MTP7: How Sustainable Tourism + Philanthropic Travel Can Change Your Life w/ Lydia Dean of GoPhilanthropic

Lydia Dean left her job as an Executive Search Consultant in the year 2000 to pursue a lifelong interest in travel and humanitarian programs. She and her family moved to Provence, France where they lived for 6 years while exploring many developing countries. In 2007, they returned to the US and launched GoPhilanthropic Travel. In 2010 GoPhilanthropic Foundation was formed in order to more actively partner with small grassroots non-profits offering greater access to resources and opportunities. Lydia divides her time between Los Angeles, Provence, and the regions within which GoPhil works.  She is also the author of Jumping the Picket Fence: A Woman's Search for Meaning from the Suburbs to the Slums.

Today I’m so excited to welcome Lydia Dean, Founder and Director of GoPhilanthropic Travel, offering travelers the certainty that their support is making a positive impact in local communities.  This interview was conducted pre-COVID19 in the research for The Millennial Travel Guidebook where I sprinkled in tons of information on sustainable travel and where Lydia was quoted.

As you hopefully know, sustainable travel and spending our money the right way is super important to us at Under30Experiences.  In this interview we discuss topics such as: 

The dangers of voluntourism How to select non-profit organizations to work with How to vote with your dollars Where to travel if you really want to make an impact

I’m also thrilled to hear Lydia’s inspiring story and have her share how philanthropy and travel changed the person who she is.  It really sounds like she lives an incredibly full and fulfilling life. 

You can learn more about Lydia and GoPhilanthropic at www.gophilanthropictravel.com and www.gophilanthropic.org.

Show notes can be found at http://millennialtravelpodcast.com

###

Direct support for The Millennial Travel Podcast is provided by my new book The Millennial Travel Guidebook: Escape More, Spend Less, and Make Travel a Priority in Your Life.

Check out our new USA trips with Under30Experiences including Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Zion, and Bryce Canyon National Parks… plus Lake Tahoe!