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Message: Someone thought you might be interested in this entry at Exquisite Safaris. http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/travel_philanthropy_exquisite_safaris/ Travel Connoisseur Magazine on Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel: Meaningful Vacations "Exquisite Safaris is wonderful because it combines the best of everything. You get world-class accommodations, the top notch activities, and then end up at a project that is life changing." -Travel Connoisseur Magazine Philanthropic Travel: Enlightened Luxury Two Februaries ago, in the middle of a sticky East African night, Ted van Beuren sat in a remote region of Kenya, eyes fixed on the horizon. From his cushy Rusinga Island Lodge bed, near the shores of Lake Victoria, he watched as a storm approached like none he'd ever witnessed. Lightning bolts fired in blinding spurts, each time illuminating a landscape of fallen trees and grazing hippos. And the sound of thunder, at first almost inaudible, rose to a pitch so high it felt like a thousand bombs exploding in unison. In the same room, van Beuren's 23-year-old son tried to sleep. But as the seconds passed and the eye of the squall moved closer, a blast of wind burst through the net door, blowing the room's curtains against the ceiling and the atmosphere into chaos. "What was that?" Ted Jr. yelled as he jolted upright. "What's happening?" A moment later, the skies opened, unleashing a torrent of rain so hard it drowned out the thunder and dimmed the lightning. But as he sat there, the man who had left his safe Pennsylvania neighborhood to visit the unknown halfway around the world could not think about the powerful meteorological event unfolding before him. Nor could he think about fly-fishing, his passion, and one of the adventures he had hoped to share with his son while in Africa."All I could think about was what I was going to do with the quality time I had left in my life," he says. "All I could think about was that morning."That morning, van Beuren found himself first in Nairobi, in a densely populated slum where orphans of AIDS victims lived alone in extreme poverty. And then later in a village on Rusinga, where a young man without even a high-school education had somehow managed to pull together the necessary means to start not only a medical center, but an international export business to support it. Images from those encounters did not sweep over van Beuren immediately. But as the day's cadence slowed, and the clock turned past midnight, and that storm drew near with a strength he'd never seen, they came into focus. As the CEO of one of the biggest multi-sports facilities on America's East Coast vividly tried to recall every last detail of his day, a message reverberated through his body. "It was like God was speaking," van Beuren says. "That storm was his cleansing me, and I knew what I had to do. Everything was all of the sudden extremely clear."What van Beuren felt in that Rusinga Island hut last year is what David Chamberlain -owner of a San Francisco-based company that offers philanthropic vacations such as the one van Beuren experienced -calls "the Socratic moment, that defining flashpoint that triggers the need to want to help in some profound way." Chamberlain experienced it in 1972 when he ventured to Haiti with his grandparents and spent a morning playing soccer on a rural part of the island with children his own age. He wore Miami Dolphins-embroidered clothes and painfully white loafers. They wore next to nothing. But as soon as the ball flew through the air, one language emerged, and so did a voice inside the middle-class foreigner from Boston. "The overwhelming emotion was one of, 'These kids are just like me,' "Chamberlain says. "And then my thought was, 'I could've just as easily been born somewhere else.' It was one of those experiential things you never forget." Today, Chamberlain is dedicated to exposing others to that kind of sensation through Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide, which he founded last year in an effort to cater to a growing trend -the wealthiest generation's desire to connect with the world in a meaningful way. His recipe is simple: Blend equal parts luxury and social conscience, then serve in a customized manner. "What David is doing is wonderful because it combines the best of everything," says Chellie Kew, founder of Qfund, a non-profit organization whose grassroots endeavors in Africa are sometimes observed by Exquisite Safaris travelers. "You get the world-class accommodations, the top-notch activities, and then end up at a project that is life-changing." Using Africa as an example, a day in the itinerary of an Exquisite Safaris trip could go something like this: early morning game reserve tour; late morning spa treatment; and then an afternoon visit to a sub Saharan township, where individuals like Kew may be coordinating the implementation of banana trees to create a source of economic stability. In the evening, travelers return to their quarters, such as a private lodge or mobile camp. They enjoy a gourmet meal under a canopy of stars and then fall asleep in the comfort of a deluxe tent or cottage, complete with en suite bathroom, hot running water, electricity, and, maybe, a plunge pool built in to the veranda deck. "It's a total luxury experience," Chamberlain says. "Only you're coming out of that so called bubble for an afternoon or a morning and seeing what's truly going on in the country you're visiting." Exquisite Safaris also designs trips to destinations such as Burma, Cambodia, Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru, Thailand, and Vietnam. Most last between two and three weeks and are tailor -made for groups of no more than about eight. The cost usually isn't cheap; a typical six -star experience in, say, Botswana can run a traveler around $1,000 a night, not including airfare. But there is no charge for the philanthropic add-on. And $250 per traveler of Exquisite Safaris' profit goes directly toward grassroots projects visited. "That's one of the key differentiators," Chamberlain says. "There are certainly a lot of give -back plans out there, but how many are taking that money and truly empowering the people in the place?" Any American who has traveled overseas since the turn of the century knows the impact foreign policy can have on international relations. Even though choices made by political leaders don't necessarily reflect the beliefs of the constituents, they are often thought to be closely associated. Because of that, U.S. citizens especially have drawn increasing amounts of ire over the past decade, whether in Iraq, Italy, or even Ireland. "There's no question that due to recent events people don't think as fondly of us anymore," Chamberlain says. "So what better way to reconnect with the world and change opinion than through philanthropic travel?" While the concept would seem a perfect tool for shrinking that cultural gap, it is undoubtedly proving to be a strong bonding agent for individuals with even the closest ties: family members. By interacting with one another on a daily basis for a couple of weeks in a third-world area, relatives -even those who are normally separated by great distances or the busyness of everyday life -come away from the experience tighter than ever before. At least that's what Mellinger is hearing. "It's probably the most common piece of feedback I get," he says. "But it makes sense. Here you are with your wife and your kids and your grandkids in an unfamiliar environment, living together, learning together, making decisions together. You can't underestimate how powerful of a force that is." Many adults are moved to tears by their philanthropic encounters. And most never forget the faces they see. Atherton still remembers walking into a small home in Nairobi several years ago and being introduced to Marion, whose parents had died of AIDS. A little girl with a big smile, she was being cared for by her 13- and 15-year-old sisters because her aunts and uncles had succumbed to the disease too. "I think about her every day," says Atherton, who also serves on the board of the American Red Cross' Bay Area chapter. "I just held her and didn't want to let her go." Young travelers are equally affected. Just ask Mellinger, whose clients often admit to seeing their children become more actively involved in charitable causes. Or Kew, whose Qfund-organized International ONE March for Children event prompted a Los Angeles-area private girls school to raise money for an educational facility in Zambia. "There's just something about kids connecting with kids," Kew says. "When that opportunity to feel and to witness is presented to young people, it really does propel action." It also creates an important forum where values are instilled and legacies are discussed. As Chamberlain says, "There's no better experience for a wealthy family than traveling together in this way, because it sets up a chance to make decisions on what they're going to do as far as passing on that wealth." And when that's decided? Tour operators can be big assets then too; indeed, Exquisite Safaris works with coaches such as Charles Maclean, whose PhilanthropyNow organization is available to help potential donors identify their personal giving missions when they return. Maclean says participants often describe this process as empowering, because obstacles to giving are stripped away, charitable confusion is erased, and an ongoing commitment toward doing good is established. When CNN founder and former Time Warner vice chairman Ted Turner announced in 1997 that he would give $1 billion to United Nations programs over the next decade, it signaled the renewal of a post-Industrial Age phenomenon: big names making big donations. Benjamin Franklin did it. Andrew Carnegie did it. John D. Rockefeller did it. "It's really no different," Mellinger says. "They were great figures who garnered enormous wealth and then, when they entered the latter parts of their lives, focused on charity and giving." The same kind of activity is coming out of the Information Age. The difference is the depth and breadth of the wealth -and the new level of direct involvement that exists. The last couple of years have borne major witness to this movement. Sir Richard Branson helped build a "school of entrepreneurship" in South Africa. Angelina Jolie visited Millennium Villages in Kenya. And Warren Buffett decided he would unload most of his fortune in five foundations, with the lion's share -some 70 percent of the former Berkshire Hathaway executive's more than $40 billion -going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for which Buffett is now a board member. "People aren't just writing checks anymore," Mellinger adds. "They’re giving their time and energy and resources as well." Maclean, citing a Luxury Institute and PhilanthropyNow collaborative report, says this kind of idea shift within the affluent community comes from traveling into the heart of a place, which sparks an emotional release and alters an individual's definition of himself. "What you're seeing is a new generation of wealthy individual that, instead of going down in history as a rich person, wants to brand their family as a living icon of generosity,"he says. "Just look at Bill Gates. He's gone from most wealthy to most generous." There may not ever be a better time for this conceptual change, either. Despite increased awareness of global issues, many are not improving. To wit: Almost one-sixth of the world's population still does not have access to safe water, and more than 140 million children have been left orphaned. "The situation is as dire as it's ever been," Mellinger says. "But the more people can travel, the better chance that can change. And the more they're willing to go to places like India and Central America and parts of Africa they were never willing to go before, it will change. Because then you can't ignore it." Van Beuren hasn't. Nor will he. He's planning to go back to Africa soon through Exquisite Safaris. Only next time he's taking his wife and several of their friends. They'll visit outreach sports programs he's set up in places like Kenya and South Africa and build relationships with more people who have big hearts but little opportunity. Then, at some point, they'll go on safari or take a boat out fishing for Nile perch. But at all points they'll stay somewhere with five-star flavor. "Because in the end," van Beuren says, "who doesn't want a fillet and creme brulee?" Learn More: Canada's National Post Newspaper: Philanthropic Travelers Travel Philanthropy has Arrived: WealthBulletin.com Understanding Philanthropic Travel Travel Connoisseur Magazine on Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide Fast Company Magazine on Philanthropic Travel PersonalLifemedia.com on Philanthropic Travel DIY Foreign Policy: Philanthropic Travel Philanthropic Traveler funded High School opens near Victoria Falls, Zambia The Fable of Stone Soup My First Philanthropic Travel Experience Affluent Parents Dedicated to Instilling Philanthropic Values in their Children Giving while Living: The Deeper News About the New Philanthropy Dr. Jeffrey Sachs on the Strategic Steps Out of Poverty Are We Talking about Philanthropy Yet? No, We Are Not Philanthropic Travelers: Visionary Philanthropic Traveler Marc Gold 100 Friends Project Visionary Philanthropic Traveler Chellie Kew Rachael Paulson Philanthropic Traveler Milton & Fred Ochieng: Philanthropic Travelers Jane Kaye- Bailey: Philanthropic Traveler Richard Branson: Philanthropic Traveler Angelina Jolie: Philanthropic Traveler Karen Jacobsen: Philanthropic Traveler Oprah Winfrey: Philanthropic Traveler Palm Beach Life Magazine: Philanthropic Travelers Exquisite Safaris www.exquisitesafaris.com