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Eco-travel, sustainable tourism, responsible travel. There’s a lot of talk these days about what constitutes “good” tourism, but what does it all really mean? Crooked Trails, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that operates trips in South America, Africa, and Asia, believes it has the answer.
“Responsible travel is about being aware of the environmental, cultural, and economic impacts of our travel,” says Executive Director Christine Mackay. Nothing new there, perhaps, but what makes Crooked Trails unusual is its emphasis on creating deep and egalitarian relationships with indigenous communities.
Mackay co-founded Crooked Trails in 1998 together with International Program Director Tammy Leland. The two women met in graduate school at Western Washington University and discovered a shared passion for travel, the outdoors, and education, as well as a mutual concern about the negative impacts of tourism.
“I had been traveling for 20 years prior to founding Crooked Trails, and I had seen a lot of disrespectful and irresponsible tours,” says Mackay. “I felt that if people had the opportunity to go with something that was responsible, they would. It was just that it wasn’t out there.”
Alongside visits to a significant historical or natural sites, Crooked Trails programs incorporate homestays during which travelers live with local people, take part in daily activities, and work on community development projects selected by the host community. Participants may find themselves building a school in Kenya, working with a weavers’ cooperative in Peru, or replanting mangrove swamps destroyed by the tsunami in Thailand. The emphasis is on creating meaningful and mutually beneficial cultural exchange. Crooked Trails does not enter any community without an invitation and works only on projects that the host communities request.
Says Mackay: “I think what sets Crooked Trails apart is the fact that it’s community based. The programs are in the hands of the people we visit. They have control over where we go, what we do, and how we visit.”
“There are other people doing responsible travel, eco-travel, green travel,” says Tracy Klinkroth, who traveled on a Crooked Trails-sponsored trip to Peru and returned home so enthusiastic about the organization that she got involved as a volunteer and is now president of the board of directors. “What’s special about Crooked Trails is that they’ve really forged relationships with the communities that they’re going to and really treat them as equals. Everything they are doing is about being respectful and seeing how these communities can be buoyed up.”
At home in the U.S., Crooked Trails holds fundraisers in support of community development projects in its destination countries and frequently sponsors indigenous leaders to visit the United States in order to publicize the challenges facing their communities. A committed and enthusiastic core of Crooked Trails volunteers works on everything from setting up events to staffing booths at local fairs to posting advertising flyers around town.
A major part of Crooked Trails’ work is educating people about how to travel responsibly. Mackay and Leland are frequent speakers at conferences, clubs, schools, and bookstores, and act as consultants on a range of issues related to community-based tourism, environmental education, international travel, and community service. “We want to increase the overall awareness of the importance of giving back and responsible travel ethics,” Mackay explains.
“I think what is unique about Crooked Trails is the passion and compassion of the founders, staff, and volunteers,” says Klinkroth. “When you go on one of these trips, as a traveler you are forever changed.”
For more info: Visit the Crooked Trails website for more information on upcoming trips, local events, and how you can get involved to help promote responsible travel.
Photos courtesy of Crooked Trails. Top: Working with a Ladakhi villager in Lingshed, India. Bottom: Learning to weave in Chinchero, Peru.
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