One of the most important things we can do while travel is to give back, which can happen in a variety of ways. You can buy and stay locally instead of in chain hotels or restaurants. You can volunteer in a community, which is called Voluntourism. International development can be helped greatly by voluntourism, which brings tourist dollars (and help) directly to the community.
Some young people are unbelievably generous with their time, are almost born altruists. Meet Samm Coffin, a study abroad student at Stellenbosch University, outside of Cape Town, South Africa. While adjusting to a foreign country and taking a full load of courses Samm immediately volunteered to help make a difference including working at an afterschool program and taking hundreds of pictures for Dog Meets World (DMW) at Kayamandi.
I've got a great resource to share with our Wandering Educators today. Author Stephanie Lee has written a detail-packed book for women traveling solo, called The Art of Solo Travel: A Girls' Guide.
I am pleased to introduce Tracy Dearsan, our June Artist of the Month. Tracy, a native-of-Utah-gone-Californian, designs elaborately beaded jackets that to me have rich, yet renegade feel. Tracy was recently here in Utah and actually modeled two different jackets, but I did not take a picture of her in those jackets! What was I thinking? Yikes!
I've got such a special book to share with you today. Author Mariana Titus is an old friend and I've always admired her writing, care for others, and artistry. Yes, she's an accomplished artist - she's inspired our daughter in her artistic pursuits as well. Mariana's books are full of a sense of PLACE and character. It is rare that an author can dig deep and truly share the essence of a place, culture, people.
