This guest blog post is written by Allie Olvera, an international education consultant who specializes in using travel as a tool for social change. She is committed to dismantling power structures, activating empathy, and decolonizing relationships with the Global South.

I have been fortunate to spend my career leading over 40 immersive programs across 5 continents and I deeply believe in the power intercultural exchange has to support equitable and inclusive societies. Human Connections and other community-based organizations committed to responsible tourism are invaluable resources in the move away from traditional tourist exchanges rooted in exploitation to one where local partners have agency over their narratives and set the terms for their participation.

Though we often discuss colonialism as a relic of an imperial past, the global power structures created during this era of subjugation continue to shape our relationships with foreign nations and the narratives we tell about them. Who is allowed to have complexity and nuance? Who is given the benefit of the doubt? Who sets the terms and who is catered to? Who is allowed sovereignty and in whose politics should we intervene? We do not live in a world of equal opportunity and these contrasts become highly visible when we travel.

For most visitors to Mexico holding U.S., Canadian, or European passports, their relationship to the country is one of easy access. They will be issued a free 180 day tourist visa upon arrival at the border; will be catered to in English, despite it not being an official language of Mexico; and the value of their currency will afford them comfort and luxury unobtainable to many citizens of Mexico working in comparable positions. Visitors from the U.S. may find that they can easily hear music and watch media from their home country, that Mexicans are knowledgeable about their culture and geography, and on days when they are craving comforts from home, they can readily access food and drink familiar to them.

When we consider this tourism in reverse, a Mexican citizen who wishes to travel to the U.S. for vacation or to visit family, must first submit an application for a visa, pay a $160 USD processing fee, and appear in person at a U.S. consulate for an interview. They can expect to be questioned on their purpose of travel and furnish bank statements, proof of employment, or land titles which indicate their intention to return to Mexico — with the assumption being that they would prefer to remain in the United States. Few countries outside of Europe can visit the States without a visa and Chile is the only country in Latin America whose citizens can do so. The State Department’s FY 2019 statistics show a tourist visa rejection rate of 26.66% for Mexican citizens.

For those who are granted entry to the U.S., they will not find a nation where their native language is readily accommodated, despite the multicultural makeup of the States. A visitor from Bulgaria cannot expect to be able to order coffee in Bulgarian in the way an American in Sofia could easily manage in English. For the vast majority of tourists, the strength of the U.S. dollar relative to their currency will ensure that they are paying a premium for goods and services. Many visitors to the U.S. will find that Americans have never heard of their country and have no familiarity with their culture. Worse still, some Americans may only associate their countries with atrocities, such as only knowing Rwanda because of the Rwandan genocide. 

I don’t believe that travelers from the Global North intentionally engage in harmful practices when they travel abroad, but I do believe that we have received a lifetime’s worth of stigmatizing messaging about the Global South which informs our practices. For many travelers to Mexico, they are attracted to the country’s rich history, biodiversity, culinary scene, and its myriad cultures. Yet they engage with the country in ways that reinforce hierarchies and harm the communities which shelter them.

What are some ways we might be reinforcing colonial power structures when we travel? 

• Handing out food to children

  • Most parents would never encourage their children to accept food from a stranger and warn against offerings of candy as a safety practice. Outside of Halloween, adults handing out snacks and candies to kids in the street is virtually unheard of, but it’s a practice many tourists engage in when traveling to the Global South. Why is this? Travelers to Germany would not be seen passing out food to children waiting at a bus stop, while travelers to the developing world frequently engage in this practice. What narratives were told that informed this urge? Why do we have different standards for our engagement with some of the world’s children than with others?

• Volunteering

  • It is undoubtedly good to want to give back to the communities you visit and I do believe that there are responsible ways to do so. Though while many tourists aspire to leave a positive impact on the regions they visit, most voluntourism providers offer opportunities out of line with the volunteer’s capacity — such as having visitors teach English despite not having any classroom experience, work directly with patients despite not practicing medicine, or building a structure without any background in construction. Why are we drawn to do this work in the Global South, while it would not be incorporated into our vacations in the Global North? Would you wish for your child’s education to be regularly interrupted by well-intentioned, but untrained tourists who wished to contribute to their schooling? Would you feel comfortable if your next OB/GYN appointment was performed by a visitor you have no relationship with, does not speak your language, and has never studied medicine? Why do we see this standard of care as being appropriate for residents of the developing world, but unacceptable in our own societies?

• Taking pictures without permission

  • Taking pictures during travel is an expected part of the experience, but it is worth considering when and of whom we take pictures. Would you feel comfortable if a stranger began documenting you while you were at work? How would it feel if they kept their camera trained on your family as you played? Would it be okay if visitors to your country held your children for selfies or featured them in their dating profile pictures? There is a tempting double standard with travel photography, especially as human subjects are so captivating, but we are all human beings who are entitled to privacy and consideration. When in doubt, you can always ask.

The narrative thread which connects many of the problematic ways we engage with the Global South is the idea what whatever we have to offer is an improvement upon what they have. This point has been so driven in by our media, politics, and ethnocentrism that most of us don’t realize we harbor it. The first step is to acknowledge that it’s there and consider the hundreds of years of imperialism that nurtured its growth. That’s no small thing to shake, but we can make changes to travel in a way that is positive for the communities we visit and is in line with our values.

What are our commitments to eradicating the legacy of colonialism within ourselves?

Here are some ideas of where to begin:

• Consider who profits from your travel

  • Does your visit to a country support local communities in their self-determination? Keep your money local. Stay in local boutique hotels or do a homestay, if available. Eat in locally-owned establishments or food vendors rather than from chain restaurants. Buy from artisans and indigenous makers who are keeping their cultural traditions alive in an era of mass-production.

• Community-based tourism

  • Organizations like Human Connections link local entrepreneurs with international visitors who then have the opportunity to learn from their work, celebrate their cultural traditions, and invest in the community. This small-scale, relationship-based tourism model allows for mutual trust between the parties involved, negotiated terms, and fair wages to local partners.

• Expand the narrative

  • No culture is a monolith and travel provides us with an incredible opportunity to expand our appreciation of human diversity and its manifestations. Linguists estimate that 50% of the world’s ~7,000 languages will be extinct by the end of the century. Seek out opportunities to interact with indigenous communities, hear less widely spoken languages, try food native to the region, and support cultural preservation.

• Continue this work at home!

  • The best part of personal growth is that it can be done from anywhere. Start a book club where each month you read a book from a different country. Buy from immigrant-owned businesses in your community. Study a foreign language. Research your country’s past and present involvement in the Global South. Interrogate your biases and practice recognizing the messaging that fed them.

Examining our assumptions isn’t always a comfortable practice, but it’s one of great importance and with great capacity to spark change. Thanks for starting with us!