You are currently browsing the monthly archive for November 2006.
By Martha Robbins, Tracey Mitchell, and Dave Oswald Mitchell
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
Fair travel [fair travel] is a nascent movement of tourism providers, tourism-reliant communities, social justice advocates, and concerned tourists that is seeking to apply “fair trade” principles to the tourism industry.
By Lori Latta
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
You know you’re a tourist when your malaria pills are giving you recurring nightmares about goats staging armed revolution.
Strange and vivid dreams are a well-known side-effect of anti-malarial medication. But when you wake up cowering from imaginary gun-wielding billies for the third night in a row, don’t expect the general population to empathize. Even in regions where malaria is endemic, local people rarely take anti-malarial pills on a preventative basis. The cost, scarcity, and nasty side effects of malaria drugs are factors, but another important factor is the concern that widespread use of drugs like chloroquine as a malaria prophylaxis jeopardizes the effectiveness of treatment by creating resistant strains of the parasite.
By Benjamin Sichel
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
Imagine arriving at work one day and finding a new co-worker has joined your team. He comes from abroad, and he’ll only be working with you for a little while—after graduating from university, he wanted to come to a different country and volunteer for a spell, just to gain experience and “help out however he can.”
You are somewhat skeptical: you’ve seen this type of person before. But being the welcoming soul you are, you answer his many questions, help out with his difficulties in English, and nod politely when he talks about how things are different (better?) at home. You listen to, and half-heartedly try out, some of his new ideas for your organization, even if you think they’re off-base. You are a bit miffed that as a guest, he seems to enjoy privileged access to your boss. After a few months he leaves, and leaves behind a half-done project which never gets picked up.
Now consider the myriad programs you’ve heard of in which people from Canada, the US or elsewhere travel to the Majority World to intern or volunteer, often combined with academic study or research. Right now in villages and shantytowns around the world, enthusiastic young people are teaching English, volunteering in orphanages, and planting community gardens; while groups of middle-aged church folk hand out medical supplies, build schools, and assemble sewage systems.
![[illustration]](http://www.briarpatchmagazine.com/batches/nov06/Klein.jpg)
Illustration: Aimee van Drimmelen
By Ross Klein
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
What could be more idyllic than a cruise vacation—clear blue skies, gently rolling seas, the cold temperatures of home a distant memory, and a variety of encounters with different places and people in a single week? This is the kind of imagery that the cruise industry has successfully played on for decades, making it the fastest growing segment of the leisure travel industry worldwide. But beneath this placid surface lurk a number of serious problems, including poor treatment of workers, negative environmental impacts, and exploitative relationships with ports. Conscientious tourists should seek out a complete picture of the industry before climbing aboard.
![[photo]](http://www.briarpatchmagazine.com/batches/nov06/Huck1.jpg)
Photo: Nichole Huck
By Nichole Huck
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
She calls out to the man on the street
sir, can you help me?
It’s cold and I’ve no where to sleep.
Is there somewhere you can tell me?
He walks on, doesn’t look back
He pretends he can’t hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there
Phil Collins, “Another Day in Paradise”
Cheesy they may be, but these Phil Collins lyrics hit very close to home for many of us who have travelled abroad. You’re dining at an outdoor cafe, or strolling through the market with an expensive camera strapped around your neck, when all of a sudden you are ambushed by a group of children.
By Ryan Meili
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
Dear traveller:
In your time abroad you can be a guest or a parasite—it depends upon how you treat your hosts. My intention in this letter is to give you, the intrepid, well-intentioned traveller, a few practical suggestions on how to get the most from your travels while doing the least harm. To attempt to be comprehensive would be folly, so I will concentrate on a few key concerns.
By Dave Johnson
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
If you move to Quebec City, perhaps the first thing you’ll notice is the cultural and economic divide between the upper city, which includes the tourists’ favoured stomping grounds of Old Quebec, and the lower town, where equally old buildings crowd the small roads of the traditionally working class neighbourhoods. Noticeably, the divide running along the escarpment is also linguistic: in the upper city, English is commonly heard in the street, while in Vieux Quebec one hears languages as diverse as one might hear in Trafalgar Square. In the basse ville, however, after two months of living here I have yet to hear my native tongue spoken outside of my apartment or my company on the sidewalk.
Moral Dilemmas of Travel
by George Monbiot
The tourism industry carries some heavy baggage
What is Fair Travel?
by Martha Robbins, Tracey Mitchell, and Dave Oswald Mitchell
Naming the movement
You know you’re a tourist when…
by Lori Latta
You may already be a tourist! Here are 5 ways to know for sure
By Dave Oswald Mitchell
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
(sung to the tune of Paul Simon’s “Graceland”)
My skin in Nicaragua
was burning like a Sandinista star
I am travelling by school bus
to Honduras
through the wreckage of the Contra War.
I’m on the gringo trail
gringo trail
the spine of the PPP*
I’m on the gringo trail
Drifters with trust funds and pony tails
and we are on the gringo trail
By Patricia W. Elliott
Briarpatch Magazine
November 2006
When I travelled around Burma in 1995, I was mostly immersed in research work. I’d be lying, though, if I didn’t mention there were times of simple enjoyment. Burma is a special land, blessed with abundant natural beauty, tantalizing cuisine, beautiful art and architecture, and a highly diverse mix of cultures and traditions. In any other country of the world, it would be a tourist’s dream. This fact hasn’t escaped the attention of the country’s ruling junta, which has ruled Burma’s people with an iron fist since 1962. During my sojourn, the entire country was being made ready for “Visit Myanmar 1996.” After 40 years of self-imposed isolation, the regime planned to make over the country with a new name and a new image of openness to the world. Tourism was their vehicle. And “Visit Myanmar” was the coming-out party.
It worked. Between 1995 and 2003, the number of tourists entering Burma rose from 170,000 visitors to 365,000, the majority on package tours. The number of Canadian visitors arriving by air more than doubled, from 818 to 1,973. Tourist numbers have continued to rise exponentially, topping 660,000 in 2005, as word of pristine beaches, misty mountain trails and bargain-filled markets spread. Doubtless, each and every one of the travellers enjoyed a memorable, enriching experience. But what about the people of Burma? Did they benefit economically or socially from the influx of visitors?
