What's your favorite deadly sin?

I don’t believe in altruism. Having come from an international development background, the idea of one person, country, or any other entity doing something for others for nothing in return isn't one I believe in. In that same regard though, I am a firm believer in mutual gain.

If one person has something to offer, and another person needs or wants said something, some sort of exchange that leaves both parties happy is a more reliable, and more readily available, way to see a transaction occur. While traveling, the local economy needs to be stimulated, and the traveler also needs some sort of stimulation, so how can we make this happen mutually? Follow these tips on how to pamper oneself while still making a positive impact while abroad.

1) Get a massage

While traveling in the developing world, especially around Asia, fantastic, professional and affordable massages are in abundance. In Thailand, for example, an hour message can run anywhere from $5-$20. This, if done right, can be nicely incorporated into any traveler’s budget. To make sure you are actually making a positive impact though, one must exit the tourist area and find a non-seedy and non-foreign owned establishment. Normally, this can be found by walking literally a block or so away from the backpacker areas. As alluded to in prior sentences, do not go to a seedy-place. Indulging in “happy endings,” is allowing, performing and encouraging sex tourism. This is not a positive way to travel and has no room in the idea of mutual gain or international development. Be safe with your message, and represent your home well.

2) Laundry services

Along with getting your muscles worked on, you can also stimulate the local economy by letting someone else do your laundry. Yep, that’s right, your laziness actually equivocates to what others try to do while volunteering (hypothetically). Same rules as above apply, but as long as you find a nice local spot, you doing (or not doing) your laundry will help some nice family put food on the table. In fact, lots of locals actually do their laundry in the same way. While I’m sure a good majority does their own laundry, if you take a look at the other clothes hanging in the store, I’m sure you can pick out which ones are from locals and which are from dirty, smelly backpackers. This is a definite win-win situation!

3) Eat!

Finally, my personal favorite, gluttony, would be to eat to your heart’s content in the name of international development. Eating local food is a great way to learn the local culture, and if you are daring enough to eat street food or in a restaurant where you need to point to someone else’s dish (who probably doesn't look like you) to order, you are stimulating the local economy.  Sure it takes some training on the stomach, and yes, sometimes trying to order with the language barrier can be tough or render you an interesting dish, but trying new things and exiting your comfort zone is all part of the journey. There’s also nothing wrong with gaining a few pounds while traveling.

Go forth and stimulate body, mind, sense of smell (fresh clothes!) and local economies everywhere. You’ll quickly find that activities like this can actually do as much good as a small stint of volunteer-tourism. Activities such as eating and doing laundry are things that one would be doing while traveling anyhow. Why not assist and stimulate locals and their respective economies while traveling? A good, long massage is simply an added bonus, and treat!

Photo courtesy of Weekend Notes