly discourages vanity volunteering / voluntourism.


Reasons NOT to volunteer abroad.
This is a list of the most common reasons people say they want to volunteer abroad. And they are NOT good reasons. In fact, these motivations for volunteering and the "service" they result in often hurts people and animals in other countries, rather than helping. This list also provides the good reasons to volunteer abroad, how you can help right in your own community to help regarding a disaster far away, and more.

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  Quick Links 
Index of resources for women travelers (how to get started, health & safety considerations, packing suggestions, transportation options, etc.
 
Advice for camping with your dogs in the USA
 
Saving Money with Park Passes in the USA
 
Advice for women motorcycle riders and travelers
 
transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping.
 
Suggestions for Women Aid Workers where the culture is more conservative/restrictive regarding women than most other countries.


Where I've been
A list of all of the states in the USA and all of the countries I have lived in or traveled in, the farthest North I've been by land, the nearest I've been to the equator, various other stats.
This includes all of the places I have traveled to and through via motorcycle.

Some of my favorite photos from my travels. Very hard to pick favorites.


Advice for Hotels, Hostels & Campgrounds in Transitional & Developing Countries: the Qualities of Great, Cheap Accommodations

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