The radiant sand of Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos stretched for miles, dotted with swim-suit-clad travelers, flapping Hobie cat sails, and striped umbrellas — all flanked by a clear, turquoise sea. Up ahead of me, I saw a bloom of airborne sand, and I tipped my sunglasses to get a better look. It turned out the sand explosion was the work of a busy beige dog, straining against his leash while excavating a deep hole. As I approached, he stopped digging to inspect me with his soulful brown eyes and sand-caked wet nose. The woman holding the leash laughed and said, “Sorry about the sand! Whoever adopts this little guy will need to love the beach!” I learned the friendly pup was actually a shelter dog and that the person holding the leash was not its owner, but a fellow traveler volunteering a few hours to walk shelter dogs and give back to the local island community. The idea of contributing to the communities you love is not new; many travelers are deeply involved in their own hometowns as coaches, leaders, mentors, and philanthropists. But your hometowns are not the only communities you love; you are also travelers who love the places you visit. Sometimes a travel destination is so special that it feels like you’re returning home with it permanently tattooed in your heart. You might feel inspired to reciprocate and give back to the places that have made such a lasting impact. The great news is that you can; opportunities to contribute, participate and do good during your travels are available all over the world, and they are guaranteed to leave everyone involved with all the good feels.
Walk on the Beach with Sea Turtles in Greece
Sea turtles are a special group of animals with universal appeal. Some of the most magical experiences a traveler can have include participating in sea turtle hatchling releases on moonlit beaches, witnessing nesting mamas digging deep sand pits at high tide, and donning dive masks and descending below the waves to watch sea turtles munch on coral and glide through cerulean shallows. It is Finding Nemo come to life.
Many coastal travel destinations do an incredible balancing act of seeing sea turtles as a tourism highlight while also recognizing the responsibility of protecting these animals and their habitats and promoting their longevity and health. You can play a part: If you are vacationing on the Greek islands of Crete, Zakynthos, or various locations in the Peloponnese, join the Archelon Sea Turtle Protection Society on a sea turtle beach walk. You’ll be alongside an Archelon volunteer and a handful of other guests for a stroll along one of Greece’s significant loggerhead sea turtle nesting beaches while learning about fragile ecosystems, sea turtle lifecycles, human impacts, and ways you can help. And if your timing is right, you may see fresh sea turtle tracks in the sand, sea turtle nests or turtle hatchlings.
In sea turtle nesting regions throughout Mexico and the Caribbean, sea turtle lovers can join in a hands-on experience, usually beginning around dusk, to gather with community conservation groups at sea turtle nesting beaches to help safely usher sea turtle hatchlings into the sea.
Play with Potcake Puppies in Provo
Maybe you’re a fan of sea turtles, but you prefer the idea of something that’s even more hands-on … maybe even involving some sand-flinging. You might be an excellent candidate for a Potcake puppy play date. Potcakes are a breed of dog found throughout the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, and their populations are often mismatched with the number of homes available for them. This means many of them end up in rescue shelters. The good news is that if you have a few hours, are traveling on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos, and you want to have an immediate positive impact in the community, you can take a Potcake for a walk. Travelers can head over to the Potcake Place K9 Rescue for snuggles, wet kisses, and general puppy love, followed by a socialization walk with one of the dogs. These walks are an important piece of the adoption equation, because they ensure the rescue pups experience new sights, smells, and a variety of people, all of which are crucial in their development and increase the likelihood they will find a forever home. The K9 Rescue will set you up with everything you need for your socialization walk; you only need to bring yourself and your wide-open heart. You’ll love heading out under the vast blue sky of Provo, sinking your feet (plus four paws) into the sand, and having beach playtime and exercise with your adorable little (albeit temporary) good boy and best friend. Feel good introducing your pup to curiously sniffable objects, hole-digging, and wet, sandy feet knowing that this joyful endeavor is truly serving everyone.
Contribute from Your Cruise Ship – Coral Reefs and Clean Beaches
It hasn’t gone unnoticed that travelers are more and more frequently spending parts of their vacation giving back through community initiatives. And several cruise lines are responding by making it easy for their passengers to get involved.
Cruise with a Purpose: Cozumel Active Reef Restoration
Cruisers on Holland America Line who have Cozumel, Mexico as a port of call can literally immerse themselves in a local coral reef restoration initiative. It’s a shore excursion with a twist that takes all the things we love about a beach day in Mexico (the ocean, the sunshine, the relaxed vibes) and combines it with an experience in conservation. Travelers get to be citizen-scientists for the day and support the Coral Farms program, which helps the Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration replenish coral reefs. Coral reefs sustain all sorts of damage from ocean acidification, hurricanes, warming waters, and human impacts, and replenishment efforts ensure these coastal communities retain healthy marine environments. You’ll participate in literally growing a coral reef as you assist local marine biologists with coral-fragment planting, Contribute from Your Cruise Ship – Coral Reefs and Clean Beaches It hasn’t gone unnoticed that travelers are more and more frequently spending parts of their vacation giving back through community initiatives. And several cruise lines are responding by making it easy for their passengers to get involved. plus you’ll learn about how coral spawns and reproduces. And one of the best things about being a coral reef scientist is that you get to put on a mask and fins and splash around in the ocean … to see coral transplanting in action, of course. Conservation work is demanding, but rewarding, and participants will likely find themselves rinsing off the saltwater afterward and relaxing on the beach with a smile on their face and a cool cerveza. Not a bad day saving the planet.
Meet Surfrider Foundation Europe (on select Spain itineraries)
Travel exposes us to a wealth of beautiful experiences, but it can also shock our senses when we come face to face with unexpected situations … such as the accumulation of garbage and debris on beaches. Fortunately, surfers are some of the world’s most passionate environmental ambassadors, and across the planet, the Surfrider Foundation works to preserve ocean waters and coastlines from destructive development, agricultural impacts, and heaps of litter. Travelers on Regent Seven Seas cruises have a unique chance to partner with Surfrider Foundation Europe for the day helping to beautify the Basque Coast of Spain by picking up litter. You’ll head down to some of Spain’s most popular (and spectacular) stretches of beach, and for 90 minutes, your sole mission will be to make it even more attractive. Walk the beach under the Spanish sunshine while sharing stories with your travel mates, people-watching, and plucking up pesky pieces of debris. Think of yourself as a beach make-up artist, simply enhancing the natural beauty that already existed. Contributing to your beloved travel destinations is truly a win-win scenario. You feel good about it, and communities thrive. Reach out to your travel advisor today to create your next ripple-effect travel itinerary.