Sustainable journey isn’t only a pattern, and for our planet to outlive, it must be the norm. Journey is nicely and really again up and operating, however you understand what isn’t? Greenwashing. Not round right here! Local weather-conscious adventurers wish to know the way to journey sustainably, and guarantee they depart a constructive mark on the communities they arrive upon.
We all know that hostels are extra environmentally pleasant than different kinds of lodging and that they produce 75% much less carbon emissions than accommodations. However what are they really doing to get there? How will you sleep nicely in your dorm at evening understanding you’re contributing to the better good?
Effectively, as DMZ as soon as stated, we’re gon’ give it to ya! In our new collection, Hostelworld’s Sustainability Tales, we’ll be sharing precisely how hostels go above and past for the surroundings and their communities, straight from the horse’s hostels’ mouth!
Meet El Rio Hostel
To kick off the collection, we’re jetting to the Colombian Caribbean coast to listen to a couple of hostel that hosts extra than simply holidaymakers and goes the additional mile (into the mountains) to enhance life for native individuals.
Tucked away within the jungle, close to the tropical seashores of Tayrona Nationwide Park, sits El Rio Hostel (or Rio Hostel Buritaca). Often known as a enjoyable and sociable cease on the backpacker path, full with a riverside bar, non-public seaside, and tipsy tubing, El Rio isn’t only a fairly face. By way of instructional, environmental and sporting applications, bolstered by volunteering guests, the hostel helps a whole lot of native individuals on a regular basis. We sat down with the hostel’s Co-Founder, Ben Davies, and the El Rio Basis’s Co-Director, Felix Sullivan, to find out about their journey and discover out how one can become involved!
Empowering an area workforce
Earlier than they even opened, El Rio made it their mission to make use of an area workforce, not solely of Colombians, however of Colombians from close by cities and villages. However they didn’t simply wish to present jobs, they needed to assist households guarantee their very own future.
The realm is well-known due to the well-known Tayrona Park seashores and historic jungle hike to Ciudad Perdida (The Misplaced Metropolis). Jobs in hospitality and tourism are like gold mud, however with one caveat, you could converse English. With a scarcity of English educating within the space, numerous firms look to larger cities to make use of individuals who converse the lingo of the gringos.
El Rio needed to offer again to the group that they constructed their enterprise on. Earlier than opening, Ben started to show English, beginning with moto taxi drivers who ferry friends by means of the jungle, and transferring to the remainder of their staff. Educating English to workers become such a giant job that the hostel employed a full-time trainer. Employees get to study a language that will assist them safe future jobs, and so they can higher have interaction with most hostel friends – it’s a win, win.
El Rio now make use of a staff of 80 individuals, principally from native villages. Roughly 12 full time hostel volunteers work alongside their staff at any given time. One workers member has even moved from being a cleaner, to their Finance division and is now finding out for a level. What a personality arc!
The journey to volunteering
Educating English made El Rio wish to give again to the group in different methods. They took a soccer right down to the close by village and invited native children to a recreation, the youngsters jumped on the probability. This sparked their volunteering and charity plans.
What began off as a soccer recreation, become a soccer membership, then different sports activities actions based mostly on the child’s requests. Now, they run golf equipment on a regular basis with the assistance of travelling volunteers. From theatre, to bounce, and even circus abilities, the listing goes on. All golf equipment are free and operating on donations.
Serving to their group grew to become larger than they ever anticipated, so to help the actions they created the El Rio Basis, the place they now fund and useful resource their charitable efforts.
Training and childcare volunteering
The extra time they spent with individuals from the villages, the extra they heard their wants. They found that in COVID-19 children’ schooling was placed on pause, as faculties struggled to remain afloat. Youngsters have been out of college for 21 months, and plenty of had large gaps of their schooling. El Rio determined to do one thing about it. Now, they fund full time lecturers and volunteers that educate kids and educate adults English. Volunteers educate a whopping 60+ hours in the neighborhood each week!
A key takeaway from the dialog with El Rio was how necessary it’s to hearken to the local people with a view to help it. As a substitute of deciding the way to finest assist, they hear about their struggles and discover options. One instance of that is after they learnt that there was no childcare obtainable within the space, and that oldsters have been struggling to work with out anybody to handle their little ones. El Rio shortly responded by establishing youngster minding amenities and hiring certified volunteers to supply that a lot wanted facility.
Impacting the Indigenous group
Thought it stopped there? Assume once more! When you haven’t been to the Colombian Caribbean coast then first off, add it to your future journey plans now. And secondly, whilst you’re there that you must guide onto the Misplaced Metropolis trek, a gruelling 65km hike by means of the clay-filled Sierra Nevada jungle, the place you study concerning the tumultuous historical past of the spot. From Tayrona individuals hiding from Spanish conquest to paramilitary teams and cocaine factories. The tales are wild!
On the trek, one of many highlights is studying about and assembly individuals from the 2 indigenous teams that also dwell within the mountains, the Koguis and the Wiwas. You’ll move many individuals from the tribes as they glide up the mountain trails in conventional white garments, unbothered by the incline and chewing on coca leaves.
What does this need to do with El Rio? Effectively, even up within the mountains phrase unfold quick concerning the superior work they’re doing, and indigenous group leaders requested El Rio to assist their kids too. Volunteers embark on a trek of their very own to show English, different lessons and run actions with kids from indigenous teams. As a traveller, I can’t consider a greater solution to develop into immersed in native tradition!
How travellers can get caught in
We all know our travellers wish to help hostels that try to make constructive change, and El Rio have hit the precise steadiness of serving to the group, while being conscious of sustaining tradition. That is mirrored in responses from native kids. Throughout a ‘Gratitude Week’ on the basis, when the youngsters have been requested what they have been grateful for, their response was “thanks for bringing the gringos”, which says all of it!
El Rio is a hostel that actually helps travellers give again and there are a great deal of alternatives so that you can become involved. Right here’s how:
Keep there
A donation of $1.30 (COP 5,000) is added to each visitor’s invoice (you’ll be able to choose out if you wish to), however because of this by merely staying there, you’re already serving to fund basis actions.
Order a Rum & Coke on a Wednesday
Rum and Coke drinker? You can be now. When you order a rum and Coke on the bar on a Wednesday, you’ll fund 45 minutes of schooling for 20 kids. You hear that proper. Whose becoming a member of us on the bar?! On Wednesdays we not put on pink, we purchase rum from El Rio!
Volunteer for a day or two, or three…
When you learn this and thought “the place do I enroll?!”, simply ask at reception. The muse is all the time in search of friends to volunteer and convey positivity to a toddler’s day. Particularly in case you’re a dab hand at circus tips.
Acquired a distinct segment ability? Make it recognized! Felix recalled a time a dentist visited the hostel and supplied their exper-teeth to native mouths. You don’t need to be a dentist, however when you have an concept of how one can make a distinction, allow them to know.
Grow to be a long-term volunteer
Travellers can apply to volunteer on the hostel with actions like yoga, social occasions and day journeys with friends. Tipsy tubing with travellers and three free meals a day? Run, don’t stroll to their DMs!
Within the basis, they welcome long-term volunteers who can be found for 4+ weeks to show English, environmental schooling, sports activities and humanities teaching and extra!
In trade they provide free lodging, 3 meals a day, your laundry executed for you and discounted drinks. A method ticket to Colombia, por favor!
🏠 To guide your keep at El Rio, click on right here.
💚 To search out out extra concerning the basis or donate on-line, click on right here.
💃 Fancy your self their subsequent volunteer? E-mail them on: basis@elriohostel.com
Obtain the Hostelworld app to begin assembly individuals from the second you guide
You may also like… 🤩
💚 From reef to rescue: the ten prime locations for marine conservation volunteering
💚 Ought to we nonetheless be visiting pure magnificence spots?
💚 How I found I used to be neurodivergent while solo travelling