By Kelsi Peace, Managing Editor

Thanks to my post-high school summer spent selling chocolate and charming tourists in my hometown’s Montana – made chocolate shop, I can distinguish a tourist from a native just about anywhere.

Scrambling for maps, wearing outdated T-shirts and slightly horrifying shorts and spending money as if their credit card bill will never arrive, tourists are the people we love to mock and long to join. But this fascinating demographic may be found more in desolate countries and less at Disneyland, thanks to the latest travel trend: philanthropic tourism.

According to the African Pro-Poor Tourism Development Centre, www. propoortourismkenya.org, a boost in tourism can mean more jobs, more reform and more potential for the impoverished citizens of developing countries.

The International Institute for Peace, www.iipt.org, has a similar goal, emphasizing cultural understanding and environmental awareness while looking to the tourism industry to combat poverty.

The underlying idea behind both is the often-quoted philosophy that you can feed a man for life by teaching him to fish rather than simply handing him his dinner. Tourism generates jobs, and jobs help end poverty.

The institute coordinates conferences as opposed to actual trips, unlike the Tourism Development Centre in Kenya, which organizes ready-made safaris.

The safaris blend the increasingly popular eco-tourism (all environmentallyfriendly) with a Fair-Trade mentality – the organization pours its profits back into the community.

“Pro-Poor” tourists can select one of four ready-made safaris: an eco-safari, missionary safari, cultural safari or an educational safari.

A vacation like this means time spent watching Kenya’s wildlife in action, visiting a school for disabled children and sleeping in bed and breakfasts.

I scoured the Web site for the cost of this 10-day excursion and couldn’t find one – but a 10-day Kenyan safari through Good Earth Tours and Safaris bears a staggering $1,890 price tag per person, excluding the cost of a plane ticket.

Initially, philanthropy tourism seemed to involve questionable motives and results at a staggering price – until I remembered my Spring Break Campaign to Kaua’i, Hawaii, which also cost more than $1,000 an included enough time on the beach for me to step off the plane bronzed and happy 10 days later.

Philanthropic tourism is merely another facet of our insatiable desire for entertainment – it may sound a little self-serving, but it reflects a common attitude.

Conditioned from the time we first serve to expect free days, cookouts and nights off, sometime s we forget that service and enjoyment don’t have to be separate elements of our experience. The motive may not be purely selfless, but the end result could be pivotal for poor communities – and one more educated tourist could be one more passionate advocate when the traveler returns home. The motive behind the trip becomes insignificant if the result is worthwhile.

And just as we managed to paint two halfway houses and the local Church of Christ in Hawaii, I am confident this new breed of tourist will leave his or her mark on the community.

Ecotourists may participate for the trendy travel, the exotic destinations or a desire to impact the world, but regardless of the motive, this innovate way to entertain, educate and affect promises to spread social justice awareness.

I just hope they leave the bad shorts and tacky Tshirts at home.