Responsible Travel in the History- Rich Deserts of Bedouin

Whenever the topic of responsible travel is discussed, social responsibility is often an afterthought, with all attention given to environmental preservation. While preserving our fragile yet resilient environment is an unavoidable priority, so is our responsibility to address social issues. An example of the need for a social conscience with responsible travel is the increasingly popular Bedouin tours. 

The Bedouin people are an Arab ethnic group that resides in the deserts of spanning the Middle East, from Egypt to Israel and beyond. The Bedouin are a people rich in tradition and decidedly destitute in modernization. The refusal to participate in modernization is available for tourists viewing and speculation. Visitors to the Bedouin villages are able to witness their beguiling lives through songs, dance productions, and more camel attractions than one could imagine. Experiencing different cultures, especially cultures as rich and well preserved as the Bedouin culture, is the best part of traveling. Tourist companies such as Bedouin Discovery Tour and Travel Agency for Jordan and Tour Egypt make the Bedouin culture readily available for those who want to learn about the significance of the goat and other fascinating aspects of Bedouin culture. Through tour groups like Israel Bedouin Hospitality, tourists can even arrange to experience life under the tent with willing Bedouins. Both the tourism industry and the Bedouin people have taken note of traveler's fascination with the Bedouin people, providing an enjoyable and educational experience for almost everyone. It is only within the consciousness of responsible travel that one can see a "tourist attraction" for what it truly is.

Bedouins live in tent villages where the men rule all over every decision made. Women are only to be seen and not heard. Women are also forbidden to continue their education beyond the 6th grade, forced to adopt a life lived to stay in the tents to reproduce (sons, they hope) and to clean after the men. The distinguished elders of the tent villages (all men, of course) are heavily against the discussion of anything having to do with the outside, modern world- including bank transactions, cars, and most of all, women's rights. While no society is an example of perfection, the inconsistencies of the Bedouin villages are undeniable. The same village that punishes villagers for discussing bank transactions is the same village that has no problem selling jewelry and spiritual products to profit from a crowd of tourists.

I am not advocating a boycott on Bedouin tourism. Their society is intriguing and singular. However, responsible travel requires patrons to ask questions and to seek some sort of explanation. For a civilization so insistent upon maintaining tradition, they are very willing to compromise when profit through modernized tourism can be made. Visit the Bedouin people. They are putting their best faces forward.

Photo Credit: :: Suwaif ::