Holiday breaks are a big time for kids toknowledge new effects, grow in new orders, and have fun with the family. Withjump break and summer vacation just around the corner, have you ever wonderedhow you could make this your child's best vacation yet? Read the seven tipsunder to turn a good break into a great one!

Tip 1: Make a Road Map Together
Find out from your child what their ideal summer would look like. Theirimmediate response might be something like play video games all day or go topool, but stay open to their ideas. Including them in this process isimportant. Hear them out and ask questions that encourage dreaming big. Afterlistening, figure out how to create a plan that works for both of you. Forexample, maybe the all day of video games isn't acceptable to you, but you bothagree that finding a part-time job and also having time to play games works.Get creative with this and have fun thinking of new things to do together.

Tip 2: Talk About Summer Expectations
Since schedules are often less structured during summer, it's important forboth you and your child to get clear about household expectations for summer.Think about it from different perspectives from what is expected around bedtime, friends, school work, activities, household chores, etc... Decide what ismost important to you but also try to collaborate some with your son ordaughter so they feel part of the process. For example, is there a certain bedtime or curfew? Maybe there is some leeway on weekends or holidays? Are therecertain rules about having friends in the house? Are there new chores for thesummer? Finally, have a discussion about why certain rules are important to youand how they help make things easier or safer on everyone.

Tip 3: Monitor Internet Activities.
Internet security and teens have received a lot of media attention lately andso many parents still feel their child is immune to any foul play. But,problems surrounding the internet can happen to anyone. Be alert to what yourchild is doing online. A great way to do this is to google your child's name tosee what you find. You can also set up a google alert that will tell you whenyour child's name appears on line. To find out more about this important topic,there are many organizations online that discuss specific internet safety tipsfor parents

I am not convinced. Labels cannot cover everything. I chairthe judges for the annual Responsible Tourism Awards and we Highly CommendedExplore in 2005 – see http://www.responsibletourismawards.com/winners05.htmlExplore has high quality labels from AITO (the industry) and Tourism Concern (acampaigning NGO). Explore is rightly commended for its achievements in ResponsibleTourism – it is one of the leaders in this field.

Explore has the labels – and rightly so – but what giveslife to the idea of Responsible Tourism, to the aspiration for responsibility,   is the debateswhich go on around it. We each will define responsibility differently and no companywill be impeccably responsible in everything it does – all companies can bechallenged to do more and they are.

As I argued in ResponsibleTourism and the Market published in November 2005

"There are some significant differences between the twoapproaches of certification vs. responsible tourism. Certification is of mostutility for businesses concerned to audit their supply chains and improve theirmanagement. It is process orientated and rarely provides the holidaymaker ortraveller with an enhanced experience; provided that the business does notclaim to have a current certificate when it does not, there is no risk oflitigation, and it tends to produce a level playing field with no differentiationbetween certified products and little marketing advantage. It certainly doesnot excite the end consumers.

By contrast responsible tourism is market driven, bothresponding to and creating tourists who demand a more real encounter with the environmentand the community, based on values of respect for other people and theirplaces. These informed consumers subject the products and experiences tocontinuous review. When they like it they recommend it to others and returnthemselves. When a responsible tourism product fails to match its claims, thetourist complains and in the worst cases the enterprise risks litigation formisrepresentation. There is a ratchet effect as consumers expect and demand more– benefits accrue to those companies and products which enable consumers torealise their aspirations, as do the communities and environments around them."www.icrtourism.org/certification.pdf

Responsibility will never adequately be reduced to a label –as Krippendorf opined we need "rebellious tourists and rebellious locals".

Recently charitable giving in the travel industry has dramatically increased. This survey captures current trends and discovers good practice.

Please take the time to participate in this survey to share your knowledge and experience and encourage others to do so.

The results of the report will be published and launched at the World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Day, 12^th November 2008. The information will be available and shared to encourage better and effective charitable giving within the travel industry.

www.responsibletourismpartnership.org/assets/downloads/travelphilanthropysurvey.doc

Just download the word document, complete the survey, and return it to claudia.eckardt@gmail.com

Thank you for your support.

Hello all

Here are my thoughts on this interesting discussion:

hotels

1.Staffing policies, poor payment, poor training, no continuity of employment, insuufient attention to safety.

2. Water...profligate use thereof

3.sourcing supplies...too high a proportion of food gifts decor, entertainment etc not purchased locally

4.child protection...not enough questions asked about the presence of young "guests" in hotel rooms

5. Lack of information to encourage tourists to engage culturally and financially with local communities