The RISE Traveler: Unpacking Conversations of Sustainable Travel

Author and travel expert Lily Ann Fouts is dedicated to advocating for sustainable and culturally sensitive travel experiences that benefit both travelers and local communities. She was a participant in RISE's Flagship Program, where she earned her certificate in Sustainability and Anti-Oppression in Travel. Additionally, Lily Ann joined RISE's Experiential Journey to Guatemala in 2022....

Aurora Christy Oktavia, an Alumni of the RISE Travel Institute's Pilot Program, currently resides in Bali, Indonesia. She recently completed her Master's degree in International Tourism and Hospitality Management at Griffith University in Australia. In her conversation with host Amy Hager, Aurora shared insights into her journey in sustainable tourism, leveraging her educational backgrou...

Tracey Ford is the Founder of Local Insights , a social enterprise dedicated to connecting locals with tourists, offering them authentic personal encounters that go well beyond the typical guidebook experience. Previously, Tracey held a government role working with the armed services, where she specialized in coordinating logistics for events with a focus on cultural considerations among attendees...

Jabulile Ngwenya is a travel coach and advocate for sustainable and responsible travel at Travel Africa with Jabu. With a vision to reshape perceptions of travel to Africa, Jabulile's impactful work is rooted in changing the narrative. In her RISE Flagship Course Capstone Project, she focused on tribal photography, aiming to bring attention to the profound identities behind the subjects. She...

As the owner of Travel with Ann Experiential, Ann Becker consults with nonprofits and small travel businesses with the goal of raising and including more diverse voices, making strategic connections, contributing fresh perspectives as well as thought leadership and counseling. Ann's extensive experience includes successfully operating experiential tours in lesser-known destinations in Costa R...

A leader in the field of sustainability in tourism, Lambert Hategekimana is General Manager at Rwanda Eco Company and Safari. Before his 10+ years in the tourism sector, Lambert worked as an educator. Now, he works alongside some of his former pupils to introduce travelers to Rwanda and other East African countries. In 2022, Lambert was a guest instructor for the course “Conscious Travel in Rwanda...

Keri Pfeiffer, a digital nomad for almost seven years, works remotely as the Head of Account Management at WeTravel, an online payment platform for tour companies. Following completion of the Sustainability and Anti-Oppression in Travel program at RISE, Keri is now a guest instructor with the course "How to Travel Ethically as a Digital Nomad." In this interview with host Amy Hager, Keri...

Sofia Godoy is the Founder and Chief Operations Officer at Etnica, a social enterprise that connects locals to travelers that visit Guatemala and Mexico. She shares the history of Etnica as well as some key examples of how to plan a Guatemala itinerary that is community-based and intentional about supporting local artisans. Host: Amy Hager - Social Media Manager at The RISE Travel Institute Video...

Thinley Choden is a social entrepreneur and consultant devoted to showing travelers the "real" Bhutan as the Co-Owner and CEO of Bhutan Tours and Travel. She sits down with host Amy Hager to talk through the meaning of conscious travel, encouraging travelers to put aside the romanticized image of Bhutan and explore the multi-faceted identity of this fascinating country. Host: Amy Hager -...

Kim Hass is the President and Founder of Haas Media and the Executive Director of the public television series “Afro-Latinos with Kim Haas.” Her travel show explores the tremendous impact that Afro-Latinos have had and continue to have on the culture and history of Latin America. She shares some of her experiences creating a public television series and how she hopes the show will amplify the cont...

James Mwenda, Founder of James Mwenda Expeditions, shares his expertise in sustainable safari adventures and provides some tips on how to make a safari more than just an Instagram photo opportunity. He shares how to be a responsible wildlife tourist and truly reconnect with the natural world. Host: Host (Amy) Hager - Social Media Manager at The RISE Travel Institute Video and Audio Editing: Kara K...

Gabriela Sonnleitner is the General Manager of the Magdas Hotel in Vienna, Austria. Austria's first hotel run as a social business, the Magdas provides job training to refugees and asylum seekers, offering support to those struggling to find employment in the city. Listen to Gabriela explain the joys and difficulties of running a social business and elaborate on her hotel’s commitment to sust...

Mary Pat Champeau, Director of Graduate Programs at The Institute for Humane Education and Board Secretary at RISE Travel Institute, discusses the importance of learning how one’s everyday choices in their lives can impact their surroundings. She explores how activism is sometimes as simple as educating oneself about how the environment, human, and animal welfare are all interconnected. Host: Host...

This week, Amy sits down with Dr. Anu Taranath, Author of “Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World.” Dr. Taranath is also co-teaching a course entitled Locating Ourselves in the Spectrum of Power for RISE Travel Institute. Through a discussion of her book and her work with RISE Travel Institute, she details how to approach difficult conversations about worldwide inequities with grac...

Today on GivingTuesday 2021, we are raising funds for RISE Travel Institute. All donations made today will go toward tuition grants and travel scholarships for students with demonstrated financial need. Our goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the year. We have raised just over $6,500 so far and so we need your help to reach our goal. Our guest is Taylor Ruoff, a tuition grant recipient and grad...

Hyungjoon Jin, a K-12 educator, and the Board Treasurer at RISE Travel Institute discusses his approach to making real, lasting systemic change in education and travel. He delves into his powerful and sustainable long-term project in Guatemala and gives examples of how to think strategically about the systemic issues at play in many aspects of our lives, including travel. Host: Amy Hager - Social...

Kayra Martinez is a flight attendant and Founder and Director of the non-profit Love Without Borders for Refugees in Need, which supports refugees in Greece by building spaces where art and creativity flourish.  She touches on how she got started, the powerful stories within her refugee art exhibitions,  and the importance of travel as a method to learn, share, and create. Host: Amy Hager - Social...

Daniel Turner discusses the intricacies of tourism and its effects on animal welfare, species protection, habitat protection, and beyond. Turner is Co-founder and director of Animondial, an organization that provides impartial advice and practical support to better manage tourism’s impact on animals and the natural environment. Host: Host (Amy) Hager - Social Media Manager at The RISE Travel Insti...

Catarina Rivera, Co-Founder of ExplorEquity (https://www.explorequity.com), which supports local communities by partnering with small businesses, community-based tourism initiatives and sustainable travel operators globally while connecting travelers to real social justice issues, discusses her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion in both workspaces and travel and what it is like for her t...

We take a pause from The RISE Traveler: Unpacking Conversations of Sustainable Travel podcast to speak with Vincie Ho, Ph. D., Executive Director and Founder of the RISE Travel Institute to talk about our Pilot Program. RISE Travel Institute's Pilot Program is an online certificate program consisting of 10 sessions, grouped into 3 modules over 10 weeks, and begins June 7th. The content explor...

Steve Hesse is a longtime traveler. He's backpacked and hitchhiked across multiple countries and traveled with students in his role as a university professor. He's also a senior advisor at RISE Travel Institute. Listen as he discusses his life-altering travel experiences and his approach to travel education. Host: Amy Hager - Social Media Manager at The RISE Travel Institute Video and Au...

Eliza Raymond, Co-founder of Good Travel and Senior Advisor for Curriculum Development at RISE Travel Institute, shares her expertise on volunteering while traveling and sheds light on what a truly mutually beneficial, positive travel experience looks and feels like. She challenges us all to go beyond the “bucket list,” and open ourselves up to more meaningful travel experiences. Host: Amy Hager -...

In this episode, RISE Senior Advisor and Development Coordinator at Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Genevieve Huneault, shares her expertise on regenerative and indigenous tourism experiences. She also explains the transformative impact that travel has had on her life and shares some helpful tips for those planning their first trip abroad. Host: Amy Hager - Social Media Manager at The RI...

In this episode of The RISE Traveler, Amy sits down with Justine Abigail Yu, Senior Advisor at RISE Travel Institute. Justine advises RISE on its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy and has devoted her career to creating a more just and equitable world for all. She shares her positive outlook on the future of travel, thoughts on how to incorporate a DEI mindset in order to truly achieve...

Dr. Vincie Ho recounts some of her most sustainable travel experiences and opens up about her missteps from her travels in the past, as well as moments when she had to check her privilege. She shares a few questions we all can ask ourselves in order to be more mindful travelers. This interview shines a light on the power of sustainable tourism and challenges us to think about the positive or negat...