I punched the air time and again as I read Zoe Williams’ interview with Paige McClanahan (The good tourist: can we learn to travel without absolutely infuriating the locals?, 19 August). At last, a perceptive and forthright travel writer saying that most of us travel with the wrong ideas.
I could not agree more with what she said. Colonialism is a good word for the attitude of some tourists. Yet, of course, travel is good and of huge benefit to poorer economies – as long as who and what we visit is not destroyed in the visiting.
I travelled many times with Traidcraft, a fair trade company sadly recently deceased, on its Meet the People tours. We visited village artisans and farmers on every continent, who grew or made the products in their catalogue and who had benefited from a fair price, security and increased self‑confidence that are the hallmarks of fair trade.
As a result, we were welcomed everywhere as VIPs (even though we weren’t!) who had directly given them a better life for their community and, most especially, their children.
It was a humbling privilege, as well as eye-opening, to share their lives for a short time. Though when they asked about our homes it was embarrassing to note the huge differences.
Fair trade is a large part of the answer to our unequal world, and fair trade tourism follows from that. The Ethical Travel Guide was a well-thumbed volume for me, and I am sure there are more choices available now, of fair trade holidays that benefit people and protect our environment. Just look for them.
Never was thoughtful and responsible travelling more needed, for our ravaged planet and its exploited inhabitants.
Frances Middleton
Norwich
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