Travel has changed my life and eventually I came to realize that it has changed the lives of others as well. Here are some of the stories of how travel has transformed people and the communities where they live. Not all the stories are earth-shattering epiphanies; some are just gentle adjustments. Not everyone's story is uplifting either. Each of us can probably recall at least one travel horror that makes great retelling.
I think all travel creates an inner adventure allowing us to reinvent ourselves over and over again. There is no age limit or skill requirement for such 'Reinventure'; it is merely the willingness to open our eyes and hearts to possible change.
Travel lifts us out of our comfort zone and lets us use skills developed from hard knocks and training. It also brings us face to face with our inner being, and while we may be surprised at the introduction, we find we're ready for challenges coming our way. Wandering out of our daily routine means we try new things and we see how others regard the world. Sometimes we're smug in our normalcy, especially as compared to our travelling companions; other times we have much to learn.
So, pick a destination or an activity you want to experience and figure out how to get there. If your budget is small, your trips may be shorter or closer to home, or you may need to combine work with travel, but there is always a way.
This book is a celebration of travel. I've felt its positive effects and I've seen it change others. Hopefully you'll see yourself in some of the adventures, and be inspired to create you own Reinventure

Ecotourism is not a fad. It's a trend and one of the fastest growing areas in the tourism industry. Labeling your business venture as 'ecotourism' requires a careful understanding of the term and its underlying principles. In The Business of Ecotourism, author Carol Patterson discusses the key elements of sustainable tourism and provides ideas and examples on how to succeed in the industry without compromising environmental principles. She also covers such topics as building important partnerships, developing cultural tourism strategies, building tour packages, organizing festivals, and understanding business risk.
The Business of Ecotourism provides sound advice on helping keep your business sustainable during both good and bad economic times. Balance both nature and profit while maintaining integrity in the ecotourism industry.
Learn how to...
? Start or upgrade your ecotourism business. Helpful to both the small businessman and greening up a large enterprise.
? Turn obstacles into opportunities. Understand and minimize risk. Learn how to develop innovative marketing techniques and diversify your product to stay competitive.
? Develop a strong business sense. Practical advice on forming partnerships, writing business plans, obtaining financing, managing cash flow, and hiring the right employees.
? Cultivate exceptional customer service. Keep existing clientele happy and learn ways to attract new customers.

Sustainable Tourism: Business Development, Operations, and Management lays out a road map to launching and building a business in one of today's most exciting industries. It simplifies the process and outlines real-life requirements while clearing the path to new business success in the cultural, heritage, nature, and adventure fields. Written by an eco-development pioneer, the book offers guidance on developing and implementing a comprehensive sustainable-business plan. From analyzing the market all the way through hiring and training the right people, the text focuses on the principles of both tourism and business. It prepares those embarking on new careers to tackle the complexity of sustainability issues by thinking like entrepreneurs and acting like business owners. Students and professionals can rely on this text as both a start-up and ongoing implementation reference that will stack the odds of success in their favor. Sustainable Tourism provides an overview of exciting developments in the sustainable-tourism industry. It helps new entrepreneurs assess the viability of ideas and products against sustainable criteria. Through sequential chapters, it delivers step-by-step instructions for minimizing environmental impact, establishing sustainability practices, obtaining financing, and marketing to and reaching customers. The standards-based text also examines how the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Sustainability Guidelines shape sustainable tourism, providing a global framework from which to build the skills needed for success. Key features include the following: * 13 online video case studies of sustainable tourism destinations from around the world give students a global text from which to build their own businesses and provide a model for how sustainable tourism works. * An online workbook guides learners through the completion of a business plan by the end of the term. * An online image bank presents photos, figures, and tables from the book that may be downloaded for use in presentations. * Forms and worksheets from the book are available for download. * A professional development workbook, "Creating a Tourism Career from Scratch" (appendix B), is a reference for entrepreneurs starting or advancing in their careers. Loaded with case studies, the book illustrates what works and what doesn't when starting a sustainable tourism business. It describes how to integrate sustainability practices into daily operations, maximize the use of the web and social media in marketing, and overcome challenges in sustainable tourism. The text covers every important topic in a business start-up, including financial forecasting and analysis, customer service systems, hiring, training, and managing turnover. Sustainable Tourism: Business Development, Operations and Management is the starting point for all who want to develop an eco-friendly product, integrate sustainability principles into their businesses, and turn their dreams into a business reality.