g-Think | Issue 11 | Giving Back While Traveling: Crooked Trails Shows the Way

Ah-Sut, Lahu, head man of the village of Pang Sa, stood calmly near a sacred altar explaining its significance. Suddenly, a minivan of tourists, guided by a Thai man, arrived. I was in Pang Sa leading a group that was visiting the Hill tribes in the far north of Thailand, near the Burmese border. We stood in disbelief as the tourists, armed with camera, jumped out of the van, and literally ran through the village, shooting trophy photos of people they did not know. They aimed in close range at mothers nursing their children, old women weaving, men working their fields, and children at play. Within fifteen minutes, the tourists were gone. I assumed they had just completed the part of their tour when they “see the exotic Hill tribes.”

I looked at Ah-sut and asked through an interpreter, “How do you feel about this?” He remarked sadly that he did not understand, but what could he do? “I don’t get it,” he said, “why don’t they stay and have a cup of tea?”

Whenever people ask me about my company, Crooked Trails, and what is community-based tourism, I think of Ah-Sut and those tourists. I realize that the people in that minivan could not have felt good about their experience, which was devoid of any contact or respect of any
kind.

I knew back then, as I do now, that there is a better way to travel. As the minivan of tourists sped away in a cloud of red dust, my group was preparing to stay with Ah Sut in Pang Sa for ten days to build a community center—something the villagers had wanted for years but could not afford. We would stay in local homes, eat the local food, and live with the locals. We would study their language, play with the children, help in the fields, lounge around, and learn what it meant to be Lisu and Lahu. We smiled a lot.

I founded Crooked Trails with my long-time friend and travel companion, Tammy Leland. The concept came about as Tammy and I studied tourism, traveled abroad, and talked over beers about how we wanted to change the world by changing the way people travel. We thought travel did not have to be a rapacious form of voyeurism in which travelers returned home feeling like they had caught a great photo but were empty and embarrassed about how they got it. We believed that most people were longing to have the opportunity to meet and live with someone whose culture was totally foreign. We were right.

We began Crooked Trails in 1998, and we ran our first program in 1999, to Thailand. Since our small beginnings, we have doubled every year and now operate in eight counties. We run university and school study-abroad courses as well.

We created the organization to inspire environmentally and culturally sensitive travel in areas where the negative impacts of tourism were threatening the cultures and environments of popular tourist destinations. We realized quickly that our goals were educational and developmental, so we became a federally recognized nonprofit, enabling us to raise funds for some of the projects we do in our host communities. Crooked Trails also works with nongovernment organizations abroad in conducting our travel programs and service projects.

We recognized that one of the biggest elements missing from mass tourism is involvement from the local communities. Our programs are community-based, which means that community members are involved in making decisions. They decide what our service projects will be and how they will be conducted. They decide how often we come, what we do, what we see, where we go, and what we pay. We believe this element of self-determination is key to a sustainable tourism program.

To minimize the environmental and cultural impacts of visits, Crooked Trails travelers:

Stay in guest houses built by the host families and constructed of local materials, using composting toilets and minimal electricity
Bring their own water filters and bottles, thus eliminating garbage
Eat food grown locally and cooked by the host families
Participate in frequent discussions on the impact of tourism on culturesand the environment
Are provided with guidelines on environmentally and culturally appropriate behavior before the program

The behavioral guidelines, or background on travel etiquette, is a very important part of our predeparture information and makes Crooked Trails more educationally based than similar operations. Giving out this information makes a difference to our clients as well as to the hosts and their environment. Many of the communities we visit are extremely remote, such as the Huraroni in the Ecuadorian Rainforest or the Ladahki people of Lingshed, who live at 14,000 feet in the Himalaya. When people visit communities with respect and understanding, suddenly a relationship develops.

Our etiquette guidelines are specifically adapted to each culture we visit to encompass the community’s values, beliefs, and even superstitions. For example, in Nepal, sneezing before leaving is considered a bad omen. To avoid sneezing, you are supposed to sit for a moment and then leave. As another example, the people of Thailand believe the head is sacred. You should never touch a Thai person’s head, which is hard for Americans, who love to pat children as a sign of affection. Knowing these little details makes a world of difference for travelers before they enter a village.

In general, we hope all travelers will eventually come to consider the following:

Be Culturally Sensitive. Being aware of the feelings, values, customs, and beliefs of the host community can prevent what might be considered offensive behavior. This is especially important in matters of dress, photography, and religion.

Understand Cultures in Their Own Context. Cultivating the habit of listening, observing, and asking questions honors the host community’s knowledge of place, and of a life well lived.

Be Environmentally Friendly. Using energy, water, and other resources efficiently, and consistent with availability, lessens the impact on the environment. Participate in activities that help restore and preserve the environment.

Be Economically Beneficial. You can support local economies by using services and staying in lodging that is owned by members of the community. This includes eating in locally owned restaurants and buying local produce and handicrafts.

Our mission is really education and communicating the effects of travel. Our ultimate goal is that someday everyone who travels internationally will have the knowledge to travel respectfully.

Many people ask us about our name, Crooked Trails. We like to tell people that it was inspired by the quote from Edward Abbey: “May all your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view…where something strange and more beautiful and full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you.”

The truth is, we found the quote a few years after we named our organization. We were just looking for something that said we weren’t about taking the straight road to our destination.