The Worst Thing You Can Do When You Travel

This is a topic that I feel very passionate about.⁠ ⁠ While travelling, seeing children asking for money can be heart-wrenching. But giving cash often does more harm than good, keeping children out of school and vulnerable to exploitation. Instead, here’s how @UNICEF advise you can make a real difference:⁠ ⁠ ✔ Support local charities & NGOs – Donate to organisations working to improve education, healthcare, and child protection.⁠ ✔ Buy from adult vendors or ethical businesses – Support families by shopping at local markets and businesses that empower communities.⁠ ✔ Engage in community-based tourism – Choose tours and experiences where money goes directly towards sustainable local projects.⁠ ✔ Raise awareness – Talk to fellow travellers about why giving money to children isn’t the solution and encourage responsible alternatives.⁠ ⁠ By thinking beyond the short term, we can help create lasting change for children everywhere.⁠ - - ⁠ On my latest trip to Egypt with @VikingCruises [Ad], this topic came up again. The expert local guides there agree with the @UNICEF advice and urge guests not to give cash to children. Viking itself sponsors a local school. More details available on request.⁠ - - ⁠ Note – the kids in this video were on an organised trip with supervising adults. I was stood with a tripod in full view and the adults were aware. In fact, they took a video of me, no cash was exchanged, and we all had a good time. I’m not trying to suggest that these kids are being exploited. I’m just trying to illustrate an important idea.⁠ ⁠ #ResponsibleTravel #TravelMistakes #TravelBloggers⁠