How to be a responsible, child safe aware traveller
The first time I visited Africa, many years ago, I remember waltzing into both a school and then an orphanage, amongst a stream of fellow tourists, on an organised excursion. We all took out our cameras and started clicking away while the children looked back at us....
Saving the marine turtles of West Africa | Interview with a poacher
Speaking to Landing, a former turtle poacher, I began to understand why people hunted the turtles, despite their dwindling numbers and it being illegal.
BLOOD LIONS – Call to ban trophy hunting of captive lions
Blood Lions is a hard hitting documentary that blows the lid on canned hunting – the shooting of lions that are bred in captivity, hand-reared and then shot by trophy hunters in a fenced reserve giving the lion no hope of escape.
Baobab smoothie recipe
While on my travels in The Gambia and Senegal I’ve often heard from the locals of the many uses and benefits of the fruit of the baobab tree, a vitamin, fibre, and antioxidant-rich superfood. Here’s my recipe for a delicious and nutritious baobab smoothie....
Don’t fuel the orphanage industry in Nepal
Earlier today I received a tweet from my friend Sallie, from the award-winning volunteer organisation people and places, asking for my help. She had been in contact with the children’s charity, Next Generation Nepal (NGN). Following the recent devastating...
Give Child Marriage the Finger #EndChildMarriage
One of the things I love most about travelling is learning about different cultures and traditions. I try to travel with an open heart and mind, seeking positive, enriching experiences. But every now and again, as is inevitable, I come across...
A child’s life in Senegal
The dust, the smiles and the rhythm of the drums, West Africa, can really get under your skin; I lost count of the number of times I’ve visited this corner of the globe a long time ago. As I set out on a journey of a different kind, namely sponsoring a child in...
Save the Halong Bay Moon Bears
Have you ever been to Halong Bay?
I’ve read many of my fellow travel bloggers’ stories from this enchanting place in Vietnam and for a long time I’ve longed to go there, to taste the delicious cuisine, to learn about local culture, to witness its breathtaking natural beauty and to sail across Halong Bay.
But, as I found out recently, there is a darker side to Halong Bay, that I’m sure no tourists or travellers know anything about.
On cats, dogs and donkeys
Under the guise of sharing some cute pictures of a few of the many four-legged friends I recently met on Satorini, I’d like to tell you a little about Santorini Animals Welfare Association, a great organisation caring for the unwanted animals of these beautiful isles.
Face Up, putting girls’ rights where they can’t be ignored
Becoming a digital ambassador for Plan UK Earlier this year I was delighted to receive an email from Plan UK, a branch of the international children’s charity, inviting me to join them for an afternoon of networking (with tea and cake –...
Shark fin soup – the modern consequences of an ancient tradition
When Cindy, from My Diving Holidays, asked me if she could write a guest post for Travel With Kat about shark fin soup and the devastating knock-on effect that it has on eco-systems, I was eager to know more. I hope you find Cindy’s post as fascinating as I did...
Taking the fast route – confessions of a cruise virgin!
In just a few days time I’ll be off on the adventure of a lifetime cruising with Hurtigruten in the Arctic circle but I have a confession to make – I don’t like cruises! Not that I have ever been on one you understand – I have just never liked...
Stick with Foncho to make bananas fair
Do you like bananas? Have you noticed that over the last ten years the price of bananas in the UK has halved while the cost of producing those bananas has almost doubled? It just doesn’t add up, does it? In fact, bananas are now sold so cheaply that this is...
The Baboons of Makasutu Forest
When we arrived at Mandina Lodges we were given a few words of warning! “Don’t leave your toiletries out in your open-air bathroom as the baboons might steal them.” Replanting Makasutu Forest and the return of the baboons When the founders of...
Responsible volunteering with ‘people and places’
In my last post I shared with you my concerns about irresponsible volunteer organisations and orphanage tourism. Today I’d like to tell you about a great volunteering organisation that take a very responsible approach. Getting to know ‘people and...
Justifiable bad press for orphanage tourism
There has been a lot of bad press lately about volunteer tourism and I’ve heard a few horror stories myself, such as local teachers being dismissed because the school knew that a volunteer teacher was on there way. Even more disturbing still though are cases involving...
The Community Stove Initiative
In May, when I left The Gambia, I had a mission to raise enough money to buy at least ten more of the new design of stoves that run on peanut shell briquettes. The Community Stove Initiative If you have been following my blogs from The Gambia you may want to skip the...
Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for the day
“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for the day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” Chinese proverb After visiting the girl I sponsor in The Gambia, we set off to visit Lamin’s family who live just up the road, in a village on the outskirts...
Visiting my sponsored child in The Gambia
In 2005 I started sponsoring a little girl in The Gambia. She was just 6 years old. A few months later I visited The Gambia for the first time and, of course, I arranged to visit her, her school and her family. Nearly 8 years later I am still sponsoring her and...
