World Travel Market 2008 recognizes Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Innovation and Leadership

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Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel is grateful to have been recognized as a travel industry leader in Philanthropic Travel by The 2008 World Travel Market: The Global Event for the Travel Industry.

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel has pioneered the Philanthropic Travel experience by forging mutually beneficial fund raising partnerships with high impact NGOs serving in destination communities worldwide.

By educating philanthropic travelers on the critical humanitarian and environmental challenges and solutions facing fellow human beings who are struggling for their very survival, we are facilitating deeply meaningful, personally transformative vacation experiences that are funding clean energy, children's education, basic medical services and safe drinking water.

With all due respect to Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel and Tourism Research for Euromonitor International and author of the 2008 Global Trends Report, Philanthropic Travel is not a "trend," reserved only for the "socially conscious jet set," as she has reported.

The cynical and nihilistic assertion that Philanthropic Travel is motivated by upper class guilt, assuaged by "conscientious consumption," is inconsistent with the testimony from our clients, who seek to connect at the heart with indigenous people.

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel clients report that our facilitated, personal introductions to high impact NGOs left them with a renewed belief in themselves and their purpose in life.

Client donations, which far exceed our company's industry-leading $250 per traveler donation, have empowered local communities to gain a foothold on sustainability.

We Know the World by Heart: Exquisite Safaris
The cornerstone of our success is creating an awareness in the traveler/donor and host/beneficiary that the "Circle of Giving" is only completed when a personal relationship is created face to face -the moment when gifts flow in both directions.

The resulting intimacy, trust and confidence between newfound collaborators has inspired and educated children, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, mothers, fathers, grandparents and even the most jaded world weary travelers with clear evidence that one person can create powerful change -if they just make the journey with philanthropic intent.

Philanthropic Travel: The Globalization of Empathy
Unless you are a doctor, dentist, solar power specialist or have a technical skill that is urgently needed at the time, our NGO partners report that cash donations, which fund teachers salaries, employ local labor, and purchase local materials, are more important than 'gifts in kind or short term volunteer labor.'

Philanthropic Travel is a learning experience, not a service experience like voluntourism.

Philanthropic Travel: It benefits everyone
We agree with the Ms. Bremner's assertion:

"Travellers who do not have time to spend their holiday volunteering are more likely to choose industry suppliers that support local communities by paying market wages or by donating a portion of profits. However, the mass market is not willing to take on a price premium to switch to this type of supplier."

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel prices our three, four and five star philanthropic travel experiences at market rates as compared with similar non-philanthropic tour operators or even do it yourself travelers who would piece together airlines, guides, vehicles and accommodations for an 'apples to apples' trip a la carte.

Our $250 donation to our NGO partner does not add to the cost, it is subtracted from our revenue.

Philanthropic Travelers: Better Angels
During each of our journeys, there are those inevitable moments when someone comes into our life at precisely the right time and says or does precisely the right thing. Their words or actions may help us perceive ourselves more clearly, remind us that everything will turn out for the best, help us cope, or see us through difficult situations.

These people are Better Angels -individuals designated by a higher power to be there for those in need at specific points in time.

Better Angels, come into our lives when we least expect them and when we can most benefit from their presence.

Most Better Angels are regular people, going about their daily lives until inspired to be in the right place at the right time to bring peace, joy, help, or heal someone when they most need it.

You may have met a Better Angel in the form of a teacher who gave you a piece of advice that touched your soul and influenced your path.

Perhaps it was a person that momentarily stopped you to say hello while crossing the street, delaying you long enough to avoid an oncoming car.

Better angels may offer nothing more than a kind word, smile, and a generous anonymous donation -but they will offer it when you can draw the most strength and support from their simple action. Better Angels give of their inner light to all who need it, coming into our lives and often changing us forever.

-David Chamberlain, Founder Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel :: November 28, 2008

Learn More:
Financial Times/FT.com: Exquisite Safaris Philanthropy Travelers
What Should a M/Billionaire Give -and What Should You?
Friends of Ngong Road Schools: Philanthropy Travel Kenya
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Now is your Moment: Philanthropic Travel
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Life Changing: Philanthropy Travel
Your First Philanthropy Travel Experience

Philanthropic Travelers:
John Legend: Philanthropy Traveler
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Financial Times: Wealth Advisor partners with Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel

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Randall Manley, principal of Lodestar Private Asset Management in Alamo, California says that charitable giving is moving away from simply writing a blank cheque. "The idea of donors seeing where their dollars are going to work and the impact that can have is very important and will allow significantly more money to be raised in the future," he says, adding that it also serves as a way of educating the next generation about the value of philanthropy.

"It's also very helpful -a moral compass for kids from wealthy families." Mr Manley has set up a foundation called Make It Real, which will take private clients on cultural trips with a philanthropic mission.

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel, a luxury tour company that specialises in creating these bespoke trips, is working with Mr Manley to plan two trips for Lodestar and its clients -one to Appalachia in the US next year and one to Central America in 2010. Clients on the Appalachia trip will visit local music and arts events in Eastern Kentucky and work with disadvantaged children, producing documentaries through a programme run by Appalshop, a local non-profit organisation.

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel works with US non-profits and non-governmental organisations in developing countries, and also donates $250 per traveller to its humanitarian project partner wherever a trip takes place.

David Chamberlain, its founder, says that while "voluntourism" -volunteering while on holiday -is well established, philanthropic travel, involving a short visit to a project, but a longer -term relationship and commitment of funds from the traveller, is not.

"What non-profits tell us they need more than anything else is funds," he says.

"They need would-be donors to come to see them, vet the project, donate generously, tell their friends, family and professional networks, and develop a relationship.

All I ask is one morning or afternoon of their vacation."

That could come, for example, in a half-day visit during a luxury safari in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia to an NGO assisting rural communities decimated by HIV/AIDS, he says.

-Financial Times Tuesday November 25, 2008

Learn More:
Friends of Ngong Road Schools: Philanthropic Travel Kenya
Now is your Moment: Philanthropic Travel
For those to whom much is given; much is required: Philanthropic Travel
TheGlassHammer.com Philanthropic Travelers
Vacationing in Generosity: Philanthropic Travel
Life Changing: Philanthropic Travel
Your First Philanthropic Travel Experience
Approaching the Omega Point: Philanthropic Travel

Philanthropic Travelers:
Barack Obama: Philanthropic Traveler
John Legend: Philanthropic Traveler
Teach your Children Well: Philanthropic Travel
The One's Who Do: Philanthropic Travelers

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Connecting at the Heart: Philanthropic Travel in Kenya

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Vacationing in Generosity: Philanthropic Travel

"Now, thanks to a partnership with Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel, the people who care are closer than ever..."

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Humanitarian travel doesn't have to mean hard labor or rustic lodging. Unlike voluntourism, philanthropic travel is designed for people with more money than time. And for most charities, there is nothing they need more than money.

"There are plenty of people (local unemployed laborers) to bang the hammer," says David Chamberlain of Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel, a travel outfit that specializes in charitable outreach. "What we need to do is get them the hammers and the nails."

To that end, the company donates $250 of its own profit per traveler to the cause. By putting their own skin in the game, they hope to inspire travelers to match or best their donation. Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel creates custom experiences with humanitarian elements for individuals, families and nonprofit organizations that want to show sponsors the change they're effecting. Working all over the world, the company partners with grassroots, nonprofit organizations that can introduce visitors to indigenous conservation while building relationships and inspiring philanthropy.

Their partner causes range from education to healthcare to clean water and cover the world from Africa to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Nepal. The one thing their partners do have in common is good management. Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel will only work with 501c3s (tax-exempt status for nonprofits) that are well-managed and financially responsible. Most important, they won't work with anyone who wastes money on excessive executive salaries. In fact, many run entirely on volunteers.

Take The Friends of Ngong Road for example, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that funds education in Nairobi, Kenya. Made up entirely of volunteers in the U.S. and four employees in Kenya, the organization was launched after an accidental but inspiring travel encounter. When Paula Meyer retired from managing mutual funds in 2005, she decided to celebrate with a safari. Upon arrival in Kenya, she met Peter Ndungu, a U.S.-educated pastor committed to helping his hometown of Nairobi. He introduced Meyer to the lives of AIDS orphans in his community. Immediately, Meyer was compelled to act.

"After seeing the way they live, I knew they needed help and that it should start with me, so I emptied my wallet," she says. On the 17-hour plane ride home, she'd found her retirement goal -starting a foundation to feed the students of Nairobi. "I did the math, and for a latte a week, we could support these children."

She quickly applied for nonprofit status while back in Kenya, Ndungu established a non-governmental organization, or N.G.O. In January 2007, The Friends of Ngong Road became a reality and she quickly recruited 60 sponsors. Today, there are more than 350 donors helping to pay for students' school fees, uniforms, books, basic school supplies, counseling support, and a healthy meal six days a week.

"Getting a meal to them is way more important than a laptop," she says. Maybe even more key, she says, is building a community. "Creating a support system that tells these orphaned children that they're okay (is so important) ?€“ that someone in the U.S. cares enough about them is huge for their self-esteem."

Now, thanks to a partnership with Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel, the people who care are closer than ever. This June, they helped Meyer bring 12 sponsors to Kenya. They arrived to see firsthand just what it means that 70% of the people in the country live in what the United Nations defines as a slum ?€“ an urban location with no running water, no electricity and no sanitation facilities.

"And the AIDS orphans are at the bottom of that barrel," says Meyer, who now devotes her life to helping them. "The conditions these children live in are unimaginable to most people in the U.S."

A tour of Nairobi's neighborhoods, including classrooms and local homes, made clear the plight of most Kenyans. But the travelers did much more than feel pity. They made genuine friendships, saw the beauty of the area's culture, music and warm spirit. They also saw just how valuable their meals are to Kenyan children.

"It doesn't have to be Africa though," says Chamberlain. "Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel will go anywhere."

Right now, that even means the United States. They are currently organizing their first trip within our country's borders. In June 2009, they will send philanthropists on a philanthropic tour of Appalachia, including North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. Travelers will be introduced to the music, art, cuisine, and culture of the Appalachian mountains, along with several organizations that empower the people of the region.

"There has been pervasive hopelessness there for decades," says Chamberlain, who hopes that travelers will build one-on-one relationships with the youth of the region, learn what can be done to help, and ultimately go back home to spread the story.

No matter where they head, travelers will get as much or as little opulence as they want and spend as much or as little time as they want visiting charities. For some that means half a day, for others it can be as much as a week. In the end, Chamberlain hopes people will connect at the heart and be part of a long-term solution.

"People are used to checkbook charity, which is a virtual experience. And now it's click here to donate, which is wonderfully effective but again, it's a virtual experience. Philanthropic travel completes the Circle of Giving; with relationships, the gift flows back to the donor. It can change lives on both sides for the better."

Into Africa
When school lunch sponsors see their dollars at work, the gift continues.

Newport Coast resident George Namkung left for Tanzania with big plans -go on safari and climb to the 19,340-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Little did he know, fate had even bigger plans. A chance meeting with a government minister and an impromptu tour of Tanzania's impoverished schools left Namkung determined to change the hungry students' plight. And that he did. Only months after his visit, he started Kids of Kilimanjaro, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that now, a mere three years after its launch, provides lunches for more than 10,000 children a day. Attendance in the district they support is now at 100%, with all of the students graduating to the next grade. That's quite a contrast to the 60% national average.

Supporters are so enthusiastic about the difference they're making, they begged Namkung to take them on his next trip. So this June, Namkung and seven philanthropists arrived in Africa just in time for the last week of school and the start of the Serengeti's awe-inspiring wildebeest migration, a movement that involves 1.3 million wildebeest, 3,500 lions and hundreds of thousands of zebra, gazelles and hyenas.

"It's like the westward expansion of the U.S., but it's all animals in this case," says Namkung. "It beats the San Diego Zoo anytime."

The first half of the trip focused on what Namkung counts among the greatest natural outdoor experiences in the world. First, a hike through Kilimanjaro's rainforest and a stay at the Tarangire Tree Tops, a complex of luxury tree-top tents overlooking Lake Manyara and the Maasai Steppe. The next stop was Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage site that is home to more than 30,000 animals and one of the most luxurious lodges on earth.

After being awed by lions, giraffes, elephants, hippos, flamingos, crocodiles, and of course, more than a million wildebeests, the group set off for what would become the most memorable part of their visit -a tour of the Monduli school district they'd been working to support. The kids were waving and jumping up and down to greet them. Drummers and dancers put on performances and the visitors were able to see meals being prepared and enjoyed, students avidly learning and interacting. The physical and mental health benefits of a daily meal were clearly apparent, and everyone stepped up to the plate with sizeable contributions.

"This was not the mission," says Namkung, who had been determined to keep the trip low-key. An effort to inform and educate became a powerful incentive to give -both money and skill. A writer is creating a children's book, a photographer donated all of her photos from the trip, a videographer created a marketing video for the organization, and a special-education teacher committed to entirely fund a school for the blind. Although it isn't part of the agenda, Namkung imagines there will be plenty more trips to Tanzania. As long as donors want to go, he'll find a way to take them.

"Africa's beauty is hard to express," he says. "But I've been around the world 125 times and visited more than 80 countries. There is no other place like Africa on the planet. It's really the people. They're the warmest, most hospitable you'll meet."

And so, it seems, are the sponsors behind Kids of Kilmanjaro.

Learn More:
Friends of Ngong Road Schools: Philanthropic Travel Kenya
Now is your Moment: Philanthropic Travel
For those to whom much is given; much is required: Philanthropic Travel
TheGlassHammer.com Philanthropic Travelers
Vacationing in Generosity: Philanthropic Travel
Life Changing: Philanthropic Travel
Your First Philanthropic Travel Experience
Approaching the Omega Point: Philanthropic Travel

Philanthropic Travelers:
Barack Obama: Philanthropic Traveler
John Legend: Philanthropic Traveler
Teach your Children Well: Philanthropic Travel
The One's Who Do: Philanthropic Travelers

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John Legend: Philanthropic Traveler

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If you hear this message, wherever you stand
I'm calling every woman, calling every man
We're the generation
We can't afford to wait
The future started yesterday and we're already late

We've been looking for a song to sing
Searched for a melody
Searched for someone to lead
We've been looking for the world to change
If you feel the same
Then go on and say
If you're out there
Sing along with me
If you're out there

I'm dying to believe that you're out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you're out there
Tomorrow's starting now
Now, now

No more broken promises
No more call to war
Unless it's love and peace that we're really fighting for
We can destroy hunger
We can conquer hate
Put down the arms and raise your voice
We're joining hands today

Oh I was looking for a song to sing
I searched for a leader
But the leader was me
We were looking for the world to change
We can be heroes
Just go on and say

If you're out there
Sing along with me
If you're out there
I'm dying to believe that you're out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you're out there
Tomorrow's starting now
Now, now

Oh now, now

If you're ready we can shake the world
Believe again
It starts within
We don't have to wait for destiny
We should be the change that we want to see

If you're out there
Ooooh
If you're out there
And you're ready now
Say it loud
Scream it out

If you're out there
Sing along with me
If you're out there
I'm dying to believe that you're out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you're out there
Tomorrow's starting now

If you're out there
If you're out there
If you're out there

If you hear this message, wherever you stand
I'm calling every woman, calling every man
We're the generation
We can't afford to wait
The future started yesterday and we're already late

John Legend (born John Stephens on December 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio) is an American Grammy winning R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. His debut album, the platinum selling Get Lifted produced by Kanye West, was released in December 2004. Legend also played the piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything is Everything" and sang background vocals on Jay-Z?€™s "Encore" and Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name". Legend frequently cites gospel, R&B, and hip hop music as his main musical influences.

``
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Learn More:
Around the World with Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel
Philanthropic Journeys begin with Exquisite Safaris
Member of the United Nations Foundation World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
The Advent of Philanthropic Travel by Mark Lovett Global Patriot
Financial Times/FT.com: Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travelers
Vacationing in Generosity: Philanthropic Travel
TheGlassHammer.com Philanthropic Travelers
Your First Philanthropic Travel Experience

Philanthropic Travelers:
The One's Who Do: Philanthropic Travelers
John Legend: Philanthropic Traveler

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