Do you dream about having extraordinary experiences doing everyday things with local people in extraordinary places? Are you searching for opportunities to connect with local people where they live, work and play? Does the promise of life-changing travel excite you?

You’re Not Alone

The desire to travel beyond the sights to engage with local people and activities continues to grow among travelers. A report by Expedia Media Group Solutions and Skift recognizes ‘insiders helping travelers live like locals’ as a trend in 2019.

Travelers often describe the experiences and moments of living like a local as life-changing. Going to a school, shopping for food at a local market, dying yarn with members of a cooperative, spending time in a family home. Imagine if such travel moments and experiences changed lives. They can!

When travelers connect with local agents of change a partnership is born. These authentic travel experiences take on a deeper meaning. The focus shifts. An exchange takes place. It’s no longer about what I can get from the experience but rather what can be shared.

The Change That Comes From Sharing

During a 2018 Ripple Effect Journeys- Peru journey, a simple question prompted a travel changing lives moment. Peruvian Hearts was our primary Impact Partner for this trip. Their efforts are designed to help young women to reach their potential through education, mentorship, and community leadership.

After getting to know several Peruvian Hearts scholars on Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit with three girls in their homes around Cusco, Peru on Sunday.

Aldy, a new Peruvian Hearts student, greeted us as with a huge smile and a warm hug as we got off the bus near her home. Excitement and pride twinkled in her eyes.

A narrow hillside path led down to the family’s home. We navigated the trail thanks to assistance from Aldy and her brother. Aldy’s parents were waiting at the entrance to welcome us. They were honored to receive us in their home. And we were honored to be there.

A Memorable Exchange

As Aldy showed us the series of rooms comprising their home, our guide, Elizabeth, noticed a sewing machine.

“Do you sew, Aldy?”, Elizabeth asked.

“No, that’s my mother’s machine,” Aldy replied.

Aldy’s mother, Ambrosia, told us she had taken a leather making class at the local community center. Did we want to see the items she made?

Receiving an affirmative response, Ambrosia retrieved a large white plastic sack from her room. Opening the bag, she began to remove a variety of tooled leather coin purses and place them on the kitchen table. Next came wallets.

Excitedly we gathered tighter around the table to get a better look at the handiwork. After several exclamations of praise rang out, Jan asked a question.

“Is this coin purse for sale?”

Ambrosia looked at Aldy and then back at us. She’d be honored to sell the coin purse to Jan, she shyly replied.

“How much is it?” Jan asked.

A bewildered look came across Ambrosia’s face. Aldy explained this was her mother’s first sale. She had no idea of what to charge.

Elizabeth, our guide, kindly stepped in. Familiar with Peruvian leather good prices, she offered some suggestions to Ambrosia. After thinking through her options, Ambrosia shared the price of the coin purse with Jan. Her response sounded like a question, rather than a statement.

An immediate reply of “I’ll take it!” caused Ambrosia to catch her breath. Her eyes brimmed with tears, her smile lit up the room as the first sale was made.

A second and third sale quickly followed. A sell-out was announced in less than 15 minutes.

Transformative Travel Awaits You

Life-changing travel experiences turn travelers into storytellers. When people empowered by local agents of change are part of the story, amazing things happen. Shared experiences go beyond being descriptions of life-changing activities to actions that change lives.

Ripple Effect Journeys strives to identity and build relationships with Impact Partners in countries we visit. We are excited about developing partnerships in Vietnam. One such partnership empowers women in the Mekong Delta through sampan ownership.

Recently, Mrs. Hong received a sampan from a Ripple Effect Journeys’ Impact Partner. Her family is very poor. They do a variety of jobs to earn money (harvesting fruits as farmers, working as a housekeeper). Doing so, their earnings total about 2 dollars per day. And, these jobs are sporadic. Consequently, some days money is not available to purchase food.

Mrs. Hong’s family faced such challenges. Receiving a sampan changed her life. She and her family use the boat to sell fruits, catch fish, and transport tourists for tours of the Mekong Delta. This increases their earning power to $7-$8 per day.

In 2020 (tentatively April 7-22), women traveling with Ripple Effect Journeys -Vietnam will once again embark on travel that changes lives. Would you like to meet individuals like Mrs. Hong? Do you want to go beyond describing a travel experience as life-changing to engaging in actions that change lives? Let your next travel experience transform you. Email me at Bea@TheTiesProgram.org for further information.