Rolf Potts, author of the popular traveler's book Vagabonding, mentions this blog among others in his entry "Travelers and grassroots tsunami aid" http://vagablogging.net/. "I've been encouraged in recent days by the amount of grassroots effort on the part of travelers to help the victims of the south Asian tsunami."

Jim Benning also writes about travelers volunteering in the Boston Globe story(http://www.boston.com/travel/articles/2005/01/09/when_their_holidays_turned_hellish/)
"a striking story is quietly emerging. Western tourists -- those better known for frittering away the day lounging on the beach, sipping tropical drinks, and haggling over the price of $4 hotel rooms in poverty-stricken towns -- are doing some good."

Merilise and Mark are excellent examples of travelers currently in the affected areas working with the Thais to help them rebuild (read their comments in the past blog entries Donations and Updates). We know of countless others stories: Climbers from around the globe have contacted us to send climbing gear, builders in America have offered to donate their skills for reconstruction, past clients, friends, and fellow travelers have both donated money and vowed to return to visit Phi Phi Climbers to assist however they can.

We'd love to hear your ideas - please use the comments section below to let us know your inspirations and plans.