ayana journeys
We believe in providing REBAVA students with the most life changing learning ventures possible. To do this we've partnered exclusively with Ayana Journeys in Cambodia. While many US teen travel companies choose to deliver their own programs in foreign countries, REBAVA believes students are best served by trips co-crafted & led in partnership with the most professional in-country provider. And that's Ayana. They set the bar high & we're thrilled to have a relationship that benefits both companies while also guaranteeing students the most amazing & ethical experiences possible.
It's no secret that the travel industry has the capacity to be incredibly destructive, with many documented cases of the ways in which tourism can harm ecosystems & chip away at cultures & traditions. Thankfully there is a growing awareness around these issues, & both travelers & tour operators are paying more & more attention to the ways in which tourism can & should be socially & environmentally responsible. Increasing emphasis is being placed on tourism as a means of poverty alleviation & there is an ever-growing interest in eco-friendly travel options.
Ayana is VERY excited about this & wholeheartedly agrees that the joy of travel should never come at the expense of the people & places hosting globe-trotters or holiday-makers.
But this isn't enough.
When done with care & consideration, tourism has an extraordinary ability to not only benefit host communities, but also play an integral role in making the world a better, more peaceful place.
Many of the awful things that happen in our world come from a desire to assert control over others, a confusion between ‘different’ & ‘wrong’, or a combination of the two. Ayana believes that respect & empathy are crucial to combatting these causes of much global unhappiness & that the best way to achieve these is through immersive, hand-crafted & open-minded travel.
Ayana rejects the conventional model of ‘observing’ new places and cultures, which ultimately encourages us to feel distanced from them. Instead they craft engaging, ethical learning journeys that support open-minded travelers interested in developing an appreciation for other cultures, learning about different ways of life, exploring international issues, deepening their own sense of empathy & reflecting on themselves as global citizens.
Ayana is VERY excited about this & wholeheartedly agrees that the joy of travel should never come at the expense of the people & places hosting globe-trotters or holiday-makers.
But this isn't enough.
When done with care & consideration, tourism has an extraordinary ability to not only benefit host communities, but also play an integral role in making the world a better, more peaceful place.
Many of the awful things that happen in our world come from a desire to assert control over others, a confusion between ‘different’ & ‘wrong’, or a combination of the two. Ayana believes that respect & empathy are crucial to combatting these causes of much global unhappiness & that the best way to achieve these is through immersive, hand-crafted & open-minded travel.
Ayana rejects the conventional model of ‘observing’ new places and cultures, which ultimately encourages us to feel distanced from them. Instead they craft engaging, ethical learning journeys that support open-minded travelers interested in developing an appreciation for other cultures, learning about different ways of life, exploring international issues, deepening their own sense of empathy & reflecting on themselves as global citizens.
