Mira's Expedition into Conscious Travel

Mira Shah is on a personal journey, exploring sustainable travel across India, Australia, Kenya, and Colombia. This is one of the reasons why she opted to participate in The RISE Travel Institute's Flagship Program- to gain a deeper understanding of conscious travel. Over time, Mira has embraced intentional and sustainable travel, placing a strong emphasis on forming genuine connections with local communities.

In conversation with host Amy Hager, Mira shares insights from her travels– from meaningful encounters with sustainability advocate Michael Mobbs in Australia to acknowledging less-than-ideal decisions, like visiting an ethically questionable elephant sanctuary in Thailand. She recognizes the ongoing learning process and the space for improvement.

Contemplating a potential venture into the sustainable travel industry, Mira hopes for a shift in how people approach travel. Her focus is on making travel experiences more meaningful and authentic, with the goal of bringing a positive transformation to the travel industry.

Host: Amy Hager - Social Media Manager at 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 by Kevin MacLeod (License) 

Transcript

Intro     
Hello and welcome. Wherever you are in the world today, thank you for joining us for The RISE Traveler, unpacking conversations of sustainable travel. We are here to talk to eco minded and socially conscious travelers, diversity and inclusion specialists, wildlife conservationists, environmental activists, and anyone using travel as a way to uplift and inspire. Together, we will go a step beyond the Instagram-ready world of travel, and take a look at how travel can be a source of growth and development for all people in all communities. 

This podcast is an extension of the RISE Travel Institute, a 501c3 nonprofit committed to empowering young travelers through educational programs, research, study tours and scholarships. Visit risetravelinstitute.org to learn more. And now, here's your host, Amy Hager. 

Amy Hager
And today, I'm super excited to have Mira Shah, who actually took our Flagship Program while she was on assignment for a job in Kenya. And we're gonna really dive into her story about her experience with the Flagship Program. But also, we've just had this really great conversation about how sustainable travel is something meaningful, different to all of us. And our motivations and aspirations are very different. So Mira, thanks for jumping on today with me.

Mira Shah     
Thanks, Amy, great to meet you and connect through this podcast.

Amy Hager     
Well, so okay, you were at a job. And you were in Kenya while you actually took the Flagship Program. But what I found really interesting is you had, before you went to Kenya, you were working remotely in Colombia. And what you had shared with me was, you really just want a better understanding of what sustainable travel is to you as an individual traveler. And I think where we both also feel a common ground is we're defining what it is for ourselves, but we're still learning and trying to figure that out. So how did taking the Flagship Program kind of help you on that journey?

Mira Shah     
Yeah, no, that's a great question. So I think like, I don't know, I've had so many travel experiences in my past across so many different places, just I've always been driven by curiosity. So called just exploring cultures and learning about the world. And I just for after, like, I don't know, seven or six years of just living in different places. And traveling around. I was like, there's definitely been a few experiences I felt stood out. And it was always an experience where I was having really authentic connections with people in different places. It was always about the people more than the place in a way. And I just through my time in Colombia, specifically, that was after COVID, with the first travel experience I'd had after like, you know, two years. So I came in with a very different outlook, having that slow pace and COVID. And just like, I don't know, doing a lot of personal reflection. So it came into the Colombia experience, really intentional, just I was just super slow. And like just exploring the place I went to so many remote places by myself while I was there. And I don't know, it just all came together, I got really excited about sustainable authentic travel. And I was like, this is an industry I really want to tap into and understand better. The really just during my time in Colombia that led to that introspection, but I mean, I've had so many travel experiences in my past that have gotten me to this place of wanting to improve my understanding of sustainable travel and be just a more intentional traveler who thinks from an anti oppression lens, which is what RISE really focuses on. So that was what excited me the most.

Amy Hager     
And so then, tell me a little bit about your background and the work you do in this world. 

Mira Shah     
So I guess my career path has been a little bit all over the place, not gonna lie. It's kind of, you know, woven together a lot of different interests across social impact, cultural immersion. And also just interweaved responsible travel in there, you know, so I started my career actually working in international development in India and Nepal for a small social enterprise focused on empowering women in slum communities and rural urban villages. By providing them platforms for entrepreneurship and business skills training. It primarily involved managing operational and strategic projects to support their expansion and beyond. Everything from developing, you know, impact measurement frameworks to transitioning marginalized women to using digital technologies. And I also lead a lot of international fellowship programs where we bring in fellows from different parts of the world, some of these programs, and we need some of these initiatives. 

Amy Hager     
And so then, what are you up to right now that you're super excited about?

Mira Shah     
So I guess I'm currently in a transition period in my career. So exploring a bunch of different opportunities, I am currently seeking opportunities in healthcare, because that's an area of interest of mine. But also on the side, I'm really thinking about potentially how to start planting seeds to build a future sustainable tourism business, still defining kind of what shape that will take, but just actively taking courses and engaging in different projects like RISE, for example, I'm going on their experiential journey as well in Feb, okay. And then also taking another destination management course, with GW, and I just joined Fora. I don't know if you know them, but they are basically just one of the platforms for travel agents. Just just try to deepen my knowledge of, of travel in the industry better.

Amy Hager     
Well share with me any moments in your travel, because you did mention that you've traveled quite a bit. And obviously, you've lived in different countries and such. So are there moments in your travels, that’ve created that positive impact on the area that you visited, whether it was intentional, or even now, as you reflect, it was a positive impact?

Mira Shah     
Yeah, I'm not like, it's still hard to define what a positive impact is. I know I've had experiences that feel authentic and connective that have shaped me positively. And I personally feel like I haven't left a negative mark on location. I guess I'll speak to obviously my time at my last company working with women entrepreneurs, that's one. But while I was in India, I also did a lot of my own traveling solo. So one really cool experience I had was when I solo traveled up to northeast India, this small state called Sikkim. And during my travels there I actually went beyond just the typical tourist spots, I came across a super untouched like pristine part called Dzongu, which is actually a territory reserved for local communities. And you basically require a permit to access Dzongu so you can't just go there without you and that permit can only be secured through booking a local homestay there and the only way to see it or stay there is through homestay. So that was a really cool experience for me. I don't know, it provided an opportunity to kind of immerse myself organically in a place without feeling like I was causing disruption or pulling people away from their daily lives. And I just spent most of my time there really just connecting with the family who ran the homestay, sitting by the fires, enjoying meals with them. They would maybe take me out on, you know, organic adventures around the neighboring villages. It was not like no formalized tour packages or anything. And I think that experience really, really shaped me positively. While I was kind of an outsider, it was still really cool to see that it was like the homestay was a mandatory experience and I just felt like I was respecting the community's dignity, dignity and agency. 

Amy Hager     
Had you done a homestay experience prior to that?

Mira Shah     
I had had a few like when I was traveling in like Indonesia, specifically through Bali, but Bali is like, as we all know, a very trafficked part of the world. I'm sure this has been covered on other podcasts. And so it felt like those homestay experiences were authentic to some degree, I still felt like they were really tailoring you know, their services and what they were doing to meet, you know, the demand of what tourists wanted. It just felt more like it wasn't like it was their home, but I felt like they had to commercialize it a bit more, whereas this experience felt super like I was like in the mountains up in the middle of nowhere, just with a family. Yeah, the other people who were trying to travel similar to, to or who had a traveler style similar to mine because other people at the homestay, too were really cool, very different types of travelers I got to meet on that experience.

Amy Hager     
You had mentioned a little bit earlier that slow travel is kind of something that you've enjoyed experiencing. How do you define that?

Mira Shah     
I almost feel like it's like going somewhere and doing what I do in my daily life, but in a different place, like meaning like wandering. Sometimes, in my daily life. I just want to sit and nap and I don't want to go out and do 1000s of things. And I feel like, when I travel too, it's not like the first three or four days in a place. I kind of just want to just understand my neighborhood, walk around a bit more the cafes, and get to know the place. Before, I'm like, what offerings Do you have? What are we kind of adventures to, you know, it's like, I really just, I want to get to know, you know, my local coffee shop. I love coffee. Or if it's a city, obviously, not in the middle of the mountains, but, or whatever that looks like, right? So that to me is like slow travel, really not having like this set agenda going in and having a set expectation of what you're gonna get out of place, but really just just going to live and be your daily life. As long as your daily life is also, you know, sustainable. Yeah, like, yeah, the way I live, but the way I live, my day to day is also in line with the values I kind of bring to travel, you know, so.

Amy Hager     
So was there anyone that you've met, either during that trip or any of the other travels that has really impacted you in a way that you could never imagine before you had met them?

Mira Shah     
I mean, yeah, I will speak to my time because I also did, you know, my past I'd gone on several I've had several experiences. So I did a working holiday visa, actually in Australia, right after college where I just basically got this visa and decided I'm going to backpack around Australia and make money through baristaing and waitressing, etc. And so but I also kind of at the time still was really driven by sustainability. So I was like, you know what, I want to learn how other countries like to just learn about sustainable initiatives and other countries. So when I like, I think when I got to Australia, obviously, I started my experience doing the Work Away, which is really cool. And then when I got to the city of Sydney, I was kind of in a backpackers hostel just thinking like, Hmm, this is fun, but it's not like, I'm not feeling very purpose driven, right? Yeah. I was like, I do want to work in a cafe to make money but I also want to learn. I don't know, I was like, I was feeling a bit lost. But I found this cool Airbnb experience where it was about like, it was basically the only off grid home in an inner city that you could tour. So I basically decided to just tour this guy's home and I ended up being the only person on this tour. The guy's name is Michael Mobbs. He's relatively famous I guess in Australia for his off grid home and a lot of other sustainability work he does. But because I was the only one on this tour, I really got to connect with him and just like I got to ask all the time, different types of questions I wanted to ask. I told him how I was like I came on this Working Holiday Visa I really like just wanting to explore but now I'm kind of driven a little bit more like wanting more purposeful work and he just ended up being this like really cool mentor for me during the rest of my time in Australia because this is sort of my experience. And I asked him sort of what can I do to feel like I'm you know, involved in something purpose driven. And I actually connected me to the company I ended up working for in India and Nepal. Through him through this one tour, the spontaneous tour I decided to I got to learn about the internet like I got an opportunity to work in international development doing something that I felt at the time was very purposeful for me. Yeah. And it just made me realize how random encounters and connections while they might feel random really do at some point add up to something it's very like everybody brings some meaning into your life in some way and I just this was a really cool I don't know spontaneous it really led to the my organic career path and my gosh, I think my that probably was the start in some ways. Yeah.

Amy Hager     
Well I'm curious how you seem to go in with curiosity and with questions. How do you ask questions and try not to offend? Or maybe say something inappropriate? Like how do you approach that? Because you are a questioner, I can tell.

Mira Shah     
That's really hard. How do I… you're saying how do I kind of go in and…

Amy Hager     
Ask the hard questions? Yeah.

Mira Shah     
I don't know if I'm, I guess now I'm way more conscious maybe than I was when I first started traveling. But yeah, I you know, I don't really over think I guess in terms of like political correctness or this I kind of, I kind of make sure. I'm thinking of my time in Kenya now when I was in like a random, went on a safari and wasn't asking actually the Maasai communities who were working at the lodge like, about their experience working at the lodge and how they feel about the fact that, you know, a lot of this Safari experiences have actually, you know, like, impacted their land. So I think it was, it's more just like doing my due diligence to actually understand like, historical context of like, where I am, like, understand the people I'm speaking with, like, by researching them or like reading about it and whatnot, talking to other people in the communities as well. Like, I don't know if I'm Yeah, I don't know if that answers your question. I think it's just more like, making sure I gain context prior to entering spaces is like, right. 

Amy Hager     
And it seems like you're pretty intentional as well. So you want to make sure you have at least a baseline. Before you enter an interaction.

Mira Shah     
Yeah, it kind of happens organically, I'd say I think also, I think people it's an energy you give off, right? Like people understand when you're, you're you're you're coming from a place of curiosity and intention, and not a place of like, judgment, or judgment, or anger or whatever that looks like. 

Amy Hager     
Well, so then, um, I am kind of with all of the travel experiences that you have had. And one thing we do talk a lot about with our Flagship Program, and at RISE is, again, that reflection and realizing that we're never going to we're never going to be batting 100. It's never going to be 100% perfect. Have there been times in your travels that maybe you've made that less positive decision? And what did you learn from that?

Mira Shah     
There are several, I actually had to write notes on these because I was like, there's so many instances where I was like, This doesn't feel right. Why doesn't it feel right and reflect reflections? I think from an, so I think it's twofold. Like obviously what there's been instances where you know, from I've stayed in potentially exploitative Airbnbs to partying though not super excessively because I'm not at by any means a partier, but like partying in Bali. But I think reflecting on my experiences, I think I'll speak like two things. One is like when I visited an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. So basically, during that time, as well, I learned sort of like going to the sanctuary, the historical context of these sanctuaries, and then RISE obviously, further enhancing that knowledge. But I realized the sanctuary I chose to go to in Thailand. While there are several ethical ones, this one didn't feel ethical, basically, because it seems quite performative at the elephants expense. There were various instances where we, you know, forced elephants to do things against their wills, like walk up hills and mountains with us, and get bathed. That yeah, I generally question animal tourism, I generally question even now with more intention, you know, experiences that involve feeding, touching animals, forcing them to do things they aren't inclined to do. One thing I noticed a lot in these sanctuaries is like, the owner is consistently touting how, you know, there are issues with riding elephants, because that's a forceful practice and all that. But I felt like our interactions with the elephants still very much felt coercive, even if it wasn't riding them. Okay. Yeah. So I think that was one and another, others were like voluntourism trips I took in college that I can speak to later. 

Amy Hager     
But, and again, I think as we live this life and have more experiences, it's those experiences that really make us more aware of the intentions that we want to bring to an area that we're traveling to, or to an interaction that we're having. And so, um, knowing what you know, now, what would you say to yourself, young traveler, 10 years ago, even, that you wish you would have known 10 years ago?

Mira Shah     
Hmm. I don't know. I'd say many things I probably say like, don't jump on opportunities to engage in excursions without understanding, like without doing your due diligence, do your research. That's a big one. Um, think about where you're staying. Like, where are you actually located in this place, in the city you're in? Or who are you seeing regularly? Is it, are you seeing local communities? Or are you seeing predominantly you know, travelers from different parts of the world? And I guess like, which I think at the time I told myself this anyway, it was like, Don't go on those random party bar hopping excursions. Yeah. It's like, I did that when I traveled like twice and was like, why am I doing this? Yeah. So those are key, like some main pieces of advice I'd give myself.

Amy Hager     
Yeah, I like that. So then looking in, we talked about your past self, well, looking into your crystal ball. What, or how do you see the future of the travel industry tomorrow? Especially knowing kind of you're going down this path of maybe exploring being in the business of sustainable travel? So what do you think about it for tomorrow?

Mira Shah     
Yeah, well, I kind of hope. And this is what a lot of my RISE essay was on, I hope really like consumer consciousness shifts, to pave way to more, I guess, authentic collaborative connective experiences. Because I really think as consumers, we are the ones who can actually shift the mindset and whatever we kind of want out of experiences. That's what tourist tour packages are going to offer. So my real goal is to kind of shift like, especially socially minded younger travelers. I mean, there's already this growing demand for more meaningful experiences abroad, and not just abroad, but in their day to day lives, right. There's a big sustainability focus, a big, like, focus on investing in experience over material goods. And so how can we as travelers and tour professionals, tourism professionals, you know, leverage that, right? So really, I guess the goal for me is to like, somehow shift mindsets. And I want to see that happen on a larger scale into the future. Through tour packages and whatnot. 

Amy Hager     
So then, and knowing that it's going to have to be consumer driven, I think is really, really the key. And I'm curious how this will tie to your last answer, but what legacy do you want to leave behind in this world?

Mira Shah     
Um, that is a hard one. 

Amy Hager     
I know, it's a big question.

Mira Shah     
Um, I, I'm gonna say this more broadly philosophical, what everything looks like, but I kind of want to open people's minds and hearts to engage more fully with the richness of life. And, you know, cultivate their sense of curiosity and intrigue for the living world. I don't know when we like kind of feel, or when we truly see, feel, and understand the interconnection of all things in the world. I think it dissolves all these like limiting beliefs we might have about ourselves, as well as and that's what kind of why I'm so obsessed with traveling, because that is something that it has really supported me in is like, you know, I had all these limiting beliefs about, you know, how I need to live my life, what I need to do for work. And, yeah, if I can somehow, in some way, shape the way people think about these systems and structures that we're potentially constrained by and open their minds to something beyond that, that would be like, you know, the legacy I'd like to run.

Amy Hager     
That's a good legacy to leave behind. Definitely. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. It's been really great to learn more about your journey and your experience with the RISE Flagship Program. And we're excited to hear what you end up tackling next.

Mira Shah     
Yeah, thanks, Amy. I really enjoyed chatting with you as well about all of it.

Amy Hager     
Love it. Well, that brings us to the end of our journey today. And if you liked what you've heard, and you want to hear more, please subscribe, like and comment. You can follow us at RISE Travel Institute on Facebook and Instagram. And just remember here at RISE Travel, we really believe travel is a powerful tool for positive transformative change. And if you're a college student maybe planning to study abroad or a professional thinking about the gap year or a sabbatical or even remote work, or really anyone who's currently traveling the world and wants to understand how to travel in a sustainable way. We do encourage you to head over to risetravelinstitute.org To learn more information on our educational courses. And we'll be back soon with another episode but until then, keep roaming, keep learning and continue to be a RISE traveler. Buh bye.

Close
This podcast is an extension of The RISE Travel Institute, a 501c3 nonprofit committed to empowering young travelers through educational programs, research, study tours, and scholarships. Visit risetravelinstitute.org to learn more.