Tour.Blog 7:Feels the local with Rural Tourism

Blog 7: Feels the local 

with Rural Tourism

                    When you think about tourism, you may think of some place to be fun or some place to be extreme. The prize of the enjoyment is what we call impact of tourism, especially the negative impact. The increasing of tourist’s number causes the increasing of problem, such as environment, social and culture. But you can choose to travel without destroy environment, social and culture, which is “Rural Tourism”.

                Rural Tourism is a type of conservation tourism, which sees the local people, is the owner of environment, social, or culture. It means tourism will not destroy the local things. People still do their usual work and have usual life along with warm welcome to tourist. They welcome tourists as their guests or even family guests, not just a tourist. Tourists may stay in home stay and spend life as local people.

                When I was 10^th grade, I got a chance to go to USA as an AFS exchange student for one year. I lived in Portland, Oregon state with my host dad “Richard”, my host mom “Barbara”, and my host siblings “Freckles”, “Erin”, “Cara” and “Tazio” which are one dog and three cats. I learned to live with them in American style who loves their pets as their children. I went to hiking, watching stage plays, eating in local restaurants (since, my host family ban fast food), doing family activities with them. While I lived with them, I helped them some house works and spent time with them as a member of their family. Also, I went to Franklin High School and studied there with my American friends. I studied usual classes, and I jointed school activities such as musical play and dance team.

       To be conclude, the core of being an exchange student is you go to abroad to learn  new culture and learn how to live with it, and you bring your own culture to present other people. We exchange culture by culture. I got to know American culture and even their local attitude toward things. Rural tourism is also the way to learn new culture, new life by your own experience. This is a fun way to spend your life in the different world, and this will make you growth.

               

Tour.Blog 6: Tour Guide & Tourists in “My Life in Ruins”

Tour.Blog 5: Tour Guide & Tourists 

in “My Life in Ruins”

 

                        My life in Ruins is a movie about Georgia, a tour guide of Greece. She loves history and culture and prefers to tell this to tourists, but it occurred to be a boring tour. Also, mix personalities of tourists made her trouble. Then, she found out what and how happy tour can be with her tourists. 

                Basically, the most important characteristics of tour guide are good personality, speak clearly and know foreign language, active yourself to learn new knowledge about everything in that country, know how to explain to attract tourist and entertaining them, can control yourself, solve tourists problem wisely and good manner. Georgia is a good tour guide for explain the true and concise history of Greece, even tourists in film were not interest in history much, but for me, I love to know about history of each country that I visit, history always attract me even though it turns out to be boring for others. What Georgia lack of in the beginning was her entertainment skill. Sometimes, she needed to change way of explanation, added something funny as Irv, one of her tour guide advice.

                Other than Tour guide, this film “My life in Ruins” showed the various types of tourists too. There are tipsy Australians, American couple, difficult marriage couple and their unhappy daughter, duo women who try to find the right guy, old people, funny guy who love to tell jokes or a mature tour guide who always exciting. As you could see that, as you being the tour guide you need to meet with many kinds of people, and you need to know what they want. Being in the big group with various people from various countries, there will definitely be the problem, such as the misunderstanding of culture, tour guide is the most important person who will be the bridge to connect tourists to foreign country.

                Conclusion, a good tour guide should have a proud of he or she career, a patient, a faithful and good personality, plus special skills. What I got from this movie “My Life in Ruins” is you do not need to always serious about giving knowledge, but try to find how to enjoy yourself as a tour guide, and be happy with your tourists. Furthermore, you who are a tourist should also respect the country that you visit, even you are there to relax or study, try to be prepared by yourself to face with every situation.

Photo credit:http://www.impawards.com/2009/my_life_in_ruins_xlg.html

Tour.Blog 5: Popular = Problem

Tour.Blog 4: Popular = Problem 

 

                     If we talk about which country is the most preference for Travel, Thailand maybe one choice from many countries. Since, Thailand located in South-East Asia, it is a tropical country which foreigners who prefer to meet some light and warm cannot be miss. However, more popularity always comes with the problems.

                Thailand can be attracting to people around the world. From the study of The Thailand Development and Research Institute or TDRI said, the most influential source of information for tourists’ decision-making about their vacation was from their friends. Their friends traveled to Thailand before, and then after they came back, they told the story about Thailand. Basically, Thailand describes as the land of smile where people always smile to each other, welcome tourists and took care them well.

                As I said, more popularity always comes with the problems. Intrama World Destination Monitors Survey in 1990 to 1991 said, Thailand got second place for tourists were likely to be cheated or overcharged in Asia. This is a big problem, because it connects to the trust of the tourist, and it may affect the tourists’ decision.

                There are several things that Thailand should be done to solve the problem. First, government should state the problems by collecting information from tourism. Second, hotel or tourists residence should tell or announce the area that may risky for tourists. Third, we should explain or educate tourists about the way to avoid or protect themselves from the problem.

                Finally, Thailand may effect by the popularity, still this is the country that you should not be miss. Planning and study well about the country will lead you enjoy the whole trip, do not hesitate to travel in our country, we welcome you all to Thailand.  

Tour.Blog Special: Wander around with Special Interest Tours

Tour.Blog. Special: Wander around 

with Special Interest Tours

1. Regional Tourism

                Travel and learn about history of each country that you interest. Not even country history, but it also includes history of towns, building, factories, and environment.

                I was in Taiwan for university scholarship. I was very enjoy to know about the history of Taiwan, when our guide explain and tell Taiwan history, I always awake and record in my note.

2. Cultural Tourism

                Travel and learn about culture of each country that you interest. It also includes lifestyle, the way of their living, art, and religion or believing.

                Culture is very fun to learn, I got to know the language and art of Indonesia when I visited there.

3. Heritage Tourism

                Travel and learn about location of each country that present country story. You will learn the story from famous places or hot places that will tell you the country story from the past till present.

                I visited Gukong National Museum of Taiwan which has a lot of precious stuff to learn the old time of Taiwan.

4. Rural Tourism

                Travel and experience real lifestyle of each country that you interest, you may stay in home stay or even live with host family in that country, and learn how they live or how they work.

                When I was in Grade 5, I went to USA as an AFS exchange student, and I lived with my host family who take care me so well. I learned and adapted myself to use to American life with them.

 

5. Cycle Tourism

                Travel by your own with your bicycle, it will be a long distance, but you will get this chance to both travel and exercise.

                I have not try cycle tourism yet, but my Philippine friend and my German sister did them before, and they said it was cool to feel the wind and travel. Well, someday I would love to try with my friends!

6. Educational Tourism

                Experience, teaching, and learning in country that you interest, you will have a chance to explore more on method, techniques, or standard of each country education.

                When I visited Taiwan, I and my group went to Taiwan university to get to know more about their education such as how they study or how they teach.

 

7. Traveling for Health

                Travel and relax with medical tourism, there are a lot of place in this world that will make your health better, such as massage, spa, or healthy food from different countries.

8. Environmental Tourism

                Travel, Experience and relax with natural in country that you interest, you will not have to worry with the chaos town, but let yourself become one with natural, save energy, doing slow, and be happy with sufficiency traveling.

                I had a lot of experience of hiking with my American family, they love natural, and they teach me about the history of them too.

9. The Cruise Experience

                Travel and experience with cruise, this is somehow a luxury style of tour, since it may cost a lot of money, but eventually you will get the best service, best food, and best experience.

                I had an experience to attend Prom Night on the ship, well it was not cruise though, but the beauty of night life of Portland, Oregon, USA was not bad at all.

 

10. Festival and Events Tourism

                Travel and experience with special festivals and events of country that you interest, there are many country in this world, and a lot of festivals that each country present, and you will enjoy some events that your country never had.

                Halloween may not be special for you, but for me, my country Thailand is not really cerebrate this festival. So, it was a fun experience to make Halloween pumpkins, see the idea of ghost costumes, and have fun with trick or treat!

 

11. Senior Tourism

                If you are old, please do not think that you cannot travel. There is seniors’ tourism to provide you with suitable cost, travel, and experience. You are never too old to travel!

                My American grandpa is quite old, but he never tried of travel. He is really have a power! (well this picture is not him, okey? They are my host Dad and host grandma, they look fun together right?)

12. Wine and Food Tourism

                Travel and enjoy your time with delicious food and wine in country that you interest. There is a particular special wine and food of each country that you should not be missed.

ENJOY TO TRAVEL!!!

There is experience everywhere