As someone who’s travelled to 56 plus countries, I often get asked about my favourite place. Cinque Terre in Italy easily takes a top 3 spot. However, aside from the amazing scenery and friendly locals, another thing made this trip very memorable. Having visited this collection of 5 coastal villages in April 2014, I was made aware of the devastating floods that had hit this area 3 years ago.
I met some locals who introduced me to some farmers most affected by the tragedy. In an effort to help them, we started a program to allow visitors like myself to volunteer and donate to this community by helping with their farm work. This not only created an awareness among travellers, but also connected them to the local community in very tangible ways. The donations and volunteering experience was a way to ‘give something back’ rather than being just a visitor.