| Sustainable travel has been an issue I have | | | | hospital in time and the baby died. Images |
| been interested in for a while now and | | | | like these shaped Danielle's realization how |
| through G.A.P Adventures, the sponsor of the | | | | hard life is for so many people and how lucky |
| grand prize for our soon to be launched | | | | we really are.Danielle will tell us how |
| Travel Story Contest, I was able to learn | | | | difficult it was to come back to Toronto and |
| more about the topic of sustainable | | | | not surprisingly she went back to Latin |
| tourism.Danielle Weiss, a former tour leader | | | | America not much later. Over a period of |
| for G.A.P, is now the company's Sustainable | | | | several years, Danielle lived, worked and |
| Tourism Coordinator. While I was quizzing | | | | volunteered in different locations in Latin |
| Danielle about sustainable travel issues of | | | | America and fell in love with the countries, |
| course I asked her a bit about herself and | | | | the language and the people. She will share |
| her connection to the adventure and | | | | stories of survival where she literally |
| eco-travel industry. As she started to tell | | | | survived on about a dollar a day. During one |
| me more about her background, I realized that | | | | of her stays in Latin America she linked up |
| I had a very interesting person right there | | | | with G.A.P Adventures and eventually become |
| in front of me, who has lived, worked, | | | | one of their tour leaders. In the upcoming |
| studied and volunteered in a number of | | | | interview, Danielle will tell us more about |
| foreign countries. Needless to say, I needed | | | | her travel experience and her experience as a |
| to find out more about Danielle and her | | | | tour leader, continuously on the road for 12 |
| background.Danielle completed a degree in | | | | months.Today, Danielle is back in Toronto, |
| environmental studies at the University of | | | | and after various positions at the head |
| Waterloo and during her college years she | | | | office, she has become G.A.P's Sustainable |
| travelled to Guatemala and Costa Rica. In her | | | | Tourism Coordinator. Through her work |
| 3rd year of studies she went to Ecuador for | | | | Danielle makes a difference in a number of |
| two semesters. During the first semester she | | | | Latin American communities and demonstrates |
| worked on academic studies, while during the | | | | how individuals and private businesses can |
| second semester she volunteered in a coastal | | | | lend a hand to people in need.Susanne Pacher |
| jungle project where she provided | | | | is the publisher of a website called Travel |
| environmental education to local children, | | | | and Transitions( Travel and Transitions deals |
| got involved in a tree planting program and | | | | with unconventional travel and is chock full |
| worked in a women's program.That year in | | | | of advice, tips, real life travel |
| Ecuador truly changed her life - Danielle | | | | experiences, interviews with travellers and |
| came back a different person. The most | | | | travel experts, insights and reflections, |
| striking experience was that she had | | | | cross-cultural issues, contests and many |
| developed a strong distaste for the | | | | other features. You will also find stories |
| materialism that is so prevalent in our | | | | about life and the transitions that we face |
| western societies. A key memory for Danielle | | | | as we go through our own personal life-long |
| was meeting a family who had walked for four | | | | journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| days through the jungle with a sick baby to | | | | our first travel story contest( and have a |
| try to reach medical facilities. | | | | chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on |
| Unfortunately the family did not reach the | | | | the Amazon River. |