There’s More Than One Way to be Charitable
Written by Ben Alcock Friday, 03 April 2009 06:02
Here at Trippedoff we have been really excited in the past week or so to see the amount of people coming and enjoying our site grow and grow. We have had some really positive feedback from everyone saying that they absolutely love the site and the concept behind it.
The obstacle we are coming against however is that everyone loves reading all the interesting articles but not everyone seems to be finding the time to add their own adventures and experiences. Not that we blame you we understand that everyone leads busy lives and we appreciate the support of everyone regardless of their contributions, but we have made a promise to ourselves that we don’t want this site to be purely the experiences of a small few. That isn’t what the site is about. We hope to have a broad range of well rounded experiences, from all walks of life.
This morning I went to donate blood, I feel really great (if not a bit drained), because I know my contribution will help someone in need. But I never lose sight of the fact that there are many, many ways to help others, it doesn’t always have to be those in need. By taking the time to add your travel experiences it is likely that you are helping to enrich the experiences and lives of others who frequent this site. I know it may sound a bit hippyish and alternative but I really believe this. Wouldn’t you hope that if you are in a foreign yet potentially exciting place that someone had made the effort to help you have the time of your life?
I recently got back from a trip to Cairns. I live in Australia and it has taken me 27 years and a marriage to get to see what so many people have told me is a must see. But lets get this straight Cairns, the city itself, is not a must see. The Great Barrier Reef is a must see. The Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation are must sees. I repeat Cairns city itself is not a must see, nor for me was it a must do. I was staying at Palm cove, a northern beach suburb of Cairns and definitely a beautiful resort town I would describe a must stay kind of place, and I felt the need to venture into Cairns City twice and twice too often in my book.
I was sitting across from my fiancee, Mel, at a restaurant the other day looking at the meal that I had ordered. Actually, I didn't think that this was the meal that I had ordered because the meal that was in my head was quite a lot nicer than the one that I had received. I began to raise my hand and out of the corner of my eye caught the look that Mel gave me. You see, we have slightly differing views on whether or not a complaint should be made. For me, if I'm not happy with what I've received and I don't think that the restaurant staff are going to spit in my food, then I'll (un)happily tell them what the problem is; whereas other people, including Mel, have a higher tolerance level for that kind of thing.
