"Could a person who had no money travel around the world relying on the generosity of strangers?"
This is the question that I posed to some of my students last spring at Southeast Whitfield High School in Dalton, Georgia, while we were discussing the topic of whether people are basically good or basically evil.
Personally, I believe almost all people are trustworthy and will often go to great lengths to help others, if given the chance, but the class never came to a consensus, which led me to the idea of trying to find out for myself if I could travel on nothing but benevolence. That is how this blog was born.
So where will I travel?
That's up to you. I want to have as much input and interaction as possible for my trip, especially from my students, so you get to vote.
On the right side of my blog, I've listed 12 countries that I've never visited and would like to learn more about. Five of the locations (China, Colombia, El Salvador, Micronesia and Vietnam) are the native countries of students I've taught over the years in my work as a teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
Please vote on which country you'd like me to visit. On April 1, 2010, I'll close the poll and travel to the top vote getter. If funds are available, I will also visit the second and third country on the list. I'll make the trip during my summer break in 2010.
(The world back in 2010 voted to send me to Turkey, and a benefactor graciously offered to donate my plane ticket. Check out my April 26, 2010, post, "An Unexpected Gift," for more details).
If I don't have enough funds by May 15 to buy an airline ticket, I will cancel the trip and donate the money to charity. I'm afraid if I wait any later than that a last-minute plane ticket would be too expensive.
So what will I do when I get there?
That's also up to you. Once the list has been narrowed to the top three countries, I will accept suggestions on my blog of what to visit. It could be a place. It could be a particular organization that is doing positive work in the country, such as a social service agency that normally doesn't get recognized. It could be a particular person that is making a difference in the country that you'd like the rest of the world to know about.
Wherever I visit, I will post the information on the blog to shed more light on the person, place, or organization, so that we can all learn something together. The purpose of my trip is to not lie on a beach but to delve into new cultures and write about what I see.
How are you going to pay for it all?
Once again, that’s up to you. This is an experiment that different people might call different things - relying on benevolence, divine providence or even trusting the universe.
With that in mind, I am starting the journey with no money and will travel as far as the universe takes me.
Any monetary donations, however large or small, would be greatly appreciated, or if you happen to be the president of an airline and would like to donate a ticket, that would also be wonderful. I have never lost my love of backpacking, so I tend to travel very cheaply and would use the money wisely.
If giving money doesn't seem appropriate, benevolence comes in many other forms. Once I know which countries I'll visit, I would welcome any private offers of meals or accommodations, however simple they might be. Some of my best travel experiences have been staying with families, rather than in hotels, and I would share all of these new experiences on my blog, as well.
If you would like to make a monetary donation, please use my PayPal account that I have set up. The donation button is on the right side of the blog. You DO NOT need to set up a PayPal account to make a donation. (The PayPal button was removed at the conclusion of the journey.)
What if you don’t raise enough money to travel, or you have money left over after the trip?
This blog is an experiment in benevolence, and I want to contribute something financially, as well.
If I can't raise enough money to take my trip in the summer of 2010, I will donate all of the collected money to charity. Also, if any money is left over after my trip, I will donate that money, too.
(Money was left over for charity. See "Final Breakdown of Expenses" on the right side of my blog, directly under "Images of Turkey.")
On the right side of the blog, I have listed ten charities that the American Institute of Philanthropy has given an “A” rating (as of 8/01/09). All of the charities have a worldwide focus. Please vote on your favorite charity. If any money is left from the trip, I will split the excess money evenly among the top three vote getters.
(The polls are now closed. Check out my April 1 post for the details).
How do I know this isn't a scam?
First of all, I have already given you the name of my school, Southeast Whitfield High School in Dalton, Georgia, and given you my own name. Feel free to look me up on my school’s web site, so you can see that I am who I claim to be.
As for the money, my friend Joanie Sompayrac, who is an accountant (CPA), has volunteered to post monthly financial statements to my blog. That way, you will know how much money has been donated. Also, when I take my trip, I will post how every cent is being spent.
Final Thoughts
I'm a big believer in the power of a single individual and the power of a single idea, which is why I decided to turn to individuals, not organizations or corporations, to help me in this quest. Also, I'm a big believer in the power of the internet, which is why I am using this forum for my experiment.
At the same time, I want to show my students how one small idea can spread like ripples in a lake, so I'm doing no other fund-raising or seeking any other forms of publicity, other than this blog.
Finally, I hope that through this blog my students will learn that anything is possible.
I have no idea where this experiment will lead. I'm just throwing my idea into the universe to see what happens. Can a person travel around the world relying on the generosity of strangers? Stay tuned, and we'll find out together!
Mark, I am really excited about your experiment. I have created a Facebook group that people can join called "Mark Dickinson's Experimental Adventure" as one more way to get the message about about what you are doing. Morever, because I am such a believer in what you are doing, I am pledging some of my frequent flyer miles to help you out. I will also donate some $$ because I think this is an amazingly worthy effort.
ReplyDeleteJoanie
Joanie, that is extremely generous of you. Thanks for your support.
ReplyDeleteMark:
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea. I look forward to following your adventures. I just saw the link on Facebook and found your blog.
Too bad you are not traveling sooner because I could show you a great time here in Tonga, but I'll be back in the USA by the time you start.
Steve
Thanks for your post. Steve is on an adventure of his own in the Peace Corps. Check out his blog at http://blog.stevesadventure.com/
ReplyDeleteWhat up!?!?! You need to get your story out to the media so Green Room PR is going to donate an online press kit and pitch your story out there. I'll give you a call so we can gather the info. Anyway it's been too long and we need to catch up.
ReplyDeleteTalk soon. Deb Sittig
Thank you for your generosity. It was great to hear from you, and I look forward to catching up. Since we haven't talked in awhile, I have no idea how you came across my blog. As I've said, I want to show how ideas can spread like ripples in a lake. Three days ago, I threw the stone in the lake in Dalton, Georgia, and already, the ripples have made it up to you in New Jersey.
ReplyDeleteYou go Mark!! Great idea and I wish you much luck. Take a camera!!! I work for WTCI now - the local PBS station. THis would make a great PBS program if we could find funding.
ReplyDeleteSara Maloney
WTCI- 423-702-7816
Great idea Mark! I will start getting the word out!
ReplyDeleteI've heard of putting your money where your mouth is, but never putting your foot where your money isn't. This lesson will do much to make a very important point. Kudos.
ReplyDeleteIt's do-able. I have gone to many countries with very little money and often come back with the same amount of money that I went there on. For ten years, I provided consultation to ministries of education and they would pay me in various ways. Sometimes when there was little money, they simply put me with a family (actually, there was the most frequent housing arrangement) where I was happy to be because I learned so much. I have been mugged while away from home twice, and I obviously made it back home -- thanks to the kindness of the people around me. I have been stranded in foreign lands on multiple occasions when arrangements when awry, and strangers helped. Once, with my daughter in Siberia, we had planned to take a bus back from the airport where I had gone to make changes in a ticket, and I found out that there was no bus back, only a bus to the airport. (Yeah, only in Siberia can such strange things seem normal!) I had only 9 rubles to my name at the time -- for a 75-kilometer ride back to the tiny town where we were living. I explained the situation to a cab driver, and he took us there for the 9 rubles. Every time the meter ran over 9 rubles, he would re-set it. People are amazing!
ReplyDeleteI like all the suggestions that people are making. If the airlines will put donated miles from several individuals together for you, count me in. I always have extra miles.
You could use BlogCatalog.com to promote your blog, I had a blog similar to this one and after using it, my traffic went from 0-100+. I am serious, this is not spam, I am just trying to help you out.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your suggestion, but from the very beginning, I said I would just throw my idea into the universe and see how it spreads via others without me pushing and controlling the idea.
ReplyDeleteIf I go to a cataloging site, I feel like I am manipulating the process. Perhaps, a philosopher out there will let me know if this is faulty logic, but for now, I'd like to stick with my original premise.
Again, thanks for the recommendation, and thanks for reading my blog.
Dear Mark,
ReplyDeleteAs an educator you should teach students about responsible travel and not to expect free hosting from strangers. In many parts of the world -- especially the poorest countries -- travelers show up expecting free hospitality and food from local people. This puts the locals in a bad position, b/c sometimes the poor do not know how to say not to a visitor and they want to appear better off than they really are.
If you want to travel, instead of begging for money on the internet and teaching irresponsible travel which can result in students getting into risky or even life threatening situations by following your example, then you should just save your hard earned money towards your own trips or volunteer in exchange for room/board.
Think about the bad seed that you are spreading by giving young people the idea that they should expect something from nothing when traveling, instead of supporting the local economy and community with their hard earned travel dollars when they decide to take a trip.
In some parts of the world, the locals are tired of Americans or other foreign visitors showing up and expecting a free meal and a free ride. Usually, the people who show up expecting those things have no respect for the local culture and community. If they did, they'd simply budget their money and then spend it on b&bs, homestays or meals in authentic restaurants to support the local economy.
The school you are affiliated with should not allow you to use it's name/website as "credibility" for your site.
I hope you will consider talking to your students about supporting local economies and sustainable travel, instead of this nonsense (to be completely frank).
I have to disagree with the previous post here. While I understand the point that "massimiliano" is making, I do not agree with it. First, Mark has traveled to many such poor countries, and he does not expect to get anything free. I would not expect Mark to merely take lodging or meals and move on, but he would give back to the communitry in any way he could. He has traveled to numerous locations over that years that few Americans would consider "desirable" and helped the locals work with kids, build buildings, etc.
ReplyDeleteFurther, I don't see this "experiment" as Mark trying to get people to donate money to give him a free trip. He has a theory, and he is trying to test it. I am not sure many teachers would have the guts to test it like he is. I don't think it is irresponsible, I think it is admirable. I also happen to agree with him that people are generally good, and when his trip proves this, I don't think he well lure his students into doing exactly what he is doing and possibly being irresponsible travelers. I do think, however, that more of them may come to believe in his theory that there is true goodness in the world, that not all people are as jaded as you are, and that perhaps they can be inspired to show kindness to others more often and perhaps expect it in return. Wouldn't that make the world a better place for all of us? I'd sure like to think so.
How much money have you collected?
ReplyDeleteYou might want to learn how to spell Colombia (assuming you do not mean the capital of South Carolina) before you go there.
ReplyDeleteOops! How embarrassing, although Columbia, SC, isn't a bad place to visit, either.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I can't change the spelling in my poll.
Thanks for pointing out the mistake.
Good Luck Mark!
ReplyDeleteFYI found out about your quest through Marcus Endicott's Green Travel Yahoo Group
One question: If you don't get enough money, or if you have enough money to get say, as far as South Africa, and then you run out. What will you do? Will you get back home with your own savings or stay somewhere until you raise enough to leave?
That's a great question. I'll answer it by saying that I'm not positive what I'd do, but I firmly believe that it will never come to that because I know wonderful things are going to grow out of this journey.
ReplyDeleteIf it does come to that, then I plan on sticking with my pledge to only rely on the benevolence of the universe and not my own means.
Thanks for your question, and thanks for your well wishes.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteWe commend you on your inspirational journey. Your story is quite amazing! If you are heading to South or Latin America, we have an excellent PDF resource for teachers traveling in the region - http://www.educationaltravel.com/PR/Latin-South-American-Tours.aspx
Bon voyage!
In the future, I might take you up on your offer for the educational resources. I have traveled extensively in Latin America, lived in Guatemala, and just visited South America last summer. That's a wonderful region of the world to visit. Thank you for the link.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for your kind comment.