In this powerful and inspiring conversation, host Amy Hagar reconnects with longtime RISE volunteer and content creator Kara King. From writing blog posts and editing podcasts to working with refugees in Greece, Kara shares how her experiences have shaped her commitment to ethical storytelling and conscious travel.

A few key takeaways in the episode:

• Why Kara joined RISE during a pandemic-era virtual summit
  
  
• How volunteering at RISE sparked personal and professional growth
  
  
• Lessons from her time volunteering in a refugee camp in Greece
  
  
• The importance of amplifying local voices in travel content
  
  
• How the future of travel media is shifting toward more meaningful narratives
  
  
• Practical advice for content creators who want to make a positive impact

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute

In this episode, host Amy Hager talks with Kristen Barron, grant manager at RISE Travel Institute, about her journey from corporate life to sustainable travel advocacy. Kristen shares how her 18-month career break transformed her approach to travel, the deeper lessons she learned from experiences like walking the Camino de Santiago, and how RISE’s mission aligns with her personal values. Together, they explore the importance of critical thinking, intentional travel, and cultivating deeper connections with people, places, and purpose. Plus, Kristen offers insight into the challenges of securing grants for systemic, educational work at RISE.

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute

The episode features a conversation with Barbara Zerbe (she/her), a volunteer who heads up our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion policy and implementation. Barbara is the founder and CEO of BZ Strategies, LLC, where she helps businesses navigate chaos and achieve growth through strategic project management, streamlined operations, targeted marketing, and impactful coaching.

A firm believer in authentic leadership, Barbara is dedicated to building systems and processes that drive success while fostering a culture of health, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. She shares insights into travel, adventure, and personal growth. The discussion covers Barbara’s experiences exploring different cultures, embracing uncertainty, and learning from travel challenges. This episode emphasizes the importance of travel as a means of personal development and broadening one’s worldview.

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute

The RISE Travel podcast is packed with valuable insights, so we’ve pulled out some key highlights for our listeners. Alongside our full-length episodes, we’ll also release shorter ones to make it easier for everyone to find the information they need.

This mini-episode is from Season 1, Episode 5 (link for full episode). In this episode Steve Hesse, RISE Institute Board member, highlights the importance of integrating with local communities during student travel, avoiding corporate entities to support the local economy. He describes cultural exchange activities with local schools, highlighting the joy and intensity of cross-cultural connections, even with language barriers.

Steve also shares personal anecdotes, such as a transformative experience at the Taj Mahal and a chance encounter in Japan that led to meeting his partner. He also discusses the challenges of cultural misunderstandings, using an example from India to illustrate the need for awareness and respect for local customs and social norms.

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute

In this episode of the Rise Traveler podcast, Vincie Ho interviews Dr. Gada Mahrouse, an Associate Professor at Concordia University's Simone de Beauvoir Institute, about the intersection of tourism and forced migration. Dr. Mahrouse discusses her research on the representation of refugees in media and the challenges of solidarity across racialized power relations. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical context of colonization and the need for decolonizing travel. Dr. Mahrouse also shares her teaching approach, which encourages critical thinking about tourism's impact on power dynamics and advocates for open borders. The conversation highlights the complexities of tourism's role in social justice and the need for mindful travel practices.

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute

In this episode of The RISE Traveler Podcast, Dr. Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, an Adjunct Associate Professor with Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Canada, Adjunct Professor with the Centre for Research and Innovation in Tourism, Taylor’s University of Malaysia and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer with the Business Unit, University of South Australia shares her insights around the impacts of tourism on local communities, with a focus on sustainability, accessibility, and justice.

She has worked with industry, community and non-profits on projects that have worked at the cutting edge of just and sustainable tourism. One highlight of her work has been working with the Palestinian Initiative on Responsible Tourism to develop the Code of Conduct for Tourism in the Holy Land.

Host: Dr. Vincie Ho - Founder and Executive Director of The RISE Travel Institute

Video and Audio Editing: Megan Orvis - Video and Podcast Producer at The RISE Travel Institute

Graphic Design: Shirley Wong - Freelance Art Director

Music: "On My Way" Kevin MacLeod (License)

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute

In this episode of The RISE Traveler Podcast, Dr. Bobbie Chew Bigby, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Waterloo, Canada, shares her insights into the intersection of tourism, Indigenous communities, and climate justice.

Bobbie discusses her transformative experiences in Bolivia and Southeast Asia, which inspired her ongoing research in environmental justice. She also delves into her work with indigenous-led tourism and toxic tours in Tar Creek, Oklahoma, highlighting the environmental and health impacts of historical mining activities.

Host: Dr. Vincie Ho - Founder and Executive Director of The RISE Travel Institute
Video and Audio Editing: Kate Mulvihill - Video and Podcast Producer at The RISE Travel Institute
Graphic Design: Shirley Wong - Freelance Art Director
Music: "On My Way" Kevin MacLeod (License)

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute

Professor Christopher Gaffney teaches at the Tisch Center for Hospitality at New York University. Just in time for the Olympics, RISE’s Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Vincie Ho, sits down with Chris to discuss his work examining the impacts of mega events throughout the world.

In this interview, Chris explores the reasons behind criticism of mega events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and Pan American Games. He highlights the evictions, displacement, and gentrification caused by these events, particularly noting his active involvement with the anti-Olympics group in Brazil. He argues that the infrastructure put in place for these events does little to serve the communities that actually live in these areas. Once the events are over and the stadiums are no longer in use, the social issues that existed before the games often remain or are exacerbated.

Chris’s current projects include the Global Tourism Risk Index co-developed with his colleague in 2018, which identifies countries and regions most at risk from the impact of overtourism/lack of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and assesses the systemic risks places are exposed to on the economic, social, ecologic, cultural, and political levels.

Host: Dr. Vincie Ho - Founder and Executive Director of The RISE Travel Institute
Video and Audio Editing: Kate Mulvihill - Video and Podcast Producer at The RISE Travel Institute
Graphic Design: Shirley Wong - Freelance Art Director
Music: "On My Way" Kevin MacLeod (License)

Website: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risetravelinstitute/featured

Instagram: instagram.com/risetravelinstitute