\u201cWe are launching a new category, and we believe that at its core, it combines the love of travel and the desire to make a difference,\u201d says Erika Burns, the company\u2019s senior marketing manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company currently offers two routes: trips to Cuba and weeklong excursions to the Dominican Republic. On the latter, travelers have the option of visiting several different locally run projects aimed at improving conditions on the island, ranging from a paper-recycling plant to a water conservation program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most popular destinations for visitors is a women-run chocolate collective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese women realized that the cocoa plant was growing quickly in their area, so they applied for a government grant to build a factory that would let them harvest it,\u201d says Burns. \u201cOur role is to help them increase their product output by participating in their chocolate-making process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what happens after travelers depart? How do they continue to help the people they met? While impact travel sounds like a great idea\u2014local communities get a helping hand and travelers leave feeling warm and fuzzy\u2014it has its limitations. Fortunately, Fathom seems to have already considered many of the hard questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe realize that travelers aren’t going to make a huge dent with one visit,\u201d says Burns. \u201cWhat we\u2019re leveraging is our ability to bring manpower to the same location and build on the work of previous travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fathom\u2019s goal is to log 200,000 volunteer hours over the course of the year\u2014enough to make a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the action doesn\u2019t just take place on the ground. On board, travelers are assigned to small groups led by what the company calls \u201cimpact guides.\u201d These community leaders from all over the world are chosen for their backgrounds, personal stories, and ability to engage the community at sea. People are encouraged to join lofty-sounding workshops like \u201cLifeHack Bootcamp.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The purpose, says Burns, is to \u201chelp travelers understand their personal talents,\u201d and to encourage them to engage in the local community when they step ashore and even after they\u2019ve gone back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photos: Fathom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A couple of weeks ago, a 710-passenger cruise ship made history. It was the first U.S.-authorized cruise to drop anchor in Cuba in more than 50 years. But Fathom plans on leaving another mark: it intends on becoming the next big disruptor in the multi-billion dollar cruise industry. It\u2019s a big goal for Fathom. On one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1629,"featured_media":21772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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