ABSTRACT
Crooked Trails is a non-profit, community-based travel organization helping people to broaden their understanding of the planet and its diverse cultures through education, community development and responsible travel. It was founded by two women from Seattle on the premise that tourism does not have to threaten the cultures and environments of popular destinations and fragile regions. As an educational non-profit organization, it creates true cultural exchanges that make positive contributions to host communities and have lasting effects on travellers. Crooked Trails participants return home having learned ways to incorporate lessons from these exchanges into their own lives and communities. It only works with communities who have invited them. With each passing year, the trust and friendship between Crooked Trails staff, programme participants and the local people continue to deepen. In cooperation with other NGOs, it operates travel programmes in support of indigenous peoples in Peru, Thailand, Nepal, India, Ecuador and Kenya, among other destinations. Crooked Trails believes that all of us can improve cultural, ecological and economic conditions around the world by changing the way in which we travel.
