Be More Than a Tourist | VISIONS Conscious Travel Pro-Tips

The Visions Blog

Going Beyond

5 Ways to Be More Than a Tourist

#VISIONSValues

Going Beyond

5 Ways to Be

More Than a Tourist

#VISIONSValues

Each year, the communities we serve welcome us back as friends. As such, we strive to honor the local standards and traditions. We live simply in neighborhoods. We adapt to unexpected inconveniences without complaint or comparison. We don’t impose our usual conduct or dress on the places we visit. And we embrace a few fundamental practices that help us build positive, lasting connections year after year…

High school participants in an Alaskan cabin gathered around an elder, practicing ways to be more than a tourist

1) Keep an open heart. We lead with genuine curiosity, compassion and a desire to forge new relationships.

2) Show respect. In our dress, speech and actions, we honor local customs and the feelings of our hosts. In so doing, we more fully experience a different way of life.

high school volunteer listening to boy speak, applying ways to be more than a tourist

high school girl posing with native man, applying ways to be more than a tourist

3) Be present. We prize active listening over getting our own opinions across. Tuning in to others is how the connecting happens.

4) Cultivate perspective. When things are unfamiliar or challenging, we remind ourselves: we’re here to step outside our comfort zones and accomplish more than we knew was possible.

5) Check in with yourself. We pause and reflect on our experiences — alone and as a group — to ensure we’re contributing as much as we’re gaining from the communities we visit.

high school students sitting in circle at base of ruins, practicing ways to be more than a tourist

volunteers posing with local community members in the BVI with tools doing trail work

Girl looking out of boat traveling on canal in Cambodia

high school students eating a meal on picnic tables at a campsite

Girl reaching out right arm making paper in Cambodia

high school students playing dominoes with islander, practicing ways to be more than a tourist

high school students of mixed ethnicities posing in plaza

Spotlight: Stella Viegas, VISIONS Alumni

5.14.26

Stella Viegas joined VISIONS Montana Blackfeet in 2025 and loved it so much she’s heading back — this time to Peru. Hear why she’s returning and what makes VISIONS an experience worth doing twice.

Spotlight: Amelia Fox, VISIONS Alumni