Studying local cultures on ecotours

Local Culture Holidays, Ecotours, Responsible Tourism, Ecoclub, Traveller, Ecotourism

It is worth mentioning that you can choose to be either a tourist (an ecotourist) or a traveller.

The tourist might simply "parachute into" a local environment and after a few quick fire pictures, "parachute out" again. A traveller on the other hand might observe, ask questions, accept what is there and not form early opinions.

You may wish to read more on the responsible touris, responsible tourismt and how to become a traveller.

Local cultures and personal studies

There are studies abroad like Senegal where you can engage with ecovillagers and indigenous villagers on topics of sustainable development and ecotourism. You can explore theories and get hands-on experience collaboratively assessing the needs of different communities by developing skills in Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methods.

There are several West African villages that are working to improve their quality of life while preserving their millenia-old culture, you could pursue service learning projects protecting natural resources, creating livelihoods, improving education and health and celebrating cultural diversity.

Participate in the local cultures, listen, observe and be sensitive to their differences, try not to judge or form rigid opinions which are based on your own westernised culture. Be prepared to accept that things can really be different. Try not to change things and remember that you are a traveller in their world.

read more at ecoclub news