Philanthropy Archives - Poplar Travels

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Sep 22 2015

Landmark Music Festival: Saving The National Mall

Inspiration, Responsible Tourism

by Evanne

Washington, D.C., is bringing its music scene to a new level by hosting a full-fledged summer music festival this weekend. Landmark Music Festival managed to snag an impressive lineup headlined by The Strokes and Drake (a pretty nice testament to the diversity of taste in the District). New sensation George Ezra will also make an appearance as well as a variety of other acts from several, possibly surprising, genres including the Eagle Rock Gospel Singers. The Cause Great acts aside, that’s not what this inspiring music festival is about. Landmark Music Festival will...

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Mar 20 2015

Look Good, Do Good: Krochet Kids

Style

by Evanne

Look Good, Do Good is a monthly feature on Poplar Travels that highlights designers and retailers making the world a better place through their products. As travelers, we want to give back to the world we love exploring so much. Suggest an innovative sustainable or philanthropic partner to poplartravels@gmail.com or leave a comment on this post. Krochet Kids intl. began as three friends crocheting as a hobby and has grown into a successful nonprofit employing women in Uganda and Peru. These women come from difficult circumstances, some were captives and...

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Jan 10 2015

A King’s School Christmas in Mae Hong Son, Thailand

Inspiration

by Evanne

Part of our volunteer trip to Mae Hong Son, other than the eye clinic, was joining the kids and staff for a dinner and celebration. On Christmas night, we headed to the remote school that has been working with Toys for Thailand and is home to the children for most of the year. This school has become a model for schools with similar structure and with the help of its administrator and the volunteers at T4T has completely transformed in the past 10 years. Although far from perfect, it is...

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Jan 05 2015

The Small World Festival: Volunteering In Mae Hong Son With Amigo Vision Thailand

Responsible Tourism

by Evanne

This year we didn’t spend Christmas with our families, but we were far from alone. We made the drive up to the northernmost province of Thailand, Mae Hong Son, to help at an eye clinic run by Amigo Vision Thailand in partnership with Toys for Thailand. Every year, Toys for Thailand organizes the Small World Festival to celebrate the rich local traditions in the area. Villagers convene in the city of Mae Hong Son for a two day celebration, some from remote hill tribes hours away. This was the first...

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Dec 17 2014

Look Good, Do Good: Flex Watches, The Sports Watch That Gives Back

Style

by Evanne

Look Good, Do Good is a new monthly feature on Poplar Travels that highlights designers and retailers making the world a better place through their products. As travelers, we want to give back to the world we love exploring so much. Suggest an innovative sustainable or philanthropic partner at poplartravels@gmail.com. Make the world a better place and look good while doing it! Flex Watches was created in 2011 in Southern California on the premise of “people helping people.” The founders first built a watch to benefit impoverished children of Rojo Gomez...

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Sep 29 2014

Volunteering in a Hilltribe Village with Amigo Vision Thailand

Responsible Tourism

by Eric and Evanne

Recently we had the amazing opportunity to volunteer with Amigo Vision Thailand, providing free eye exams and glasses to schoolchildren in a Karion hilltribe village in Northern Thailand. Our experience brought us outside the city to a place where no one spoke English and introduced us to a wonderful group of like-minded fellow travelers and expats. Our trip was a unique one, spurred by grassroots efforts, word of mouth and chance meetings of people who came together to support a common cause. One night while eating at Mammary Delicious restaurant, we...

6 Comments

Sep 13 2014

Elephant Nature Park: Chiang Mai

Responsible Tourism, Reviews

by Eric and Evanne

Long before we decided to travel to Chiang Mai, we had a strong desire to see and interact with elephants and always knew we wanted to do it in a responsible manner. Wildlife tourism is something that should always be approached with skepticism and plenty of caution. Elephants, especially, are mistreated in Thailand. Elephants in Thailand Historically, elephants in Thailand were used in the logging industry. When the Thai government banned all logging in protected areas in 1989, thousands of elephants were left homeless. Mahouts, the elephant handlers, resorted to using their...

9 Comments

Aug 27 2014

Massaged by Inmates: Chiang Mai’s Women’s Prison

Responsible Tourism, Reviews

by Evanne

What comes to mind when you imagine a traditional Thai massage? My imagination once created a scenario in which a Thai woman twisted me into an impossibly complicated pretzel and drop kicked my spine. Maybe that’s what you pictured too, but let me clear this up a little: it’s not that bad. During my first visit to Thailand in 2008, my mom and I were too intimidated to try the traditional method, so we opted for massages that were more on the tame side. This time, I knew I couldn’t chicken...

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Jun 01 2014

Rap Shirts for White People

Uncategorized

by Evanne

Let’s explore these hilariously cheeky tees for a minute. You may have stumbled across the great #rapshirtsforwhitepeople Tumblr and chuckled to yourself at their clever plays on rap lyrics, but did you know that you can indeed order a real-life version for yourself?

The simple designs that draw inspiration from popular rap lyrics sung by Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Juvenile and the like, are available in a variety of American Apparel tees and tanks. Most of the designs can be ordered in a color of your choice and some in different styles.

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Mar 23 2014

Turks and Caicos: What’s a Potcake?

Responsible Tourism

by Evanne

I recently traveled to the amazingly beautiful Providenciales, one of 40 islands that makes up the nation of Turks and Caicos and home to Grace Bay, Trip Advisor‘s second best beach in world. But the poundcake-like sand wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. As a currently dog-less animal lover I tend to get overly excited about puppies and vacation makes no exception. So it should come as no surprise that animal rescue and foster organization Potcake Place may have been my favorite place on the island.

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