Pippa Biddle

Disclaimer: I read this as a NetGalley ARC. I received no compensation other than the chance to read this work.

This work is focused on the impacts (or lack thereof), social and economic reasons surrounding volunteer tourism , or "voluntourism".

This work was a refreshing and rather eye-opening look into what drives people to take voluntourism trips, and how the entire industry of "feel good, do good" vacations helps to reinforce a model that ultimately doesn't live up to the hype of making positive impacts in the communities where these trips head to.

The book covers the history of travelling to make positive societal impacts in other countries; how the evolution of volunteer tourism came about; what the impact of religious and evangelical groups have had on the industry, and the pitfalls of how the trips and their works are conducted. This work doesn't shy away from discussing some of the controversies around white privilege, perception versus actual impact, and the economic costs these trips have on their destinations.

Some recommendations on how to improve this industry are made (the biggest one is "no more voluntourism in its current form").

This book is recommended for those who have read "The Sum of Us", "Mediocre" and "This book is overdue! : how librarians and cybrarians can save us all".… (more)