Journeys International

Journeys grew from our gratifying experiences in the Peace Corps and as teachers, conservation workers and travelers in Nepal in the early 1970’s. We learned how inspirational and satisfying culturally-respectful and environmentally-sensitive travel can be. After returning to graduate school at the University of Michigan, we longed to revisit the Himalayas. We sat in our student apartment and typed up (on a typewriter!) a one-page flyer inviting "curious, hearty souls" to join us on a "Journey to Nepal." We were clear about what we wanted to do: we hoped to share a place that we knew and loved with others who were open and eager for new adventures. We didn’t label this ecotourism, or sustainable travel or responsible tourism. We only knew that we wanted our travel group to be small enough not to overwhelm the experience, we wanted to interact directly and respectfully with local people and natural environments, and, rather than drain local resources, we believed we should make a contribution to their preservation. We were committed to the idea that local people and communities must tangibly benefit from this idea which came to be called ecotravel and ecotourism. We made this concept work and Journeys today is an ongoing experiment and celebration of 35 years of ecotourism evolution in action.