Volunteer blog: I am a Thai Chili Pepper
I’m on my second day at the aptly named Home and Life Orphanage outside of Phuket. It’s good to have moved pass my first day, floundering and feeling overwhelmed. It was consoling to see my teammates arrive a day later and go through the same emotions. There we were, college educated, working professionals in tech and health industries, wondering how our skills and experiences could be best utilized to help these people during our brief stay. But our concerns were put […]
Leading from the Center
Phra Thong Community Center – A comprehensive facility that conveys the meaning of life in Ban Lion, and is uniting the community through a common purpose. While a village had been built to replace the one lost in the tsunami, and the houses were occupied by those who had come to make a new life, something was missing. With no restaurants, markets, or other social venues, Ban Lion lacked a place for community members to come together – to share, […]
Why Andaman Discoveries
Mission Statement: Our Mission is to be the bridge between respectful guests that are striving to travel in a sustainable way and community based tourism programs that contribute to community capacity development, education, conservation, sustainability and cultural empowerment. Vision Statement: Our vision is to: Maintain quality, sincerity, respect and personal service to our guests and community partners. By seeing the value of each individual we aim to create meaningful, sustainable, educational and memorable experiences for both the guest and the host. […]
Farewell to Carli
As March draws to a close, we say goodbye to our super-intern, Carli Zyskowski. She came to us for a short but important 2 months. While completing her internship at Andaman Discoveries through and exchange program between Michigan State University (James Madison) and the Asian Institute of Technology, she tried her hand at many community activities. Carli attended several community events, including the water lily planting with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at Naka. She also […]
Keeping It Real
What’s in a name? You may not know it, but you are part of a global movement. We are a group of international citizens who seek to make a difference wherever we are in the world. The way we travel has many names: Ecotourism, Responsible travel, Sustainable travel, Community-based tourism With all the hype surrounding these and similar terms nowadays, their meaning is becoming diluted. People who aspire to travel respectfully and give something back can find themselves bewildered by […]
