 for Change
Siem Reap is booming. Connecting with Cambodian nonprofits is a great way to get the real scoop
French restaurants, nouvelle Cambodian boîtes, and raucous Australian-owned bars keep Siem Reap hot well into the night. By day, you can relax by the pool at a five-star hotel after visiting Angkor Wat. But how much of all that money is trickling down to the people who really need it? Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com), which promotes "meaningful" travel worldwide, offers a "Heart of Cambodia" trip that not only includes the Khmer temples but also connects travelers to the best nonprofit projects working with local people. "At every stop, our guides helped us become aware of the local issues," says Kristin Kovalik, of Bend, Oregon. The cyclo ride past French colonial buildings along Sisowath Quay, for example, is run by Cyclo Centre Phnom Penh, which helps the city's 1,400 peddlers get health care. And after Siem Reap, before hitting the beach at laid-back Sihanoukville on the Southern coast, you can stop for a pastry at a café run by the Starfish Project, which employs handicapped Cambodians. Travelers' donations and business help keep the nonprofits afloat. Says Jane Crouch of Intrepid: "There's the money, but there's also a cultural exchange that enriches both parties." In the past three years, the Intrepid Foundation, which matches travelers' gifts up to $250, has raised $426,000 for 30 projects.
The Give: A $150 donation to the Starfish Project.
The Get: Transportation to Phnom Penh and psychiatric help for a patient with no access to mental health care.
Going Local: Fish curry at Phnom Penh's Romdeng, served by ex-street kids (streetfriends.org; $6).
Supporting Girl Power in Jordan
You must see the ruins at Petra and Jerash. But check out Queen Rania's women's projects, too
Jordan has one foot in the ancient world and one foot in the future. At the 2,000-year-old ruins at Jerash, you can practically see the Roman chariots rolling down the colonnaded lanes and smell the oils from the ancient thermal baths. And in Petra, the rose-red capital of the Nabatean (an Arab trading empire), time seems to have stood still since the city was chiseled into a rift canyon in the first century b.c. But back in modern Amman, you can see how the country has become a beacon of progressive thinking in the region. You can even stay at a hotel that is part of that process. With the support of Queen Rania's Jordan River Foundation, Marriott, Four Seasons, and Sheraton have launched an ambitious training program for underprivileged youth. So just by dining at one these hotels' fine restaurants, in a sense, you will be supporting the development of a new professional class. Stop by Rania's Bani Hamida crafts project, which provides first-time employment for bedouin women. And if you are traveling with Abercrombie & Kent, you can visit the Balquees School for Girls, part of Rania's "Madrasati" public schools rehabilitation project, which has been adopted by A&K. Field trips will be organized for the girls, many of whom have never seen the sites of Amman.
The Give: $50 to buy a space heater for a classroom.
The Get: You will be helping underprivileged girls–many of whom will be the first women in their families to graduate from high school–to stay warm enough to study. Balquees School for Girls has two shifts, so the donation will do double duty.
Going Local: Shawl woven by bedouins at Jordan River Design Project (osmoqueen.nl $220).
Eco-Tripping in Costa Rica–the Easy Way
The rain forest and beaches are wild, but at these do-good hotels, roughing it never felt so great
Costa rica is known for ecotourism, but the whole rain forest thing can sometimes sound a bit, well, unpolished. The good news is that at a handful of unique hotels, you can have spa treatments, lounge by the infinity pool, zip-line through the trees–and actually help the locals and the environment while you're at it. For example, at Lapa Rios Ecolodge ( laparios.com)–which uses solar power to heat its water, implements extensive recycling, and also built a school on the Osa Peninsula–the decks are perfect for watching a family of howler monkeys swing across the valley below. (The peninsula's rain forest is home to more than 375 bird and 700 tree species.) After Lapa Rios, fly to the Guanacaste Peninsula for a few days on the beautiful, rugged beaches. At the Punta Islita Hotel (hotelpuntaislita.com), which has 30 thatched rooms with balconies, hammocks, and an infinity pool, you can surf or horseback ride on a black sand beach. What really sets this hotel apart is its community projects: scholarships, training for craftsmen, recycling programs, and jobs in an impoverished region known for unsustainable slash-and-burn agriculture. Visit the little museum, which was built by the hotel, and purchase works by local artists. And have a spa treatment that incorporates herbs used by the local Chorotega tribe–all while knowing you are doing good.
The Give: Sign a voluntary pledge to use energy judiciously; plant a tree during your stay; and visit one local restaurant.
The Get: In return, you receive a reward such as a free spa treatment. The museum reaps $25,000 a year in art sales to travelers–revenue that supports 62 local artists, providing the women with income for the first time. You will probably need to spend the night in the capital, San José. Stay at its most eco-friendly hotel, the quirky 13-room Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn (fincarosablanca.com), which has its own worm composter.
Going Local: Seviche with mollusks at Cambute Restaurant, owned by an Islita villager (about $6).
Family Values in Kenya
Five-star safaris are decadent, but this tour operator connects you with real people–and gives back, too
Kenya's Masai Mara is a notoriously popular safari destination. But at the seven-tent Naibor Camp (shompole.com), tucked amid a riverside acacia grove, you are just one of 14 travelers on the edge of an 8,500-acre conservancy. Tented doesn't mean it's not deluxe: The camp is part of Micato Safaris' collection of luxury Kenyan and Tanzanian destinations, and the tents are decked out with king-size beds, hand-carved furniture, and private verandas with daybeds overlooking the Talek River. "What they do with a tent is unbelievable," says Camille Feldman, of Palos Verdes, California, who traveled through the Mara with her family on a Micato safari in 2007. The trip was wonderful, but she says the experience that changed their lives was a visit to Harambee Center, which serves orphans from the Mukuru slum, outside Nairobi. It's run by Micato's foundation, AmericaShare, which–with the help of travelers–also sends hundreds of youths to boarding school. The visit inspired Feldman's 16-year-old son to raise $34,000 for the center–enough to send four kids to boarding school for four years. The center's success is a direct result of travelers' generosity, says AmericaShare Director Lorna Macloid. Three years ago, a single donation built the facility. Today, it houses a Microsoft-funded computer lab that teaches computer skills and HIV/AIDS awareness through interactive video games.
The Give: $1,500 sponsors a child's tuition, books, uniforms, and room and board for an entire year.
The Get: A real connection–sponsors correspond with the children and receive progress updates.
Going Local: Masai elder Rakita Ole Nkere explains how your visit helps his people ( micato.com ).
The Real Kerala
Tourism is helping revive spiritual and musical traditions on India's Nila River
In the village of Mannon, in Kerala, India, you can watch musicians in sarongs play high-pitched drums as villagers in elaborate orange headdresses dance. "The villagers wanted to play for us," says Copenhagen-based Karen Stigsen, who visited last December with her husband and two boys. "This was not staged." Gopinath Parayil, founder of the Blue Yonder tour company ( theblueyonder.com), never asks the musicians to play in a hotel, away from their natural environment. Indeed, the point of traveling with his company, which supports a foundation working on the Nila River's environmental problems, is to experience the real Kerala. Blue Yonder is supporting local culture and traditions that have been threatened by industrialization. Until recently, the performers, who come from the lower castes, had no outlet for their music. "We wanted to build social acceptance for these people," says Parayil. After performances, travelers mix with the villagers. "We have 24 interpreters who have learned English because they want to share their legends with the world," says Parayil. Travelers sail on