5 ways Crazy Good Travel impacts communities
Put simply, #CrazyGoodTravel impacts communities. Doing good drives us. We’re just crazy enough to believe that working for the good of others will make a difference in their lives and in ours.
1. Sustainable ventures
We are leading out in rural tourism in the villages of Montenegro. Meanderbug has introduced the term “farm stay” in Montenegro and the region with multi-speciated farms. Villages and the traditional way of life are in a rapid decline as people move to the cities usually due to economics. We are developing the Meanderbug Farm Stay Network where numerous schools have closed and a number of villages have had significant drops in population. We see viability for our farm stay partners as key for enabling them to continue living their dreams and maintain a way of life that is beautiful. Part of our commitment to this network is a coaching and consulting process where we work with locals learning and sharing best practices to increase the success of locals and travelers’ customer satisfaction.
2. Collaborative artisanship
We are pursuing collaborative approaches to making handmade items available for travelers. Exploratory actions are being tested as we continue the ideation stage for a cooperative effort to make artisan items available at more locations. Some of the local products include olive oil and goat milk soaps, hand-spun wool yarn, knitting, organic mountain teas, juices, honey, cheese, dried meats, wine, and fruit brandies.
3. Female entrepreneurship
We provide training, coaching, support, and encouragement for female entrepreneurs. Rural tourism in Montenegro and the surrounding region is providing new opportunities for women of all ages to step out in leadership. Good things are happening now.
4. Environmental impact
We advocate for positive environmental impact. To date, this includes projects in waterways, on land, and even minor road repair. We celebrate our partners who are already taking action to clean the environment in their community. We believe we will see great strides forward here with increasing viability.
In 2019, we released the first ever compost toilet specifications for Montenegro. This is available to our partners and beyond as we are committed to helping create a better community both for locals and travelers. Also, we partnered in the first 100 km Eco Run Tara River cleanup.
5. Telling the story
We tell the local stories to inform others about the village way of life and traditions. Through these narratives, we invite others to experience village life and to help the locals stabilize their tradition. These stories can be found on various meanderbug channels as well as through other projects we are pursuing.
It takes a team to pursue making a difference. All of our efforts are done in cooperation with other organizations, companies, and individuals that care deeply about their community. We are grateful for each of them!
