Vacations For A Good Cause

By Lisa McLaughlin

Travel philanthropy has been on the rise since the tsunami of 2004. Tourists looking to help the often disadvantaged countries they visit can invest time, energy or money. Below, some of the best ways to get away while giving something back.

TURTLE ISLAND IN FIJI

This luxury resort is committed to improving the standard of living for residents of the Yasawa Islands by providing medical clinics, building secondary schools and helping create budget resorts and businesses owned and operated by villagers

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Participants in Habitat's Global Village programs spend one to three weeks helping build houses for needy families in any of 60 countries, including Mozambique, Ireland, Samoa, New Zealand, Guyana and the U.S.

WILDLAND ADVENTURES

This outfit has developed a sort of cross-cultural exchange program with the nomadic Masai in East Africa whereby the Africans receive direct benefits from tourism and guests are exposed to the tribe's culture.

WILDERNESS TRAVEL

This pioneering adventure-travel company is committed to low- impact tourism, support of conservation and cultural groups and fair working conditions. In Peru and Nepal, it provides porters with boots and health insurance.

LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS

These small cruise ships go everywhere from Antarctica to the Galapagos. When a traveler donates $250 or more to a cause like the Galapagos Conservation Fund, he or she receives a $250 travel voucher toward a future trip.

CHARITABLE CRUISING

Check to see if your cruise line is a member of the Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation, which provides support for ocean research and preservation efforts as well as scholarships for kids in the areas where the ships do business.

MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK

This adventure-trip organizer works with grass-roots outfits to boost the local economy in countries like India and Sri Lanka. In China it supports the Nature Conservancy by training locals to be Yangtze River guides.