10 Smart Travel Ideas That Do Good

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Helping Rebuild Community in the Southern Albanian Riviera

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Once all mad dictators, pillbox bunkers, and pyramid schemes, Albania today is one of Europe’s least-explored treats—a tiny land of soaring Alps, a glistening riviera, and old stone villages. One of the latter, Vuno, clings to the lustrous hills above the coast about 190 kilometers south of Tirana. Unfortunately, with most of its 200-odd stone houses and the maze of cobblestone streets in terrible disrepair, the 40-family community was losing hope of becoming a gateway to the riviera. Enter the Outdoor Albania Association, a Tirana-based nonprofit working to reverse Vuno’s slide. A new hostel located in a renovated school (summer only) serves as a travel hub for visitors keen to lend a hand in the village and at the nearby beaches. Caption by Ethan Gelber/Photo by Outdoor Albania

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Once all mad dictators, pillbox bunkers, and pyramid schemes, Albania today is one of Europe’s least-explored treats—a tiny land of soaring Alps, a glistening riviera, and old stone villages. One of the latter, Vuno, clings to the lustrous hills above the coast about 190 kilometers south of Tirana. Unfortunately, with most of its 200-odd stone houses and the maze of cobblestone streets in terrible disrepair, the 40-family community was losing hope of becoming a gateway to the riviera. Enter the Outdoor Albania Association, a Tirana-based nonprofit working to reverse Vuno’s slide. A new hostel located in a renovated school (summer only) serves as a travel hub for visitors keen to lend a hand in the village and at the nearby beaches.

Caption by Ethan Gelber/Photo by Outdoor Albania

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Comments

[KIVPossum]

09:39 AM on 11/09/2010

Never done an eco-tourism deal, though it would be fun. Now let's have an article on humanity tourism - spend some time helping out in an orphanage, hospital, school, or village in an impoverished area.

[Matthew Harrold]

01:48 AM on 11/11/2010

There were a couple of humanity tourist ideas up there. Just a couple though.