My pal, Joey Leslie, insists I need to start making peace with the any-minute-now demise of newspapers. I know about dwindling circulations and rising costs and disappearing ad dollars (hey, I read the paper, as the saying goes…). But I will fight it. I love my daily newspaper. Yes, I’m one of those who likes the tactile nature of it; shaking it open, folding it, tucking it under my arm. But I also like the way it can fill a two-page spread with related ideas. No clicking through to another topic and then clicking back to compare or re-read. It’s all there, spread out on the kitchen table.
I am babbling about all of this because the Los Angeles Times had a swell Travel section feature last Sunday. Titled “Making a World of Difference”, the editors gathered stories from a variety of writers talking about how you can incorporate Good into your vacations – even if they’re stay-cations. Of course, the stories are all on the website, but they’re just listed by title. There’s no indication that they’re connected, so you miss out on the cumulative effect of seeing them fill page after page.
As you sit there reading, moving your coffee cup off the next paragraph, you find an enthusiasm building about what you might do the next time you’re on the road – teaching in Peru, helping with vaccinations in India. Turn the page and there are even more suggestions – restoring trails in national parks, participating in local beach cleanups. Peruse the list of books about people whose lives were transformed by their journeys. It starts to make you feel as if you’re missing out on something really wonderful. Don’t miss out. Read all about it. Feel free to print out the articles and mock up your own personal newspaper. You can even print out the crossword puzzle so you have something to do on the plane. Bon Voyage!
MAKING A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE
Los Angeles Times
December 20, 2009
A volunteer-minded traveler leaves a bit of his heart behind
Leon Logothetis feels more fulfilled when he gives. What does he get in return? The world.
Her travels battled polio
What started as a mission to help vaccinate Indian children became a life lesson to a recent college graduate.
In Kenya, reason for hope
Slums and AIDS are found in abundance. But there are many ways to help alleviate the suffering.
Volunteer vacations: Spend less, give back, get more
When you’re traveling Stateside.
Sheryl Kayne’s favorite volunteer vacations
Local opportunities to give back.
Helping the environment while traveling the globe
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms enables city folk to learn the ropes from veteran beekeepers. In no time, the newbies are just buzzing along.
Good deeds, good karma
Travelers looking to help others this season can do so in many ways. And in some cases, they may get something in return.
Travel literature that may inspire the philanthropist in you
Changed by their journeys, the authors started nonprofits to benefit the people they’ve visited, including ‘Three Cups of Tea,’ by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Related Posts
Tags: Los Angeles Times, newspaper, stay-cation, travel, vacation, volunteering, voluntourism
