Charitable Travel

Whenever we travel, we help others regardless of whether our intentions are purely selfish or altruistic.

To service passengers, a cruise line must contract construction of a ship and then hire an entire crew, all of which creates jobs.

As you've probably noted, most room stewards and dining room staff come from third world countries, and gratuities from you as well as their paychecks often support extended families back home.

When you buy hand-crafted souvenirs or local delicacies in port, you help employ those providing goods and services.

These free market transactions do far more good than government foreign aid programs which so often disburse funds inefficiently while padding the pockets of dictators and their cronies.

Perhaps you'd like to take helping others to the next level.

A rising trend has given guests the opportunity to directly impact third world countries like Cuba and Dominican Republic with public service programs as alternatives to purely entertaining shore excursions, though of course shore excursions themselves employ locals who learn skills of value in the marketplace.

As an alternative way to help others, we encourage you to start a group for the benefit of a charity or other special cause you care about.

Do you love animals?

Perhaps you'd like to set up a group on Queen Mary 2, which has dog kennels on board, where $100 per room or some other amount you designate could be donated to the SPCA.

Or maybe you would like to support research into public health finding cures for heart disease or breast cancer.

On a more personal level, you could help a friend suffering from COPD pay for an effective experimental treatment which is not covered by insurance.

While you could simply add on a contribution amount to the cruise fare, not all of your audience would find that to be a satisfactory arrangement.

Some cruise lines offer charitable contributions as a choice for group amenities programs, usually based on five or more staterooms which cruise in the group.  Your travel agent may be able to add some additional funds to that amount for a good cause, as we do on occasion.

That means guests may pay no more than what they would pay for an individual booking on the same cruise while feeling added inner glow of knowing they are directly helping a good cause simply by traveling with your group.

This is Adam Smith's Inivsible Hand at its best, with people helping others by pursuing their own self interests.

We can add some special onboard gatherings or events to make the trip more meaningful for participants while giving you the opportunity to thank each one personally and possibly stimulate further giving.

Which cruise is right for your group?

There are many considerations.

Obviously, you want a ship and destination that will attract your target audience and their friends. 

The more passengers you attract, the more good you can do.

If possible, a cruise embarking conveniently close to home for those drawn to your cause will make it easier for them to join, although it should be noted that people will travel long distances for a great cruise.

You also want to get the most bang for the buck for your cause as well as your guests, which means not only an attractively priced cruise but one which has significant group amenity points that can be devoted to the maximum contribution to your cause.

The embarkation date must allow adequate lead time to lock in group space and allow passengers to schedule time in their calendars to go.

It's complicated, but we would be happy to help you sort through the options to find the perfect choice for you.

Better service leads to better trips!