In 2008, my husband Dave and I embarked on a 12,000 km cycling journey through Africa.
  We had been avid adventure travelers in the past, but this time we wanted to make a difference while seeing the world.
For this journey, we chose to ride for a cause.
  There are many charities that travelers can help to raise awareness for.
Established organizations have the resources to reach millions of people, and your help in raising funds can make a huge difference on entire communities.
It is extremely easy for a person to contribute effectively to these causes.
  All it takes is a little extra legwork before leaving home.
Before we left for Africa, we designed a website giving an overview of our cause containing a "donate now" icon.
  We hired a publicist and found some television and newspaper coverage.
We developed a strong following of people before we even left the country.
  We held fundraisers and friends were eager to give to Plan because for one thing, they were supporting us.
Their friends were taking on an enormous task and it was a unique idea that actually made people want to come out and give.
We had several NGO's to choose from that do incredible work in Africa.
Many amazing charities are making a great difference to the people.
  For this trip however, we chose Plan Canada.
Founded in 1937 as Foster Parents Plan, it has become one of the world's largest development organizations.
We were drawn specifically to Plan because of their commitment to empower the people through education.
Working at the grassroots level, they teach communities to walk away from poverty and become self-sustainable.
We met with the people at Plan before our trip and set up tours at various projects in Africa.
We made sure to stop in to see the work that is being done first hand.
This gave a personal meaning to our cause and put a face to what we were riding for.
  After our visits, we posted photos and stories on our website and wrote articles for a national newspaper here in Canada.
  The publicity that Plan received from us was far more useful than anything we could have done on our own.
  When people read our articles, they were directed to our blog where they could read more about Plan and donate to the cause.
  We reached thousands of people outside of our circle of friends and family and truly made a difference with very little effort.
As a traveler, you are free to choose from strong, established charities that focus on issues in the countries you visit.
  For our next travel, we may decide to go with another organization.
Because not all charities are in all countries, someone different may be more suited to our next adventure.
Making a difference while traveling is easy.
  It costs nothing extra to choose a cause that you believe in and takes up very little time.
  It can be extremely rewarding to actually see a project at work and it will make your travel a valuable and rewarding experience.
  Most people write about their travels on a blog anyway, so why not add a cause to your site.
Give your readers some useful information regarding the countries that you visit.
  Even if only a few give to your charity, you have already succeeded.
  You have given a few more dollars to your organization that it didn't have before you sent people their way.