Episode 203 - Culturally Immersive and Ethical Travel

What if travel was a story, not a trip? Zac Lovas is the co-founder of Vegan Travel Asia by Voyages, a team of 5 friends from 4 different countries and different faiths who came together to create tours that focus on bridging gaps through cultural immersion while enjoying 100% local vegan food along the way. Collaborating with local communities, they develop tours that are environmentally friendly, socially impactful, and cruelty-free. They also invest 50% of their profits into the communities they work with through programs focused on social impact, animal welfare, environmental sustainability, education, and conservation. Their journeys seek to promote a deeper understanding of different cultures, the environment, the planet, and our interlinked coexistence. Zac is a practicing Theravada Buddhist and in this episode he shares about the storytelling nature of cultural immersion travel, how we can find a sense of belonging in the most unlikely places, and his involvement in the newly released award-winning, life-changing documentary, Maa Ka Doodh.

Vegan Travel Voyages is the recipient of “Asia’s Responsible Tourism Award” (two times) World Travel Awards, “Best Tour Operator in USA” and “Best Sustainable Tour Company in USA” International Travel Awards, “Best Use of Sustainability in Culinary Travel” Global Culinary Travel Awards, “Leading Provider of Vegan Adventure Tours” Global Vegan Awards, "Best Ethical Innovation" The Veggie Awards UK, and "Best Brand Award” and "Green Dream Award" Green Festivals.

Here is a summary of what we covered:

The five precepts of Buddhism
Finding a sense of belonging in the most unconventional places
Life is full of misconceptions and programming, likely unintentional
“I don’t belong” can actually be very empowering
Creating stories that help bridge cultural gaps that guests would live via travel
It’s never about a creating a set of sights that people will see – it’s a cultural story with a first, second and third act
We have so much more in common than different
The RELATABLE system (Religion, Eating, Language, Arts, Traditions, Attire, Building, Learning, Etiquitte)
Sustainability and community development projects
Foundation – 50% of tour income goes to foundation projects and give back/sustainable program
Spiritual practices of the immersion tour
The making of the award winning documentary Maa Ka Doodh (mother’s milk) – target audience is India but available for free on youtube