INSIGHTS: TOUR By Caliopy Glaros Founder and CEO of Philanthropy Without Borders, a consultancy which provides strategic guidance to nonprofits and travel advisors on philanthropic trips and voluntourism. TOP 5 MISTAKES TO AVOID IN PLANNING IMPACT TRIPS Planning tours for philanthropists, volunteers, or others looking to invest time, talent, or treasure? Avoid these fi ve common mistakes when planning their next travel adventure. �c; ǤȋȌϐ  tourism as “making strategic contributions of time, talent, and treasure to social and environmental projects in destinations.” �c;  ϐ    giving. While more and more advisors begin to offer impact tours, it is important that they be done right.   ǡ�c;ǯϐ their supporters as well as helping teams of international volunteer groups adapt to cultures around the world. This has given me a unique window into the impact travel scene where I have both documented the experiences that truly catalyze action and build empathy as well as those tours that end up disappointing travelers and deepening prejudices.    ϐ  trips for organizations, individuals, and groups. Whether you work with individuals who seek to volunteer or donate on their next trip, or  ϐ ǡǤ #1 | NOT PLANNING DOWNTIME The biggest mistake I see travel advisors ϐ itinerary. The guests may have indicated that they want to see as much as possible to really make the most of their time on site, but don’t forget that the nature of their visit often means they are traveling to remote ȋϐǦ bumpy car ride from the nearest airport) and by helping people in need they bear witness to some truly heart-wrenching human experiences (poverty, war, crime, displacement). It is not wise to treat these itineraries the way one would when planning a day of museum visits in Paris. a;ϐ  of each day for downtime. Many impact travelers I’ve spoken with have lamented the fast pace of their trip, the enormous exhaustion at the end of each day, the lack ϐ ǡ ϐ  addressed on the trip. Please buffer in some downtime on these visits. Your travelers will thank you. #2 | NOT BALANCING EMPATHY WITH ENTERTAINMENT Your travelers may have expressed interest in meeting with charities in Zambia, but you can be sure they won’t want to leave without a visit to Victoria Falls. Likewise, ϐ organization in planning a safari might well inquire if there are ways to support animal welfare groups in the area. The right balance between empathy-building experiences and entertainment will depend on the group and their purpose for the trip, but it is important 40 TRAVEL ADVISOR | ASTA.ORG