Letter From The Editor

I spent the last two weekends hiking and participating in community service projects with travel2change and a couple of local nonprofits. (Alright, I admit I mostly talked to people as they were working, but I had to interview them, OK?)

Visitors to Hawaii can sign up for a number of activities through travel2change, just like they might sign up for a circle island bus tour or snorkeling trip. The catch, though, is that all of the activities have an emphasis on creative positive social or environmental change.

In my conversations with the company founders, their partner organizations and the travelers, there was a lot of discussion about creating an authentic travel experience. It made me wonder, what is an authentic travel experience, and can you create that? I don’t have an answer, but if there is such a thing, I think what travel2change offers is as close as it comes. Read the story on Page 10.

And speaking of travels, guest columnist James Charisma shares his insight on urban growth after a visit to Tokyo. It’s a two-part essay — the first of which appeared last week — so to see the rest, visit metrohnl.com.