The following post is from our advertiser, Trazzler.
Can travel make us better people? Can it make the world a better place? Is it possible to make a positive contribution to a community just by having traveled there? Trazzler believes that smart travel can accomplish all of this—and more—and we want to put the idea to the test on Trazzler and Twitter (and send two participants on $7500 eco-adventures to Tonga with our non-profit partner, Seacology).
The Smart Travel Contest provides anyone in the world with a platform to share meaningful travel experiences that do good and go deeper. Smart travel is active, not passive. It is often committed to economic or environmental sustainability. It could be staying at a solar-powered Colorado hotel devoted to conservation, visiting a visionary St. Louis museum with monstrous, play-friendly sculptures made from recycled industrial cast-offs, volunteering to walk rehabilitated pumas in the Costa Rican rainforest, immersing yourself in local life in a South African township, learning to make batik in Senegal, picking chestnuts on an organic farm in Corsica… Read more examples.
Just by sharing an smart travel experience in this Writing Contest, entrants will gain the chance to join Seacology staff and supporters on a ecotourism dream trip (valued at $7,500 each) to the South Pacific island of Tonga aboard the NAI’A, one of the world’s top dive and snorkel boats. Seacology is an award-winning charity dedicated to protecting the threatened habitats, species, and cultures of islands worldwide. Tonga is one of the few locations in the world where humans can swim with humpback whales. The 10-day trip will begin in Nuku’alofa, Tonga’s capital and continue north to the Ha’apai island group, where for many years, the NAI’A has been one of the only boats offering the opportunity to swim with humpback whales. In addition to up-close whale encounters, the trip will include opportunities for snorkeling and several night dives amidst Tonga’s pristine coral reefs—and a visit to the Seacology project in the Ha’apai islands, where Seacology is establishing a marine reserve.
