Global Basecamps, in collaboration with Maasai Wanderings, contributes to a variety of ecotourism and community outreach programs in Tanzania. In 2004, Maasai Wanderings visited a Maasai village called Ilkurot (which means “dusty place”) just north of Arusha, and saw that the schools were in desperate need of supplies and repairs, and there was no nursery school.

Projects in Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka and Brazil have been announced as the winners of the first travel2change idea challenge. Over 500 members joined the travel2change online community since its launch in late April 2011, and submitted around 60 innovative project proposals. The submitted ideas were evaluated based on creativity, effectiveness, impact, feasibility and sustainability.

Bringing Laos alive for travellers is Tiger Trail, a leading sustainable adventure organisation that, for more than 10 years, has been promoting local development through tourism. Now, through its Fair Trek initiative that supports community-based tourism, Tiger Trail has has added the Clay School Project, which aims to bring in international volunteers to support the construction of clay-brick schoolhouses.

I traveled to Egypt to examine the potential for volunteer tourism in Cairo and Aswan. We participated in a series of volunteer tourism workshops, consultations and media-outreach events across the country. The goal of the program was to energize people in government, the non-profit and private sector about how they might directly implement the concept of volunteer tourism in Egypt. A few of the organizations we visited, which offer some potential for volunteer tourism, are profiled here.

The Responsible Safari Company (RSC), a local tour operator in Malawi, collaborates with community-based initiatives to promote tourism as a beneficial source of income. The ‘win-win-win’ benefits are evident: Local groups enjoy a new way of making ends meet and forging meaningful bonds with discerning travellers; visitors gain unique insight into local communities by learning about their lives; and the RSC expands operations in line with sustainable and responsible tourism practices.

A responsible traveller doesn’t hit the road unprepared. There’s planning and followthrough involved. Here’s a simple checklist of ecotravel tips to help you and your hosts get the most out of a mindful journey.

As international travellers increasingly become aware of Namibia’s blend of relative government stability, natural beauty and cultural distinctiveness, the tourism industry is growing stronger and offering locals an attractive way to support their families. One meaningful way actually allows conscientious travellers to contribute actively and directly to the local economy by signing on with local travel companies like the Gondwana Collection, which is forging the way for mindful and sustainable tourism and encompasses four private nature reserves in Southern Namibia.

Tours and treks regularly circuit the far-flung areas of Nepal to take in the astounding scenery, cultural diversity and the warm hospitality of Nepal’s rural people. Unfortunately, these remote places and the people who call them home have seen very little of the dividend from tourism. Today, though, at least one local organisation is currently trying to change all that. Outdoor Himalayan Treks seeks to share the benefits of travel at a grassroots level.