In this episode, I speak with Ruth Franklin who is the co-founder of Secret Paradise Maldives, a community-based tour company specialising in private and group adventure and cultural tours from Hulhumale and Male, as well as multi-day local island hopping tours throughout the Maldives.

I met Ruth back in 2018 when I was planning my first ever trip to the Maldives and was determined to see these beautiful islands in the eyes of a local. I wanted to explore how to visit the Maldives and learn about the Maldivian culture without staying at a resort, and Ruth was one of the first people I connected with to assist me on this journey. 

Ruth left a successful 28-year retail management career behind in the UK and took her passion for travel and sustainability to the Maldives in 2012 to co-found Secret Paradise Maldives. Since then, the company has grown into a pioneer in the eco-tourism sector in the Maldives, working with grassroots organisations and government bodies to promote positive environmental impact and community development. 

In the podcast, we discuss Ruth's journey, the tourism economy in the Maldives, and how Secret Paradise Maldives embrace responsible tourism practices while promoting local experiences on the islands. We also discuss the Maldives embracing the UNDPs "Reimagining Tourism" project, a joint initiative between the Government and UNDP Maldives to explore, develop and test pathways for making tourism in the country more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.

Website: https://secretparadise.mv/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretparadisemaldives/

Accompanying blog posts: https://thealtruistictraveller.com/blog/category/maldives/

In this episode, I am joined by Damien Schuster (Advisor), and Rafaella Orelli (Carbon Associate) from Offsetra, a carbon emissions reduction platform helping people to participate in the low-carbon economy.

I invited Damien and Rafaella on the show to delve into the topic of carbon offsetting, how it works and what it really means. Through their work at Offestra, they find and raise money for high-impact, certified carbon reduction projects.

We discuss the role of travel when it comes to carbon emissions, how individuals can reduce their environmental impact, and creative ways to offset such as using crypto to offset your footprint.

For more information on Offsetra visit their website: https://offsetra.com/

In this podcast I speak with Gonçalo Hall, a remote work consultant and evangelist who launched projects like the Remote Work Movement, Future of Work Conference, Remote Portugal, Remote Europe and most recently a digital nomad village in Madeira, Portugal. 

Gonçalo is passionate about remote work and believes in the link between digital nomadism and community development. Through his new project, Madeira’s first digital nomad village in Ponta do Sol, Portugal, Gonçalo and his team have brought together a thriving community of nomads focused on positive impact and connections.

In the episode, we talk about the nomad village model as a tool for decentralisation, repopulation and community-building. Before conception, Gonçalo’s team spent time in Madeira, speaking with locals and educating them on the positive impacts nomads could bring to their town. This facilitated discussions around adding vegetarian menu options to restaurants, creating stronger internet connections, and even education around making the perfect flat white. 

The village attracts visitors to Madeira in the tourist low season and closes in the high season, an economically viable decision to best support the local people. This decision also helps the village to thrive both in the low and high season. 

Nomads are encouraged to take part in community activities run by Digital Nomads Madeira, including tree planting projects, beach cleanups and support for local NGOs such as animal shelters. 

This model is a pioneer of its times as more countries introduce nomad visas, making it easier for remote workers to legally work and settle abroad for longer periods of time. Gonçalo and his team hope to use this model as a pilot for future villages and set an example for what the future of work could really look like.

Follow Gonçalo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goncalohall/

Follow Gonçalo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gonzohall/

Follow Digital Nomads Madeira on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalnomadsmadeira/

Visit Website: https://digitalnomads.startupmadeira.eu/team/

Read the corresponding blog post: https://thealtruistictraveller.com/blog/sustainable-tourism-volunteering-in-madeira-portugal/

In this episode, I am talking with writer, speaker, and solutions advocate JoAnna Haugen. JoAnna is the founder of Rooted, a solutions platform at the intersection of sustainable tourism, social impact, and storytelling. In her work, JoAnna provides insight into a more conscious, inclusive type of storytelling and assists both content creators and industry professionals in shaping their storytelling language.

Our thought-provoking discussion opens up a number of perspectives on tourism. In her work, JoAnna supports the idea of reshaping the tourism narrative to not only promote equality and diversity but also challenge the idea that tourism should be traveller focused. As JoAnna explains, “the idea that tourism “need(s) us” is the epitome of privilege, and it’s a story the tourism industry is perpetuating...leading travellers to believe they are the answer to this industry’s survival perpetuates a dangerous and destructive history of white supremacy and colonialism.”

We reference JoAnna’s recent articles ‘What we risk when we rush back to travel’ and ‘5 words to cut from your travel writing’, and dissect the concept of vaccine-privilege, as well as the ethics of returning to a type of travel that is not centred around the benefit and empowerment of local communities.

JoAnna offers a number of free resources on her blog, including:

The Content Creator's Guide to Building Back Better

Flipping the Negative Narrative on Impact

As well as short courses to assist in positive storytelling:

Strategic Storytelling for Travel Service Providers

Responsible Travel Writing

Water is the source of life yet somehow, in 2020, over 700 million people in the world lack access to clean water.

For the past 10 years, the BLUE Missions Group has been working to provide families with clean water and sanitary environments through sustainable, community-owned projects that empower progress and transform rural communities for the better.

Their model for aid is focused on sustainability, ensuring local leaders are equipped with the skills to prepare for community-led construction of projects, and the ability to maintain healthy water systems.

To date, BLUE Missions has helped over 22,000 people gain access to clean drinking water through innovative solutions such as gravity-driven aqueducts that gather and distribute water from higher-elevated sources. With the help of volunteers, engineers and members of the local community they have completed over 100 water projects in countries including Colombia, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

In the podcast, Danny talks about 10 years with BLUE Missions, the systemic barriers that limit communities' access to clean water and how volunteers and individuals can help to support the work of BLUE Missions. 

For more information visit:  https://www.bluemissions.org/

In this episode, I interview Kenyan-born Shammi (Sham for short), creator of the Travel4Purpose platform. Travel4Purpose is an online community that promotes the concept of sustainable tourism, mainly in Kenya.

Sham was born in Mombasa, Kenya and moved to London, UK with her family when she was 6. After 20+ years of following the social norm; school, university, 9-5 corporate job, etc, she realised it was time to break free and align with her life's purpose - creating impact.

On the 18th of June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sham launched Travel4Purpose to serve that purpose. The platform promotes travelling authentically; interacting with locals, venturing off the beaten track and having a purpose while on the road. 

"I learnt a thing or two while on the road, the main one being that creating smiles for others and yourself – is THE most treasured feeling. Travel can be used as a force for good; positively impacting everyone involved, including Mama Earth." - Sham.

In the podcast, we discuss Sham's journey to Kenya to discover her rich cultural heritage and work on local projects that promote a positive impact on both people and the planet. We talk about her life in Kenya, the projects Travel4Purpose supports e.g. tree-planting programs for conservation and health programs for women in need. I also get a short lesson in Swahili (around the 29-min mark) to learn some of the local language.

For more information about Travel4Purpose please visit:

Website: https://travel4purpose.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travel4purpose/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travel4purpose/

Eco Projects: https://travel4purpose.com/ecoprojects/

PODCAST DOUBLE: This episode is linked to my interview on the How To Be Global podcast that can be found here: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-how-to-be-global-podcast/episode/36-part-i-sustainable-travel-and-nomads-giving-back-with-bianca-from-the-altruistic-traveller-blog-podcast-79600965

...

What does it mean to be a global citizen? This week I speak with Sarah Rapp about eradicating poverty, empowering youth and becoming a global citizen. 

Sarah is the founder of ‘How To Be Global’, an initiative that aims to discover what it takes to be global in today's fast-paced and culturally mixed world, through podcasting, education and crowdsourcing. Its mission is to connect the world by lowering boundaries, reducing fears about other cultures, and encouraging others to embrace diversity. Sarah is the former president of JA Alumni Europe and is currently Senior Manager Alumni & Campaigns at JA Worldwide, a large nongovernmental organization that serves youth around the world. 

In the podcast, we talk about Sarah's journey, her involvement with JA Worldwide, and the How To Be Global scholarship program she runs to put disadvantaged youth in school. Sarah currently partners with Educom to deliver scholarships in Jamestown, Ghana and has since provided opportunities for more than 60 orphans and kids from single-parents to get an education.

"I wanted to make sure that these amazing girls and boys have the chance to go to school, get food and education which empowers them to shape a better future for themselves and the whole community."

Follow Sarah's journey: https://www.instagram.com/sarahrapp._/

Support How To Be Global: https://www.gofundme.com/f/how-to-be-global-scolarship

Listed to the How To Be Global podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-how-to-be-global-podcast

How do we leverage our own community to create social impact? How can we successfully crowdfund for the causes we care about? 

These are the questions I explore in this conversation with Tom Dawkins, the Co-founder/CEO of the social impact crowdfunding platform Start Some Good - the leading home of cause-driven crowdfunding, innovative partnerships and social entrepreneur education.

In the episode, we discuss the limiting mindsets that inhibit fundraisers to meet their full potential. We discuss the psychology of fundraising, the nuances of crowdfunding and the way that Start Some Good work with projects to achieve the highest project success rate in cause-crowdfunding (at 53% compared to equivalent platforms who are as low as 13%).

Tom discusses how Start Some Good has transformed into an educational, innovative hub for social entrepreneurs to gain insights into the best practices for crowdfunding, enabling changemakers to launch groundbreaking projects that can change the world.  

Learn more at https://startsomegood.com

Learn about Strat Some Good's recurring fundraising opportunities at https://startsomegood.com/recurring

Join the Starting Good Network: https://startsomegood.com/starting-good

Established in 2003 by global adventure travel company G Adventures’ founder, Bruce Poon Tip, Planeterra is a non-profit organisation that has contributed millions of dollars towards projects in areas of social enterprise, healthcare, conservation, and emergency response.

In this episode, I speak with Alanna Wallace - Planeterra's Program & Communications Manager. We discuss Planeterra’s strategy to empower community tourism businesses to create sustainable livelihoods and how in the midst of a pandemic, Planeterra has helped their partners cope with the complete halt in global travel, and loss of customer base.

Many projects around the world have been left without an income as global travel stopped entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, communities need assistance to rebuild and recover from months without income. Planeterra has been able to provide grants to help with emergency needs, and also to build resilience for community tourism businesses and those that rely on them.

In the episode, Alanna shares how the organisation has raised tens of thousands of dollars for their partners and continue to fundraise much-needed dollars that will support their tourism partners through this difficult time. Listen in to hear about the work of Planeterra, stories of resilience and kindness and see how you can show your support. 

Website: https://planeterra.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PlaneterraCares/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlaneterraCares/

Donate: https://www.classy.org/give/288889/#!/donation/checkout

In this episode, I am speaking with Sarah Dale - the Centre Director and Principal Solicitor for RACS Australia. 

RACS (Refugee Advice & Casework Service) provide critical free legal advice, assistance and representation, for financially disadvantaged and vulnerable people seeking asylum in Australia, including:

They advocate for systemic law reform and policy that treats refugees with justice, dignity and respect.

In the episode, I speak with Sarah about the history of the asylum seeker policy in Australia, the critical support that RACS provides to the community's vulnerable and the impact that COVID-19 has had on Australia's refugee and asylum seeker population, both on-shore and in off-shore detention. 

The refugee sector at large has been under constant threat in recent times, with federal funding decimated. RACS does not receive any federal funding to deliver services and are currently the only organisation providing free legal advice dedicated to supporting people seeking asylum. It's for this reason that I wanted to invite Sarah on the show to share how we can support these people in our community and shed light on the hidden crisis facing refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. 

For more information about RACS and how you can support, visit:

Website: https://www.racs.org.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RACSaustralia/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcQ6itOHAItLW3MXCzyJUsg