Episode 149 - Season 3 Replay: Jessica Blotter, Kind Traveler
In this special replay episode, we revisit one of the most popular episodes of Soul of Travel Season 3: Shaping Our Future.
Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Jessica Blotter, CEO and Co-Founder of Kind Traveler, the first socially conscious give + get hotel booking and media platform that empowers travelers to positively impact the communities they visit.
Jessica co-founded KindTraveler.com after witnessing extreme poverty on a vacation to Belize. Her efforts on behalf of Kind Traveler have been cited in 500+ news articles and earned awards from Newsweek (2021), Fast Company (2021), Travel + Leisure (2020), Lufthansa Innovation Hub (2019) and UNWTO (2019).
Jessica is a leader in the sustainable tourism movement and shares messages about traveling more kindly with travelers and travel industry members through her speaking engagements and journalism. Kind Traveler recently launched the Every Stay Gives Back Collection, a first-of-its-kind community impact program that features a collection of exceptional destinations, boutique gems, glamping experiences, and luxury resorts from around the world, where every guest stay with participating lodging and destination partners funds local charities that are important to the community.
Creating Kind Traveler
When Jessica visited Belize with a group of animal rescue volunteers who were also there to experience the tourism offerings, she recognized how difficult it was to pretend that poverty and illness were present everywhere they looked. Once her group chose to do something – in her case, purchase dog food for emaciated dogs in the neighborhood they visited – she recognized how powerful the urge to give back could be.
The more Jessica and her colleagues thought about the impact that could be made, the clearer the mission of Kind Traveler became. The “give and get” platform would create a pathway for giving that would, in turn, create more purposeful, meaningful, and engaging vacation experiences.
“Once you’re on the ground, it’s too late to figure out what charities or nonprofits to give back to…so most people don’t do anything, and they just live with traveler’s guilt, remaining apathetic. This, Jessica explains, is the opposite of what we need travel to be: empathetic.
“Empathy is what we need to create travel as a force to create enormous economic impact, create supportive communities, and advance environmental sustainability.”
The Lens of Kindness and Learning How to Support Communities as You Travel
For travelers looking to learn more about the potential positive impact they can have on communities and the environment while traveling, it’s essential to dig deeper into the ways we can get involved that will truly support rather than perpetuate harm. Voluntourism can be one way in which travelers feel like they are making a positive impact, but it is important to educate yourself on how your dollars and time are being used.
In general, five of every hundred dollars stays in the host community when we travel. By starting on the path of understanding where your money goes, you can make choices (like staying at smaller, community-owned boutique hotels or visiting local restaurants) that align with the “lens of kindness,” as Kind Traveler says.
Jessica explains that Kind Traveler aligns with four pillars of kindness: animal welfare, individual wellness, community impact, and environmental sustainability. Looking through this lens, it becomes more clear how your actions may impact one or more of these pillars. “Travel should really be looked at through this holistic lens,” says Jessica. “That’s the whole goal of sustainable tourism and responsible travel and regenerative travel; it’s to make those decisions in a holistic way.”
“Empathy is what we need to create travel as a force to create enormous economic impact, create supportive communities, and advance environmental sustainability.”
Soul of Travel Episode 149 At a Glance
In this conversation, Christine and Jessica discuss:
Jessica’s trip to Belize
The importance of making traveling sustainably easier for travelers
Why sustainable travel should be the rule, not the exception
The shift Jessica is seeing in the market toward more purposeful travel
Join Christine now for this soulful conversation with Jessica Blotter.
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Related UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goal #5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Sustainable Development Goal #6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Sustainable Development Goal #9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Sustainable Development Goal #10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Sustainable Development Goal #12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
Check out Kind Traveler on the web, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn!
Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Listen to Soul of Travel Episode 106, Women Making an Impact with Emily Goldfischer.
About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of people making a positive impact in the tourism industry. In each episode, you’ll hear the stories of women who are industry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders. Our expert guests represent social impact organizations, adventure-based community organizations, travel photography and videography, and entrepreneurs who know that travel is an opportunity for personal awareness and a vehicle for global change.
Join us to become a more educated and intentional traveler as you learn about new destinations, sustainable and regenerative travel, and community-based tourism. Industry professionals and those curious about a career in travel will also find value and purpose in our conversations.
We are thought leaders, action-takers, and heart-centered change-makers who inspire and create community. Join host Christine Winebrenner Irick for these soulful conversations with our global community of travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Nikki Padilla Rivera (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
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WE WON A BESSIE AWARD! The Bessie Awards recognize the achievements of women and gender-diverse people making an impact in the travel industry. To view the complete list of 2022’s winners, visit bessieawards.org.
Soul of Travel Episode 149 Transcript
Women’s travel, transformational travel, sustainable travel, women leaders in travel, social entrepreneurship
Christine: Welcome to the Soul of Travel podcast. I'm your host, Christine Winebrenner Irick. We are wrapping up season four of the Soul of Travel Podcast. In the meantime, we want to celebrate our soul of travel community and share some of the most listened to episodes of the past four seasons. In these best of replays, you'll hear from the guests who were interviewed on the most popular episodes from each of the past seasons. They'll give us a quick update on where they are now and share some of their favorite soul of travel moments. It is so great to be able to reflect back and reconnect with these guests. If you missed their episodes, I know you'll love hearing from them, and if you already listened in the past, I think you're going to love hearing their updates and listening again to learn new insights from these women creating a positive impact in travel. I cannot wait to be back with all new episodes in November. Until then, enjoy this soulful replay.
Jessica: Hi, this is Jessica Blotter, c e o and co-founder of Kind Traveler, and I'm excited to learn that my episode is the most listened to episode of season three. I love talking to Christine about the journey to build kind traveler, the first responsible travel platform that empowers travelers to positively impact the communities they visit through a collective partner network of 350 hotels, charities, and destinations in 25 countries. We also talked about the economic power of travel and how it can help heal the oceans and the climate crisis solve wildlife, extinction, and so much more. Lastly, we discussed how giving back to the places you visit helps to create more meaningful, emotionally connected and purpose-driven travel experiences. One of the things I have taken away from other guests is the dedication, passion, and commitment. Each guest shares in creating a more purposeful life through travel, but also a commitment to empower others to find more meaningful life experiences and soul connection with others and the planet through travel.
A favorite episode of mine that I would recommend you listen to is episode 1 0 6 with Emily Goldfischer of Hertelier about women making an impact in hospitality, and you can find that link in the show notes after my episode. Since my episode aired Kind Traveler is taking its mission a step further through the recent launch of the Every Stay Gives Back Community impact program for hotels and destinations. After a six month pilot where we mobilized $73,000 in donations with just 15 boutique hotels in six months, we're thrilled to share the new every state gifts back collection that ensures every guest stay, gives back to a local charity advancing community or environmental impact, regardless of where or how one books the hotel, I encourage you to explore the new collection over on kind traveler.com and find inspiration on the type of positive impact you can make simply by electing to vote with your dollars and stay with properties committed to sharing how your travel dollars are being reinvested back into the community. Thank you again for listening to my conversation and the podcast. I thank Christine for sharing the voices of so many women in helping to create a more equitable and soulful travel industry for all. Thank you.
Christine: Jessica Blotter is the c e o and co-founder of Kind Traveler, the first socially conscious give and get hotel booking and media platform that empowers travelers to positively impact the communities they visit. After a trip to Belize, Jessica and her co-founder asked, what if we could create a way for travelers to easily make a meaningful positive impact within the communities they visit and in turn be filled up with a greater sense of joy and purpose while traveling after years of development? Their answer was kind traveler.com. Through this give and Get booking model. Travelers unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks when they give a $10 nightly donation to a local charity that positively impacts a community visited or to a charity of their choice. That's noted on kind traveler.com. In this conversation, Jessica and I talk about her experience in Belize. That was the catalyst for kind traveler.
We talk about the importance of making traveling sustainably not only easier for travelers, but making it the rule and not the exception, and the shift she's seeing in the market towards more purposeful travel. This conversation was the perfect way to begin a new season, sharing the stories of women who are inspirational leaders, how travel has created awareness and shifts in their lives, and how that personal experience has inspired them to create change in the world. Welcome to season three of Soul of Travel Shaping our Future. Join me now for my soulful conversation with Jessica Lauder.
Christine: Welcome to Soul of Travel podcast. I'm Christine and I'm the host of this interview series and founder of Lotus Sojourns, and I am so excited today to be launching season three and to have Jessica Lauder from K Traveler joining me. So welcome Jessica.
Jessica: Thank you so much for having me, Christine. I'm so excited to chat with you today.
Christine: Thank you. So part of why I am so excited to have you here, as you already know, because we've been fortunate enough to connect in the past, I am a super fan of kind Traveler and when I first heard about it was just like dumbstruck. I'm like, oh my gosh, I cannot believe I did not think of this idea. It's so brilliant. And then really quickly learned that I'm so glad I did not think of this idea because I would not have wanted to have birthed it into being. So we'll talk about that a little bit, but yes, I'm really glad that was your mission and not mine. For those of you joining us. Kind Traveler is a platform that allows travelers to give a $10 nightly donation to a local charity that impacts the area directly where you are traveling. And the other thing that's really fun is they get to choose the charity that they're donating to and then as a thanks for that, then they are able to book with hotels at a discounted rate. Is that the gist of kind traveler?
Jessica: Well kind hotels that are or
Christine: Kind hotels,
Jessica: Yeah. That are profiled by their efforts and how they're advancing sustainability. Sustainability, individual wellness and community impact.
Christine: And
Jessica: Then through that give and get model, a hundred percent of donations go back to charity, which creates a triple win between the traveler, the charity and the hotel.
Christine: Yeah, so I just think it's so brilliant because as we know, we've seen that travelers are really looking for more purposeful travel, more meaningful travel and more responsible travel, but it's really can be overwhelming to try to determine what to do and what action to take and where to start. So I love that this gives them the ability in their planning phase to make an educated decision, like check a box and they're not in that paralysis of trying to figure out what to do and then not do anything at all
Jessica: Or just live with the traveler's guilt, which we call of the act of doing nothing and the psychological downside of that.
Christine: Yeah. Well, before we get too far into the conversation, I'm going to give you a moment to introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit more about who are and maybe a better introduction to kind traveler than my quick summary so people can have a fuller understanding.
Jessica: Thank you so much, Christine. Well, I'm so excited to be here. I'm Jessica Blotter, co-founder and c e o of Kind Traveler. I also serve on the board of directors for the Center for Responsible Travel, which is known as Crest in Washington dc. I'm also a speaker and a contributing journalist on sustainable tourism. And I started Kind Traveler, we actually launched it in late 2016, as Christine said, the world's first socially conscious give and get a hotel booking platform that empowers travelers to positively impact the communities that they visit. Since we've launched, we've aligned 140 hotels and over a hundred charities in 22 countries since launching. And all of those charities are aligned with addressing the UN global goals for sustainable development. And so essentially what that means, they're all acting to fight poverty, advance environmental sustainability, and advance equality in communities. The other thing that's really unique, unique about the platform is not only the way we tell the hotel story, but we create very transparent communication on what the hotel is doing to actually advance not just its sustainability and community impact, but also individual wellness, which we see as a much more holistic part of the conversation, sort of that theory that it, it's hard to express kindness to others and the environment when you're not being kind to yourself.
So we see wellness as a big part of the story. And then the other thing that's really unique and my favorite part of the platform is that we measure the exact impact that you'll make. So a $10 donation actually goes a really long way. And some of my favorite examples of that here in California, for example, we work with an organization called the Russian River Keeper up in Sonoma County, and one of my favorite examples is that $10 will help clean 250 pounds of trash out of the Russian River in Sonoma County up in wine country. So that's a huge impact metric to deliver on with just a $10 donation, I mean $10 with a local food bank, and that same region will provide 20 nutritious meals to Indian families. So there's all kinds of things that $10 will do, and we measure that impact for the traveler. So like you said, before you even step foot on a plane train or automobile, you'll note the impact that your dollars are making by your conscious choices of optimizing your travel dollars. So that's kind of the gist of the platform, and I guess it's fair to say we've been working on a 2.0 addition that we'll be releasing in the coming months that we're super excited about. I'm sure we can talk about that later in the show.
Christine: Yeah, excellent. One of the other things I really love specifically about your platform is that you book directly with the hotels, which I think is amazing from a consumer perspective because you're not stuck in that third party booking world. Can you talk about that a little bit? So travelers, they make their donation, they get the discount, earn the discount, and then they are directed to the hotel. Is that the right process?
Jessica: Yeah, no, it's interesting that you bring that up. One of the things that we're reiterating in our 2.0 model is currently it is correct, it's a two step process, but actually rather than creating two transactions of giving and then getting your exclusive rate 2.0 is actually ruling that all into one transaction to make it much easier.
It's still considered a direct booking to the hotel, but that transaction is going to just take place in one place on Kind Traveler. It just sort of cleans it up, makes it easier, we're swimming a bit more downstream and you're not having to give a donation before you're able to choose your room type and et cetera. So all in one place, all room types and options will be available. All the different rates that are available with our kind traveler exclusive rate that we negotiate with every hotel as well as the perks that are offered. And the perks are about a hundred to $150 in value of items such as perhaps a complimentary bottle of wine at check-in or extended late checkout or early check-in, things like that to just motivate the Travelers Act of kindness and giving back. But it's really that giving back piece that differentiates us from any other sustainable travel platform is tapping into the psychology and the need. In fact, 70% of travelers have this desire to impact communities, but the real challenge in the space is that half don't know how to do this and a third find it confusing. And so our platform is to make it easy, help travelers identify those local impact opportunities and get ahead of those before they even land so that they can enjoy their vacation even further.
Christine: I love that, and I think that is a really good segue to talk a little bit about how kind Traveler came to be. And for this series, for this season, what I really want to connect with leaders in the travel industry on is how travelers or how travel has impacted them and how that has inspired them to create a change in the world, which is, I mean, that's why you're the perfect guest to launch this because it's literally how kind Traveler came to be is this experience you had traveling. So if you wouldn't mind, I'd love for you to share about your time in Belize that kind of prompted and opened your eyes to this situation that the catalyst for it all.
Jessica: Yeah, of course. Yeah. Well, I had been leading up to that moment in Bay leaves. I think it's fair to say I started my career as an earth science teacher teaching underserved students in a school where they would be the first in their families to go to college. But it was really there where I found my heart for sustainability. I was teaching earth science, I really connected to that experience, but I did have a longing for something more. So I joined a startup, it was a lifestyle magazine and worked side by side with the founders. I was one of the first employees hired and it was really there where I found this longing for entrepreneurship, working in that entrepreneurial space, I became the associate publisher and helped grow the company in magnitude, but I had this deep desire to connect with something with more purpose.
The magazine focused on travel and fashion, and I took some press trips and I really honed in on this passion that I had for traveling. And I wasn't sure how all these things were going to tie together. I just knew I had this deep longing and I started volunteering a bunch at that time. And it was really through volunteering where I discovered that when I was engaged in the act of actively giving back my life as a whole just felt more connected, more on purpose, more meaningful, and I really wanted to create that meaningfulness in a very sustainable way. So it was something that I could experience every day. So I had that mindset going into my vacation to Bay. And when I went on this trip with my now co-founder of Kind Traveler, we went there. We were there to see the mind ruins and go caving and do the things you think of, but instead we saw a lot of poverty, which is not uncommon in developing countries, but it was extreme poverty where we saw families living in shacks next to polluted swamps.
I even saw a McDonald's bed floating by while women were washing their clothes in a river. And I saw a lot of emaciated dogs. And as animal rescue volunteers, it was very hard for us to turn a blind eye to what we saw. In fact, we found it impossible to get excited about the activities of the day and just sort of ignoring what we saw or what we witnessed as it related to the pollution, the families and the dogs. And because we couldn't do nothing, anything, we decided to feed the dogs. And when we started feeding them, so we were on a bus, it stopped at a local convenience store and it was sort of the last chance to grab snacks or water before this trip. And when we got off the bus, these dogs just approach you ribs protruding. I ran into the convenience store and they happened to have little baggies of dog food. So Sean and I grabbed as many as we could off the shelves and we ran back out and just started scattering it on the ground. And when we looked up, we saw all the other travelers coming out of the store carrying the little baggies of dog food. So we had unintentionally inspired this very small act of giving back. But then when we got back on the bus, the entire sentiment had shifted from this somber and sad feeling to this sense of joy, hope, and even a little bit of laughter.
So that feeling stayed with us as we thought about these other travelers are thinking the same thing, but they just needed a catalyst to engage them in that act of helping instead of turning a blind eye. So that feeling stayed with us for a really long time. And we started to think about how could we use our entrepreneurial skills, our passion for travel to create a pathway that would make it easy for travelers to give back to meaningful causes in the places that they visited without necessarily volunteering because not everybody wants or has the time to do a volunteerism trip. And so when we started brainstorming and thinking of this catalyst that travelers would need, we thought of the idea of the give and Get booking platform where we would in fact make it easy for travelers by aligning these wonderful causes with hotels also committed to philanthropic and sustainable efforts, and create this pathway for giving that would in turn create more purposeful and meaningful vacation experiences. And as we started to uncover the psychological effects of giving, in fact, when you give, whether it's donation or by volunteering, it releases endorphins in your brain that make you feel happier and more connected. And so that was really the perfect storm for the traveler that wants to have that vacation experience. And frankly, once you're on the ground, it's too late to try to figure out
What charities or nonprofits to give back to Are you going to volunteer or not? It's too late at that stage. So most people don't do anything and they just live with what we call traveler's guilt
Christine: And
Jessica: They remain apathetic, which is the opposite of what we need travel to be, which is empathetic and with empathy. And that's really what we need to create travel as a force that can create enormous positive economic impact, make communities, create supportive communities and advance environmental sustainability.
Christine: Thank you so much for sharing that journey. I know that when I first heard about Kind Traveler and your story and actually heard you speaking on a podcast, I immediately tied in because Belize is a real special place for me. I traveled there quite a lot with my husband and with my family, so I was immediately transported because I've been there and I could really resonate and connect with the picture you were painting. So I think
Jessica: Did you have a similar experience?
Christine: Yeah, and for me, I had traveled a lot prior to going, but my husband had never really been anywhere. And so we took a bus from one place to another, so we were traveling a lot through the countryside, and my husband, I could tell, was really being emotionally impacted by what he was seeing. And we were talking a lot about really actually the cultural empathy. You're having a reaction to yourself in this situation and really thinking about out. He was really like, there's not electricity here. There's not this here. There's not this here and that part of our brain that is wired to kick in and help starts you in one direction. And I think that's really valuable. And the moment of pause that I asked for him, and I was like, just look again as we're taking this bus look again, because you're seeing all these expectations you would have for reality.
And I said, notice the people. Notice the children, notice the moms. And then he was like, okay, I've paid attention. I said, did they look happy or sad? And he was like, they looked really happy. And I'm like, we often have this notion from the western world of what life needs to look like to feel fulfilled. And I said, they're not commuting. I spent four hours in my car yesterday doing driveline twice and dance pickup and doctor's appointments and all this kind of stuff that took from just my ability to be. And I said, they're spending all this time with their family and their extended family, which I long for. And so I was like, we can't judge it on the same spectrum. There's different burdens and different blessings. And so that was one moment. It was really fun to get to go through that with him for the first time in that space. And so I think that's one thing as a traveler is to, it's really hard to do, but to try to peel yourself out of your shell a little bit and sit in the space and the place where you are and then really observe from that moment. And I think what we have talked about too with volunteerism is looking at really meeting the needs that exist. Instead of that I need to do something gut reaction,
Take that because propelling you forward, but then pause and say, but what needs to be done?
Jessica: What is the most impactful way that you can spend your time or money to actually make a true, meaningful, positive impact to that community? And that can often be confusing, seen voluntourism go bad. And so yeah, there's a lot of confusion in that space, and frankly, that's one of the challenges that we're trying to solve. I mean also that $5 of every a hundred dollars spent from international travelers actually stays in that community. So that's another challenge that all communities should have the opportunity to benefit from tourism equally. And that's just frankly not the case of the current climate.
Christine: And I think that one of the things that's so powerful about conversations these is I think it just opens open doors to awareness. And so it doesn't always mean that there's the immediate right answer to fix things, but starting to ask the questions I think is more sometimes even more valuable than needing to have an answer and then inviting more people into the conversation. And I also love, like I said before, that kind traveler kind of erases some of the fear or hesitancy. So if you have had this awareness, you're unsure about how volunteerism can be beneficial or negative, you're worried about where you're giving, you're vetting these organizations that you're working with, so you already know the impact that it's going to be created. So I love that that creates a real user-friendly, friendly process. It really makes it less
Jessica: Comfortable. And on that note, with the charities, because we have to put contracts in place with every single charity that we fundraise for, we also ask them what are ways that travelers can get involved if there are things beyond donating that a traveler can do to support these different nonprofits? We'll list 'em on the charity page, on the kind traveler platform. And so up in Sonoma, I was talking about the Russian river keeper, and I think it's every Wednesday you can sign up for a river cleanup event or with the food bank up there, you can sign up within I think two days and join a food bank, food bank drive. And so there's lots of things you can do with the cinema land trust even you can go on a docent led birdwatching tour. So I mean, there are so many things that you can do as well beyond the donation that I think that we're really looking to bring forward and communicate as well as the other thing that we'll communicate is why is this charity so important to this community?
And we go into detail and talk about that and also how are they doing the work that they're doing? Because it's really important to educate the consumer or the traveler on what it actually means and what their dollars are doing. And then they can have a more comprehensive and holistic view of why these organizations play such a pivotal role in the destination's wellbeing. And then you can either choose to be a part of that story if you resonated or resonate with it or maybe support the organization in a different way, but it brings that to the forefront of the conversation.
Christine: I think it really allows for a deeper connection to the place that you're traveling to as well, because if you are just booking your hotel, your accommodation, your tour, you show up, you are kind of having this experience of yourself in this destination, but you're not really deeply connecting to it. But if you start on this path of understanding, choosing a charity, learning about the impact, you're already more invested as a traveler in the destination. And then I think that opens the door to maybe other choices. So maybe before you didn't know that X, Y, Z dollars are left in the community, so then you just learn that. So you're thinking, well, when I'm there, what are the restaurants I'm eating at? Who's my tour guide? Can I ask where they're from? Again, it creates more questions, but then that is going to allow the traveler to make other choices that they might not have before.
Jessica: And that's absolutely right. It's all about looking through this lens of kindness as we say, when you're making all of your travel decisions from how are you arriving to the destination to where are you staying and what are you doing once you're on the ground and how is every single dollar being invested to support hotels, airlines, tour operators, activities, restaurants, et cetera, in a way that supports communities and the environment. And so it's really the power of the traveler and the power of voting with your dollar that is so impactful. And kind of thinking through that lens, when we look at the lens of kindness and kind traveler, we kind of think of that lens having four pillars, pillar and it's animal welfare, individual wellness, community impact, and environmental sustainability. And we've sort of color coded that lens. So we always can think about that lens of kindness.
And then how are my actions either hurting or helping within each of those sectors, not just about individual wellness, it's about wellness to others too, and how do your actions perhaps protect the health and wellbeing, which becomes really important during a pandemic. And so travel should really be looked through this holistic lens that considers all of those things and that travelers should really realize the power of their dollar and their decisions throughout the entire journey. That can essentially create an enormous positive impact if used responsibly. And that's kind of the whole goal of sustainable tourism and responsible travel and regenerative travel is to make those decisions in a holistic way.
Christine: Yeah, I was just going to say that for travelers that are listening, that's literally the roadmap for creating a sustainable travel experience, but it's really doing it in a way that any person can understand without needing to have a great understanding of sustainable travel initiatives. Or it's like, ask this question, find this answer, ask this question, find this answer, and it makes it less intimidating again, and more accessible. I did want to kind of tie into that part of the beginning of soul of travel and for me was painting the picture of travel with broader strokes where consumers travel is this peak moment and this peak experience, but all of these things happen before we arrive and all of these things happen afterward, and those are kind of unknown. I kind of akin it to a wave. We see the crest of the wave, but all of these things have happened before that moment.
And as we know that tourism industry is one of the largest industries, if not the largest industry in the world, one in 10 globally are employed. So when we look at this impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry, it really is deeply impactful in a way that I think a lot of people don't fully understand. And so when we come back with this lens of sustainability in creating these experiences this way, then we have the opportunity to create a more healing return to travel in a more expedited way. I don't know if you want to speak to how that is a part of your philosophy as well.
Jessica: Yeah, no, of course. I mean, like you said, in 2019, travel and tourism made up 10 trillion G d P of the global economy. And during covid, I mean, a big portion of that was largely erased. In fact, I think it's 30% of all global poverty alleviation efforts were erased during covid. Like 30% of all efforts were erased. And so that economic impact has to be considered, and it's really, if we can look at this as the travel industry is this enormous potential to create either positive or negative impact because we also know the negative side of what travel can do. It can create enormous carbon emissions, it can lead to overdevelopment, it can use resources in an unsustainable way, polluting air, water, and land. So we have to be mindful of the negative impacts that travel can create first. And then once we're aware of those and we've done our homework, then we can start to look at how can our actions actually create a positive impact because we don't want to not travel because of the economic impact and the social and the psychological benefits of it to create a more unified planet essentially.
And we have to recognize it's economic potential to support communities, but it just has to be done in a thoughtful, kind, responsible, sustainable way.
And so that's really the conversation in the industry is how can we do that and how can every operator in the industry, from hotels, airlines, tour operators, to the traveler itself, to the media, to every stakeholder, governments, academia, all the stakeholders in the industry, how can we work together and create these pathways that are truly sustainable and even regenerative? And so that's the conversation that's happening right now, and there's lots and lots of room for opportunity there because we have such this enormous challenge that frankly has got the planet in lot of trouble. We're facing a climate crisis. We have more plant and animal species going extinct more so than any other time in history. And we have this economic loss from Covid that is pushing communities into poverty in even more extreme poverty in some cases. And so the rebuilding responsibly conversation is really important right now for us all to consider when we go back out into the world, how are we going to be a force that is part of the conversation and in advancing a kinder future for travel. So that's kind of what we all need to be thinking about right now.
Christine: Yeah, I mean, I have loved the last, witnessing the last 18 months in this industry, 20 months seeing the people who were already doing this. Well really step up into leadership roles and bring these conversations to the table. For me, it's been a super exciting time to be a part of the industry, have not been waiting for a global pandemic obviously, but I have been waiting for this moment since I started in tourism 20 years ago, just waiting for more and more people to be open to having this conversation. And it feels like, I don't know, every month or so there's this new topic that becomes the one that is on the table. And none of them have been easy. None of them have been comfortable topics. I mean, looking at climate change and connection with tourism, looking at oppression in countries related to tourism, there is so many things that have surfaced, and I feel really proud of the people that haven't walked away from it.
They have said, whoa, this is a mess. This is worse than we thought, or we weren't aware that this was happening on this scale. And they didn't say, but it's not mine. I don't need to deal with it. They've been saying, how can we do that? And organizations like Crest that you mentioned, I mean, they're also deciding not to do it alone. They're aligning with other organizations that are like-minded, have similar values to see what even greater impact they can create. So I don't know if you have felt the same, but I have just seen this lens of opportunity and possibility just coming through the industry, and it's been really cool to see it.
Jessica: Yeah, no, I certainly agree with that. I mean, every challenge is an opportunity and covid has pushed the conversation forward in a much faster way as people have become more aware of how their individual impacts can affect not only the health and wellbeing of others, but the planet as a whole. So I'm excited for the future of sustainable tourism and where it's heading and super thankful for organizations like Crest who are creating very important educational resources for the industry. I mean, it's really impossible to move forward without education. And that's frankly why I joined the board is because these educational resources can help any travel business or thought leader in travel regardless of where they are at in their journey. Because sustainability is a journey. It doesn't happen in isolation, it doesn't happen overnight. It's a continuing journey. But we need education to move the journey forward.
And so it's really important for us all to be keen on immersing ourselves in those resources and really understanding the conversation deeply in terms of what is happening as related to the climate crisis as related to species extinction, as related to some of these other big challenges that the planet faces, because that all can feel super overwhelming. But if you immerse in education, then you can look can start with yourself, and you can start by asking those questions that you were talking about. What can I do today and in my future, whether it's travels or everyday life to minimize my impact, but also create positive impact. But I think it all starts with education, and that's such a big part of this conversation that I think needs to be said and knowing that Crest offers so many free resources that anybody can join a webinar, read a book, read a case study, and start with the most basic simples things through that.
Christine: Yeah, I would agree that the amount of content being created throughout the industry as well, that is accessible to travelers and industry professionals to help spearhead these conversations and engagement has been a little bit mind blowing. I have sat in webinar series, for example with Crest and probably gotten as much impactful and valuable information through those free series as I did through much of my master's in sustainable destination management. People are so willing to give of themselves to create the world and the future that they want to see right now that it's such an optimal time for people to just soak that up and be able to put into practice whatever resonates for them in that moment. And like you said, it's this journey and this continuum. And I think much not knowing what travel choices to make when booking a hotel, people often don't start the sustainability journey in their personal life or their travel life because they don't, they're afraid of getting it wrong, or they're looking from the beginning clear to the end and knowing like, well, I can't get there, so I'm not going to try. And so inviting travelers to just take one step and then see what you've learned, and then you probably can't do all the things at once, but if you're really interested in animal welfare, then look at that and look at how you can incorporate that in your travel. And then when you have those travel experiences, you're more likely then to even bring that back into your daily life. And so I think that it's really cool to think about this as an invitation into the journey and not this end all be all process.
Jessica: Absolutely. I mean, we have to recognize that all of our voices matter a lot. I mean, when you look at pre covid, 1.4 billion travelers took trips in 2019. So the mass impact of those travelers that they were all responsible travelers using their voice, voting with their dollar, the positive impact that that could create would be palpable. But when it comes to also using your voice and speaking up, we need to ask hotels, airlines, tour operators, et cetera, to what are they doing? We need to motivate them ask, do you have a plant-based menu? For me that's a low hanging fruit item because it's one of the most sustainable things that you can do as a hotel because there's all this research and evidence around how sourcing plant-based is going to reduce carbon emissions, support animal welfare, even support local communities.
But we have to ask for those things, and they're not just going to automatically happen. The same with plastic waste. If you want to see refillable water stations on every floor or at least one in a hotel, then you need to speak up and ask for that, and we all can be vocal. And I think we all have to just know and realize that our voices really do matter. And so it's knowing what to ask for and also feeling the good benefits of making those decisions that are positive. It actually feels good. And so for travel, that creates those feel good feelings for me. I mean, the responsible pathway is full of those feel good moments that in turn create more meaningful, memorable, fulfilled, purposeful vacation experiences. Isn't that at the end of the day, what we're all looking for when we go on a vacation, we want to get the most out of it. We want to feel as good as possible.
Christine: So
Jessica: Immersing in that pathway seems like an obvious answer to do that.
Christine: Yeah, I love that you mentioned the kind of low hanging fruit, and that's such a great example too, asking about the menu options and then the water bottles. Actually, my gateway is always the water bottle. And I remember the first time that I took a trip and I'm like, I will not purchase any water bottles.
Jessica: You just refuse plastic the whole
Christine: Time when I'm traveling. And that's hard. Some places, if you are traveling in Europe or something, it might not be as difficult, but when I'm in Africa in South America, then you're thinking about, okay, well then where's my water coming from? And so I have a water filtration water bottle that it's like a French press. You put your water out of your tap and there, press it, drink it. I've had friends that said they have literally scooped up river water, pressed it and drank it, which I have not done yet. I'm a little more intimidated about that, but definitely just my everyday water. And then I carry another water bottle, so I will pour that one into that and then have another one ready to go. And I've done it. So now I've traveled for 10 days with that. I have bamboo utensils that are in my backpack. So it seems kind of overwhelming. And if you have traveled in that setting where you're constantly thinking about water, I mean it's really terrifying to think about not having safe drinking water. But the other thing that it really makes you aware of is when you're in those communities, where's their water coming from? How is that water impacting their quality of life? And so your action creates, again, more questions that allow you to become more engaged and look for more ways that we can create solutions to problems. So
Jessica: I mean, it's hard to create a new normal, and we're actually asking travelers to create a new normal where the new normal is bringing your reusable water bottle and refusing plastic throughout the journey. So what do you have to do to do that? You have to bring your own bamboo cutlery. You might have to bring a reusable cup, you might have to bring reusable tote bags, but you kind of have to gear up and plan for that because that is kind of that journey. And we can't wait for brands and airlines, hotels to, of course, we want them to make it easy for travelers and we need a voice up in times where they could be more sustainable and as it relates to those things. But as travelers, we have to take that responsibility into our own hands. And it's not always easy to have to refuse when you're constantly being handed plastic and styrofoam at every turn, but that is kind of the journey and the new normal that eventually becomes the new normal
Christine: And it creates great conversations. I had that opportunity in Peru where I was like, this is how I want to bring travelers. I want to do it this way. We're not going to have water bottles. And these operators and tour guides have been told for 20 years that in order to bring travelers here, you have to provide them this water. And so they're answering that first ask. So now if we say, well, now our ask is we need to know where we can refill our water bottles or can we get one large container of water that we fill over, but everybody in our group can fill our water bottle out of so that we're lessening our impact that way. And I have found that they got really excited to be able to answer, to solve a new problem with us. They were giving us the solution we already asked for once and didn't maybe know now this is what we're looking for. And so it invites them into that process as well.
Jessica: Yeah, it makes them feel engaged and involved, and it starts with those low hanging fruit items and that can, like you said, be the gateway to do even more.
Christine: Yeah, and then you're thinking about, well, my toothbrush and my toothpaste, and what else is in my backpack that I can get curious about creating an impact?
Jessica: And then also the way that you're spending your money, can I support local mom and pop shops and restaurants? Can I avoid buying plastic souvenirs and instead buy locally made artisanal products that support local artists that of course don't use any animal skins or animal parts. Can I support activities that animal entertainment internationally is a big one that I think even needs to be talked about even more, but there's still tour operators that are creating dolphin riding experiences or writing elephants or all of these things. That is also a big shift with the conscious travelers avoiding any type of entertainment that is going to exploit an animal or a human for that matter. But there's so many facets, and that's why I always say, well, just look through the lens of kindness. If you're looking through that lens, you're going to make sure you cover everything that you need to think about.
Christine: And I think as travelers, the traditional model is really this kind of meeting the demands of the travel, providing them the entertainment, providing them ease, providing them access. And so also as a traveler, we're used to being in this space where we don't have to think about anything, and it's almost as if during this five to 10 days, there's no consequences for our actions. Maybe in our normal life, we wouldn't choose this thing. It wouldn't be something we would normally do, but it's on a tour and it's amazing and it's entertaining and I'm here and it's a part of this experience, and it's like what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but not in Cairo and Kenya and all these places. Just shifting that, wait, maybe I should be asking, maybe I should be saying, would I do this at home? Is this aligned with my everyday values? Should I have permission to give myself room to take part in something that's against what I normally believe in?
Jessica: I think so. I mean, I think if you're starting to ask yourself that question in those types of decision, there's probably a good chance that it needs more investigation that I agree. There's this feeling or this notion of like, oh, okay, if the tour operator is offering, okay, here, take a picture with a little monkey on your shoulder, you're on a holiday, it must be okay, not you have to, if you're starting to question if that's okay, you're probably at the point where we need to listen to our intuition essentially and listen to our gut. If something doesn't feel quite right, probably isn't. So it doesn't have to be rocket science to figure this out. It can just be looking through this lens of am I advancing animal welfare? Am I supporting local communities? Am I being conscious to the environment? Am I thinking about my own health and wellbeing as well as wellbeing of others? I think that once we start to shift our consciousness to look through that lens, then we'll avoid bad decision making.
Christine: Yeah. I think another thing that can happen is that you have this new awareness. You want to make these choices, but in doing so, you also have to look at the past you that has traveled and made those choices, and it's almost by choosing this new path, you are saying, I did it wrong before. And people get really uncomfortable with that. I think that's happening across the board socially with a lot of issues. But again, for people listening, maybe this being an opportunity and inviting you to just take the next right step moving forward,
Jessica: And
Christine: Not to have to chastise yourself for things you didn't know in the past,
Jessica: We didn't know. I mean, it's only until you step into a world of consciousness that you start to uncover and everybody reaches that at a different point in, we absolutely can't hold ourselves guilty because we've all made those bad decisions. We've all been in a situation at one point where maybe it wasn't the most perfect decision, but we have to evolve and learn. And that's why immersing in education will create sort of this hyper awareness and consciousness that's needed. But that's a path and that's a journey. And the truth is it doesn't matter where you are. And in that journey, it's never too late to just jump in and start with a low hanging fruit, and it doesn't have to be intimidating at all, but nobody certainly, we need to support those decisions and encourage people and not get sucked into any shaming in those decisions that doesn't actually create progression,
Christine: Yeah's stagnation when you're stuck there in that space. Well, I feel like there is still so much that we could talk about, but I want to be conscious of your time and our listeners' time today. Before we go, I did want to just come back to you mentioned that your 2.0 version of your website is coming soon. I wanted to talk about what is that going to offer people who are visiting your site in the future and what can they be looking forward to?
Jessica: Oh, thanks so much, Christine. Yes, so we've been working on some new technology over the last eight months, and we'll be launching a new website very soon. We don't have an exact launch date yet, but are hoping to start doing some private behind the scene previews in November. But essentially we have created a more optimized ui ux experience for travelers to have an amazing user experience. We've brought the impact metrics forward onto the site, so right now you have to get through a few clicks until you find those unique impact metrics where those things are the bread and butter of what makes our platform so unique. And so we've created some new pathways. There's lots of other little updates, but we're launching with 40 new kind hotels that have joined us that are not currently live on the platform, but will be live with 2.0.
And we've also identified and created partnerships with 15 new charities, and many of these opportunities are in countries that we're not currently in. So we'll be expanding to much more greater international presence with some really amazing partners and tourism boards that are really dedicated to this movement as well. So we can't wait to go live with this new platform and see things full circle after. We did a ton of surveys earlier in the year in our newsletter, and we just received some really amazing feedback that we wanted to act on. And so it's all about evolving and improving the experience and the technology and the opportunity for positive impact, which is what we're most excited about.
Christine: Yeah, excellent. Well, congratulations on that. I can't wait to see when it launches. And I also want to just congratulate you on the success that you guys have seen so far. I know you recently were honored as one of news for receiving Newsweek's feature of travel award for technology, and it's so exciting to see businesses like yourselves really moving forward and showing the way you are shaping the future of what tourism will be like. And I'm just excited to see this continue to build and I finally feel like it's not going to be one step forward and two steps back anymore. I think it's just going to be steps forward. And so I'm just excited.
Jessica: Thank you so much for that. I really appreciate the congratulations. We were so honored for that opportunity. And it's honestly, those little things that happen, those awards that kind of just show us, they're like little guideposts to us, keep going, keep going. You're in the right direction because frankly, it's been a really hard journey. Like you said, you wouldn't want to have been the one to have birthed this thing. And sometimes I ask yourself that same question like why? But I'm so deeply connected and I really can't imagine doing anything else, but it certainly has not been an easy road in any sort of way. But I'm super grateful for your support and the interest that has evolved in this space. And like you said, I really think that the future is looking super positive for sustainable tourism.
Christine: Well, before we do the wrap up with the rapid fire questions, how can people find kind traveler if they're ready to book for their next trip?
Jessica: So I would encourage you to head on over to kind traveler.com. You can sign up for our newsletter. We have a weekly newsletter where you'll be updated on any new hotels or charity or positive impact opportunities to give back. Also, we do a really fun giveaway every single month, and so you'll find out about those giveaways. And then also, of course, you can follow us on social media, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn is where we're hanging out. So I encourage you to connect with us on those platforms and we'd love to talk more with you if you're interested in learning more about what we're up to.
Christine: Yeah, excellent. Thank you. And I really encourage people to look because even if you're not traveling right now, there's just so many resources for thinking about how you might travel to get inspired for traveling in the, you might just see something that actually becomes the catalyst for your next trip because you really want to visit one of these unique properties and be able to give back and be connected to a destination. So
Jessica: Thank
Christine: You, Christina.
Jessica: I really appreciate that.
Christine: You're welcome. So the rapid fire, we're going to go there. So what is your favorite book or movie that inspires adventure or a travel escape?
Jessica: And these are questions that I was not supposed to study for right now. I feel like, did I miss something? Nope. I didn't know that there was rapid fire. Well, I have this amazing collection of books behind me that have all really inspired me in some way for or another, I'm going to say that I have a really hard time deciding I'm such a bookworm, but I have some amazing books that actually recently, this is not rapid fire, is it? It's
Christine: Okay. It never is, so I need to rename it, but I don't know what the name is. Almost Rapid Fire.
Jessica: Yeah. Anyways, we recently did a blog post on the best responsible travel books. It's our latest post, and there you'd find all my favorite travel books for inspiration. So
Christine: Yeah, that's
Jessica: My long-winded answer.
Christine: I have one right here, one backwards, one beyond goat trips. It's so good. Yeah, I would encourage that would be a great place for people that have been inspired by this conversation to start learning more, I think.
Jessica: Yes.
Christine: Let's see. What is always in your suitcase?
Jessica: Well, always, we talked about reusable water bottle cutlery, always a to-go bag and always yoga mat and some tea. I always bring tea with me and maybe some essential oils. Anything that I can do to create relaxation, I'm always going to bring it with me.
Christine: Yeah, that sounds pretty similar to me as well. What has been your favorite destination?
Jessica: We went to Germany before the world closed down in December, 2019, and I really fell in love with it. Southern Germany, we were in the Bavarian Alps and I took a wellness, sort of a wellness road trip, if you will, to find the best wellness resorts, and I actually did a blog post on that as well. But I loved everything about Germany and we're actually going back to Switzerland next month for a really similar opportunity that we were invited to present kind traveler at the World Tourism Forum in Switzerland. Excellent. And so I'm so excited for that and I kind of have a feeling that it'll be very similar experience, but different.
Christine: Yeah, the mountains. I haven't been, oddly, I have never been to anywhere in Europe, which feels weird as someone, it's like the last continent besides Antarctica that I have left is Europe, which is very bizarre, but I'm going to get there soon. Yes. Let's see. Where do you still long to visit?
Jessica: I have so many longings, so I really long to visit all of our kind hotel and destination partners because it's really there that I'm doing this work. I'm aligning these charities, creating all these partnerships, and one of the most gratifying things ever for me is to go visit these charities and see their work. In fact, we did an ambassador trip to the Marine Mammal Care Center a couple years ago and told this story about how you can support ocean conservation when traveling kindly and supporting marine mammals, and it was hands down one of my favorite experiences and it was actually locally in Los Angeles, but that's really what I long to do. We have, like I said, 22 countries, so I got a lot of traveling to do, but it's really like because we have these partnerships, I think that's just what makes it feel so special, and that's the work that motivates me is to see the impact coming to life.
Christine: Yeah, I agree. Over the past year now doing these conversations and I've talked to women working with organizations all over the world, I just can't wait now to go see them and be engaged and learn more about their projects with boots on the ground and
Jessica: Experience
Christine: It. The other thing that I love is that you mentioned that that impactful experience that you had was in your backyard, and so that people can be inspired to create impact and have powerful and rewarding experiences without traveling a long distance. Right?
Jessica: Absolutely. Yeah. You don't have to look far to have an incredible, I mean, here in the US we have so many wonderful things, but anywhere, I mean, there's always something new to be discovered, not far, so it really doesn't have to be far. I agree.
Christine: What is something you eat that immediately connects you to a place you've been?
Jessica: Well, I'm a plant-based diet, so I kind of stick to a certain set of eating principles, but gosh, that's a tough one. I guess when I was in Germany, it was in December, and I had a chance to go to Christmas market in five different Christmas markets in Germany and in Austria. And so I guess when ever I drank mold cider or the glue vine as they call it, I would be connected right back to that Christmas market, which really is one of the most magical experiences. If you ever go to Germany or there's a couple places where they have Christmas market, but it's all over Germany and it is really special.
Christine: Yeah, that's been on my wishlist. My family has German heritage and that's one of the things I've always wanted to do. Who was the person that inspired or encouraged you to explore the world?
Jessica: I think that would be my dad growing up. I have an uncle that lives in Colorado. I'm originally from Pennsylvania, and we would go out to visit him in Colorado and go skiing, and that was really something so different than the east coast, and my mind at a very young age was kind of open to the west and to this idea that there's this big world outside of Pittsburgh where I was from, but I think it was those early trips with my dad that inspired my early love for travel.
Christine: If you could take an adventure with one person, fictional or real, alive or past, who would it be?
Jessica: Well, one of my biggest heroes is Jane Goodall, so if I could take a trip with her and go visit some of her sanctuaries and see her work in Africa, I think that would be pretty powerful for me. Yeah,
Christine: That would be amazing. I think a lot of people would be really moved by that type of experience.
Jessica: I actually have one of our books here, it's called A Prayer for World Peace, and it's an amazing little book that everybody should check out.
Christine: Yeah. Well, Jessica, thank you so much for helping me to start season three and just, it's been such a great example of women in this industry who are helping to shape our future, and I just am really grateful for the connection and to learn more about Kind Traveler and to share how people can learn about you and support the work you're doing.
Jessica: I thanks so much, Christine. I certainly love the work that you're doing as well and just feel so honored to be part of your show and really just appreciate everything that you're doing to educate an industry towards a kinder way of traveling. So thank you for all of the work that you're doing as well. It was truly a pleasure to connect today, so thank you for that.
Christine: Thank you. Thank You for listening to the Soul of Travel podcast, Presented By Journey Woman.
Christine: I hope you enjoyed this journey. If you loved this conversation, I encourage you to subscribe and rate the podcast.
Christine: Please share episodes that inspire you with others because this is how we extend the impact of this show. Learn more about each of my guests by reading our episode blogs, which are more than your average show notes. I think you'll love the connection. Find our episode blogs at www.souloftravelpodcast.com. I'm so proud of the way these conversations are bringing together people from around the world. If this sounds like your community, welcome, I am so happy you are here. I am all about community and would love to connect. You can find me on Facebook at Soul of Travel podcast or follow me on Instagram at either she dot sojourns or at Soul of Travel podcast. Stay up to date by joining the Soul of Travel podcast mailing list. You'll also want to explore Journey Women Community and it's resources for women travelers over 50. A quick thank you to my podcast producer and content magician, Carly Eduardo, c e o of Convergent. Thank you for supporting me in my mission to amplify the voices of women in tourism. I look forward to getting to know you and hopefully hear your story.
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