Some ways for travelers to give two for the price of one this holiday season. When you choose a gift that helps a favorite cause, and its a really nifty gift that delights your recipient, you get double the Karma, right? So here are your on-line shopping ideas for Travel Gifts that Give More.
GIFTS TO ORGANIZATIONS
Are you IN?? Click on image to bid on travel prizes.
DEADLINE DECEMBER 13. Time is running out. You can donate $10 to LAFTI in India through the Passport With Purpose web site, for each chance you want on a pile of fantastic travel prizes. And you can get creative and contribute $10 in another person’s name as a gift to them. The drawing is on December 17, so if its a Christmas present you can either tell them A) Look what I won just for you; or B) Look how you are helping build a home for a person in India.
Here’s where to find a list of all the terrific Passports With a Purpose travel bloggers. They spread the word so YOU can make it happen. Many thanks to Peter Carey, adventurer and photographer, and keeper of a beautiful web site for this PwP list of bloggers and their prizes.
LAFTI is the Indian organization that the donations go to, and they operate in such a wonderful way, that I can’t possible explain it as well as this video.
The only problem is how to choose:
- A $1500 handbag?
- A zeppelin ride?
- 3 days at a luxury guest Ranch?
- An airplane ticket to anywhere in the United States?
- A cruise in Norway? (Hands off! That one’s for ME)
- 2 nights in New Orleans?
- And much more.
When you donate to Heifer, you may choose the life-sustaining animal (or group of animals) that will go to a family in a developing country. Besides, didn’t you always want to tell your sister, “I got you a goat for Christmas”? Or give your busy brother bees? And Heifer will send a creative print or e-card announcing the gift of any amount. Or how about giving a very special travel gift?? Go on a study tour. Read more about Heifer’s travel and books.
COMMUNITY FOOD BANK
1 in 6 Americans, including 1 in 4 children is at risk because of insufficient nutrition. You can’t help everyone, but you can help one family for a year. Tucson Community Food Bank, started in 1976, is one of the pioneers in a movement that now can be found in most every community. Besides giving bags of food to the needy, they provide a low-cost shopping store, have a gleaning program, and a community garden. I’m sure you can find a food bank near you, or go to Feed America and help share the word, by giving a donation in the name of a gift recipient. Travel Gift Idea: Give someone a ticket to the January 29th Mardi Gras in Tucson. $100.
PRODUCTS THAT GIVE
Fruit Bag from Doy
I’ve talked about Doy Bags before, because I absolutely love them so much that one year I bought them for every female on my Christmas list, from one year old to–forty-something. These bags
- Recycle material
- Provide jobs to 500 women
- Are fair trade items
- Cut emissions by transporting by ship rather than airplane as much as possible.
- Are practical and durable.
Do yourself a favor and check the varied and colorful product list at their website. Great for travel, they offer Purses, shopping bags, wallets, backpacks, and even jewelry–all from recycled containers and magazines. And if you can engage in some virtual travel to the Philipines by helping this enterprise.
5 Tassa Tags
Order by phone, e-mail or PayPal
Price: $12.00 each, including sales tax (shipping extra–see web site)
TassaTags are fun, bright, hand-woven, cotton luggage tags that help you spot your luggage more easily when you travel. I wanted one as soon as I saw them.
Women at the Regina Center in Nongkhai, Thailand produce the tags. The Center provides education and income generating skills and opportunities for women. All proceeds from sales are returned to the producers. The project enables women to stay in their villages and keep their children in school, which are two major strategies in reducing sex trafficking. Now don’t stop reading, please. (I recently read a terrific book by mystery writer Nevada Barr that was harder to take than her knock-down-drag-em-out fights, because it was about child prostitution.)
And this gift helps an NGO called ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Child Trafficking), a non-profit children’s rights organization whose mission is to protect all children from commercial sexual exploitation. The tags do more than just raise money and give work to women in Thailand. Take a look at the Tassa site.
Books for Travelers (Music Road)
Music Gifts (Music Road)
Gifts for Travelers (What a Trip)
10 Perfect Gifts for Travelers Who Read With DISCOUNTS (A Travelers Library)
Do you look for gifts that give? Share some of your favorites here with us. Thanks.
Vote for my article on WorldTravelist.com, sharing the best travel content on the web.
About the Author:
A freelance writer who loves to travel. When she is not traveling she is reading about travel. When she is not reading or traveling, she is sharing with the readers of A Traveler's Library, Reel Life With Jane and other websites. Also co-author of a biography, Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. Contact Vera Marie by e-mail.
Vera Marie Badertscher – who has written 677 posts on A Traveler's Library.
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Tags: Doctors Without Borders, Doy Bags, gifts, Heifer International, India, on-line shopping, Passports With Purpose, Phillipines, shopping, travel gifts
Thank you for this list – I’ll be doing some shopping at those sites.
I always order gifts from the http://www.GreaterGood.org sister shopping site: http://www.gearthatgives.com . It’s also an easy way to direct donations to multiple non-profits.
Another great idea, Colleen! And, Kerry, yes, my grocery store does that,too. Last year the food bank’s site told you how many meals your donation of various amounts would buy, but I couldn’t find that info this year. I like that kind of specifics.
great reminder about giving to the food bank. the market where I shop has donation tags so you can add an amount for the food bank to what you pay. they also have small bags of canned goods already packed up and marked with the food bank’s address so that you can purchase them and take along there yourself.
thank you for linking to my lists for books and music.
Kerry Dexter would like you to read..Irish Christmas in America tour
great list – and i remember you talking about those doy bags – i’ll have to go get one!
wandering educators would like you to read..The Caribbean Internship Project- Assuring Sustainable Development