Kaya Responsible Travel

And so it begins here... I've paid the deposit and to me it seems real that I am definetly going to Thailand to volunteer for the human trafficking project; a topic that I am very passionate about. I've carried a burden for about 5 years now for the victims of human trafficking. I am generally a feisty girl who likes to make things happens and will always stand up to injustice. But over those 5 years of yearning to do something to make a difference my heart was actually really hurting. It sounds dramatic but if you were to mention the words human trafficking, the likelyhood is that I would start crying. T...

My stay at the JS station with the Environmental Conservation on Biological Stations in the Galapagos Islands project was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life! The volunteer work during my four week stay included using machetes on the blackberry, assisting in the introduction of the local coffee industry (working with compost for the new plants) and unusual projects such as building an archway out of recycled plastic bottles for a marathon. Work tended to be Monday to Thursday with a local hike on a Friday morning (for me a trip to the local beach and a waterfall) and then a...

I am begging to get really excited about my trip to Thailand! I've booked my flights, payed for insurance, payed for the trip and I’m ready to rock and roll!! 28 days till I leave, David

Just a quick note to try out posting.  I arrived yesterday in Manila on my way to the Island of Leyte and the town of Tacloban. And it was great to spend the day with Iggy, my friend from when we studied together at Pearson College on the West coast of Canada, 30! Years ago. He hadn't changed a bit and time flew by. He has a wonderful family and impressive career. It was great to see my fellow Sea Rescue coxswain.

I've finally booked my flight to Peru and was thrilled to find an option with only one stop each way and less than 19 hours travel time. It may sound long but it's way better than the four-stopover and 27+ hours journey.  (Surprisingly enough, the most expensive flight option was a 32+ hour trip, which gives new meaning to cabin fever.) With my flight in place, my Kaya down payment gone and a short stint to the ancient Inca Empire of Machu Picchu -- there is no turning back. Attempting this trip takes me completely out of my comfort zone - but it's time. I can't wait to ...

At school this morning we helped the children learn to produce the letters of the alphabet followed by all the vowel sounds e.g. ma, me, mi, mo and mu, which was brilliant in helping me learn Spanish  sounds. The children then had to work through their booklets, practicing writing the number seis and making it out of different sensory materials such as felts. After school we made plans to meet up with Fabia and Tamara after lunch, at the Plaza Colon to do some shopping/exploring. So we went home and had potatoes with an orange vegetable mash sauce for lunch (a traditional Bolivian dish) then ...

My preparations for my big 3 month adventure on Pom Pom Island for Marine Science studies, Open Water certificate and conservation work has started I've been out running, done some weight training and additional training as well together with studying Marine Biology and catching up on my math (it's been quite some time since I needed to use any math skills) Reading about marine biology is very interesting and I wish I could read that book all the time. The plane tickets has been bought and htoel for two nights in Semporna has been booked. In a way my travel has already star...

Tuesday 30th August We woke up just before 7 and after our usual breakfast of bread and butter, we headed of to Consipe for 8.30. When we arrived at the school the children were outside playing, the director asked to speak to all of us volunteers and asked if we could stay within our pairs, with one class for the whole time we were at the school as it would be more beneficial for the children to have some one on one work. So me and Marit went upstairs to our classroom and played with the children for a while, using coloured wooden blocks, before giving them their exercise books to work in. Whilst ...

Tell us about your experiences with Kaya (sign up process, preparation) - Registering through Kaya was a quick and easy process. The application online took only a few minutes and we heard back from Kaya within a week of applying. Plenty of information was provided regarding what to pack, what to expect, and how to best prepare for the trip. Any additional questions were answered in a timely manner through email. What made you chose that particular project/country? - I chose this particular project because I was looking for a volunteer op...

I woke up early again and still haven’t adjusted to the time difference yet but I decided to get ready anyway and went downstairs for breakfast whilst waiting for Teresa to collect us at 8am. Teresa came and drove us across the city to Consipe -the school for disabled children where we'd spend the next three weeks volunteering. Vicky and I were split up into two different classrooms and each paired up with another volunteer. The girl i'm with is called Marit and is my age, she's from Germany and speaks fluent English and Spanish as well which is a huge help to me! The school is fairly big bu...