Travel, for a purpose

"I have nothing to give you, but I can offer you my services." Crystal Collins, an international volunteer tourist in India.

Over the last few decades, the concept of travel and leisure has found itself a new component- to give back to a community and use one's time and effort to make a difference. Travel volunteering, also known as voluntourism, has gained rapid momentum, and travelling only for the scenic beauty or to tick boxes in a checklist of places visited has been left behind for a deeper and more meaningful engagement with one's ecosystem. This can also be called experiential travelling, where one experiences living with a community and working with them or for them.

In the book, the Power of Meaning, author Emily Smith says there is evidence suggesting that individuals rate their lives with high satisfaction when there is belonging and purpose, something that is missing in most travel trips. This is exactly travel volunteering fulfills. It brings both belonging and purpose, giving an individual true satisfaction.

Across the globe, the concept of voluntourism has been established over a long period of time, with many websites offering opportunities for people to volunteer and travel together. Take the example of Project Abroad, which has itself connected 70,000 volunteers to over 100 projects across 25 countries. In their words, to see the world with a purpose on issues of conservation, culture, art and livelihoods, healthcare and education. While India has for a long time now been the destination for such voluntourism, we now see a spike in the number of Indians giving up the typical leisure travel to take up challenging projects with a social bend. Varun Gupta, CEO of Goomo, India's leading Omni travel technology platform, testifies to this, "We are seeing an increase in demand of about 20% of people wanting to travel and get a local experience like homestays to experience local culture and heritage."

Ishita Khanna, founder of Spiti Ecosphere points out, "We get around 20 volunteers a month, and this has been a steep increase in numbers from a few years, where volunteers were few and mostly foreigners. Now the number of Indian volunteers has surpassed those of the international volunteers." Spiti Ecosphere works in the Himalayan belt with the Spiti community for the overall development of the area, focusing on conservation, development and economies. It engages travellers who volunteer on their various diverse projects like eco-travel, handicrafts, health, organics, renewable energy and much more. Ecosphere attracts college volunteers in their summer breaks as well as young adults typically between jobs, as a break and also people who now wish to devote more time to volunteering and travel, after quitting their jobs. Staying in Ecosphere is anywhere between 500 to 2000 rupees per day which is inclusive of stay and food.

Sustainable travel as defined by the United Nations World Travel Organization says 'tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts." The year 2017 has been declared as the year of sustainable tourism by the UNWTO. This indicates the push towards responsible tourism, and a deeper understanding of the impact one leaves on a community as a tourist. When asked if the experience with volunteers has been a positive one, Gumansingh Gurung, Principal of the Sikkim Himalaya Academy says, "Of course the impact has been positive. We live in such a remote place. The students, the teachers and even me have not experienced the rest of the world. But these young people come into volunteer teach all of us new things, talk to the children about opportunities, teach us new skills. Sometimes they stay back for longer, because they become so close to us, like family". The Academy is a residential school which houses children from the remote villages of eastern Himalayas to provide them with better education. While food is provided in the school itself for all volunteers, they have to stay on rent locally which comes is from 1000 to 1200 rupees a month.

Even at V Resorts, a chain of resorts across 15 states in India, travellers are open to interact with the local communities during their vacation and take a keen interest in their culture. Founder, Aditi Balbir says, "We are seeing a change in the mindset of the average Indian holiday goer. There is an increased awareness about their responsibility towards the environment. It is heartening to see the way the genuine desire among our guests to understand the way of life of the locals and be part of the cultural immersion process." V Resorts guests are taken on tours to the local community, can also see products and indigenous handicrafts, eat authentic food and get a chance to experience their day-to-day lives. At V resorts one can avail of a stay package, with the various activities included for rupees 5000 onwards per day for 2 couples/families.

"There is the difference between a tourist and a traveller who wishes to be part of something bigger. They are willing to engage with the people and to work hard, leisure often taking a back seat. The experience is also about them, as they are here to curate for themselves an enriching experience. I am glad to see the way in which young Indians look at travel (even now the majority of the people who come to Spiti Ecosphere are between 20-30 years, save from a few families). I can only hope this trend continues to increase, and people continue to look for meaningful experiences". says Ishita, on asking about the future of travel volunteering.

...& ANALYSIS

• Next year, the firm plans to continue online expansion into further countries, including India
   
• The overall plan is to have over 25 stores across the country by the end of this year
   
• With focus on digital, the company’s sees group’s online sales growing by at least 25%