Off-the-beaten-path family travel — is it appropriate as more and more parents travel with their kids in search of powerful learning experiences?

As part of the monthlong #StopOrphanTrips blog blitz, traveling families should take a stand and call for an end to orphanage tourism. Nobody likes to be played for a fool, but that’s what’s often the case when you visit, volunteer at or contribute to an overseas “orphanage.”

The author first heard about the Experience Challenge through colleagues who had participated in an earlier trip. The story she brought back from her time in Ghana with AfriKids’ Blue Sky Travel Ltd. was one about people. And it was one she was not prepared for emotionally.

Not all volunteer travel experiences are bad, so it’s up to the industry to tell the truth about voluntourism and start weeding out the bad apples. Only by creating a set of standards that can guide travelers toward organizations doing voluntourism right can the industry transform its reputation.

A donor trip to Nepal bears witness to the work of Maiti Nepal in its fight against human trafficking, the heartbreaking tragedy of which is enormous in a country suffering from poverty, illiteracy and now recovery from major natural disaster.