The World Has Changed – And So Must The Planet D

For the previous twenty years, we’ve journeyed throughout the globe, embracing the assumption that “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness,” as Mark Twain so eloquently said. We’ve shared our adventures, our pictures, and our experiences in numerous cultures, believing that by showcasing the fantastic thing about the world, we might assist folks see past borders and variations.

But occasions have modified. The world we’re touring in now could be not nearly sharing lovely footage—it’s extra advanced, extra divided, and extra fragile than ever earlier than.

Travel Used to Unite Us. Now, It Feels Different.

When we first began touring, every thing was new. Social media was in its infancy, and other people had been being launched to locations that they had by no means seen earlier than. Travel felt like a software for connection—a strategy to expertise totally different cultures, break down boundaries, and open minds to new potentialities.

But now, we see a world that isn’t solely extra divided but in addition extra cynical. Travel has been commodified, decreased to an Instagram backdrop fairly than a possibility for studying. Instead of sparking curiosity and empathy, it typically fuels comparability, competitors, and apathy. Instead of uniting us, journey content material generally reinforces the divide between those that can discover freely and those that are struggling simply to outlive.

And whereas the world scrolls previous one other excellent sundown, too many individuals are combating simply to dwell.

The Reality We Can No Longer Ignore

Conflicts are raging throughout locations we’ve visited.

Sudan is within the grip of a devastating civil conflict, displacing tens of millions.

Ukraine continues to be beneath assault, with civilians struggling every day.

Myanmar’s folks stay beneath the management of a brutal army junta.

In Gaza, complete households have been worn out, and harmless lives proceed to be misplaced

In Yemen, Haiti, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and so many others stay in turmoil.

And these are simply the conflicts that make headlines.

The World Is Burning—Literally

We can also’t ignore one other disaster unfolding in entrance of our eyes: Climate Change.

The locations we have now visited—the glaciers of Patagonia, the seashores of the Maldives, the rainforests of the Amazon—are altering, and never for the higher.

Wildfires have ravaged Greece, Canada, Australia, and California, displacing folks and devastating landscapes.

Floods have swallowed complete villages in Pakistan, Libya, and Germany, leaving destruction of their wake.

Coral reefs that we as soon as marveled at whereas diving are bleaching and dying at an alarming fee.

The Arctic ice we as soon as stood on is disappearing, and island nations like Tuvalu and the Maldives are actually sinking.

We’ve witnessed these modifications firsthand. We’ve spoken to locals who’ve misplaced their houses. We’ve walked by landscapes that not exist. And we’ve realized—we are able to’t simply maintain sharing fairly footage whereas pretending every thing is okay.

We Can’t Stay Silent Anymore

We can’t proceed to walk round considering every thing is a dream anymore. We can’t sit in a spa, pretending all is effectively, ready for another person to say one thing or climb mountains for our personal private achieve.

We have to talk up.

We want to speak about politics, poverty, and human rights abuses within the locations we go to. We want to speak about how tourism impacts native communities and whether or not it helps or harms them. We want to speak about local weather change, in regards to the industries destroying our planet, and about what we, as vacationers, can do to make an actual distinction.

We need to arise in opposition to fascism, authoritarianism, and oppression—and assist others arise as effectively.

We Don’t Blame Anyone for Staying Silent—But We Can’t Anymore

We don’t blame anybody who chooses to not communicate out. This is our alternative alone.

For folks with jobs, households, and even our fellow journey bloggers and vloggers who’ve partnerships, talking out might imply shedding every thing—contracts, alternatives, and even their complete livelihoods. We perceive why many keep quiet.

But we’re ready the place we are able to take that danger. And when the chance is talking out in opposition to cruelty, corruption, and fascism—we expect it’s price it.

For practically 20 years, The Planet D has stood for discovery—the journey of exploring the world. But shifting ahead, we wish it to face for one thing better:

1. Decency – Because human rights ought to by no means be up for debate.2. Democracy – Because freedom just isn’t assured; it should be defended.3. Determination – Because change doesn’t occur with out motion.

What’s Next for The Planet D

We’re not saying goodbye to journey. We’re nonetheless going to discover, nonetheless going to share guides and itineraries, and nonetheless going that will help you uncover the world. But we’re additionally going to inform the entire story.

We’ll nonetheless showcase unimaginable locations, however we’ll additionally expose what’s occurring behind the beautiful footage. We’ll speak in regards to the folks combating for justice, the communities on the entrance traces of local weather change, and the vacationers and locals making an actual distinction.

Because, similar to that hammam therapeutic massage expertise we as soon as advised you about—there’s at all times extra to the story. And it’s time we begin telling it.

A New Journey, Together

We know this shift may really feel surprising, but it surely’s the appropriate one. Travel has at all times been about discovery—and generally, meaning going through uncomfortable truths.

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. It received’t at all times be straightforward, however it will likely be price it.

Dave & Deb