The true cost of travel

I am in the midst of a career change, and that means I've sought the advice of many people in the last year. My most trusted mentor recommended I spend some time abroad volunteering for aid organizations. Clearly this is where my passion lies. By spending time on the ground, I could learn about how aid works in poor countries, and what type of aid is truly effective. I could advocate from a place of experience, even expertise. It sounds like an important and worthwhile use of my time.

And then I think about the cost.

Plane tickets, appropriate clothing, medicines and inoculations, ground transport, food, housing - thousands of dollars for my travel and basic needs. Then there are my lost wages. A meaningful trip would last at least 30 days, probably longer. Thousands of dollars.

And then I think about the true cost. The opportunity cost.

The opportunity cost of my travel - the thousands spent and the thousands given up in lost wages - the opportunity cost is lives saved. I know enough to know that poor countries do not need free, unskilled labor. I would be there for my own knowledge, nothing more. There is little work I could do on the ground to save and improve lives. What they need is money. And rather than spend my money to gain first-hand knowledge of the problem, I could spend my money to solve the problem. I could trust the published research of experts in the field and direct my resources to those groups doing the best possible work.

Leila de Bruyne, founder of Flying Kites, blogged about "Voluntourism" in the Huffington Post. She reflects on her summer as a volunteer in a Kenyan orphanage:

"I spent a lot of time that year wondering if I had unintentionally exploited the children I'd traveled so far to meet. Did I help the little ones learn the days of the week and the older kids practice their written composition? Yes. Had my trip contributed in any significant way to a more just, safe life for them? No. I was a 19-year-old, providing unskilled labor, to deeply traumatized children, for a very short of amount of time. The price of my plane ticket would have been better spent on the salary of Kenyan teacher, a source of continuity for children who deserve it the most."

I recommend reading her blog in it's entirety. Flying Kites offers a different kind of volunteer experience for people interested in helping orphaned children in Kenya - and it involves a lot of fundraising.


-Selfish Blogger

The Christmas wish list

When I was a kid, I loved putting together a Christmas wish list. My parents were pretty good about getting me what I asked for, and they made certain I'd get one big ticket item along with some toys, clothes, and sweets.

By the time I was out of college, the Christmas wish list had lost its fun. It has become an exercise in finding items with a range of prices suitable to the varying income levels of my friends and family that I wouldn't hate having around if someone actually ended up buying them for me. I enjoy living a simple lifestyle, and I really don't want more stuff. Some of my friends feel the same way, and we have enjoyed a pleasant I-won't-get-you-anything-if-you-won't-get-me-anything holiday truce for years. Some economists agree that skipping gift-giving all together is a much more efficient allocation of resources.

For friends and family who insist on keeping the obligatory tradition to spend money on loved ones I've found an alternative to the wish list: the fundraising page.

Set a goal to raise money for they worthy cause of your choice, and direct your friends and relatives to spend their money on something useful - like moving a family in Kenya into the middle class - instead of on another ill-fitting sweater. Shift your gifts to someone who could really use a little something extra, and enjoy the warm feeling of making someone else's life better.

Your loved-ones may be more receptive to learning about the struggles of others around the holidays - it's a great time for outreach. Set-up your fundraising page and spread the word about what you want for Christmas. This year, I've set up a page with The Adventure Project. In addition to doing great work, their message is upbeat and presented in digestible graphics with short, punchy descriptions. Perfect for enticing giving from those who may not be familiar with the struggles of families in extreme poverty.

If the fundraising page may not go over well in your family, think of other approaches to moving money spent on gifts to money spent on charity. My best friend and I created our own tradition for birthdays and holidays after reading The Life You Can Save. We donate to a charity in the other's name and also give each other an affordable item under $10.


-Selfish Blogger