known as the "Spam Cruise" ship -- the vessel stranded at sea last November for days without power. But Carnival fans also know it as one of the line's biggest, newest and most appealing vessels -- and one that's looking better than ever these days, thanks to the unprecedented, three-month-long overhaul in dry dock that followed last year's incident.
"I've long considered myself a relatively generous person.
Here in Atlanta, I carry around McDonald's gift cards for encounters with homeless men and women, build Habitat for Humanity houses and donate 3 to 5 percent of our family's annual income to charity. In short, I'm logical about my giving on United States soil.
But when I travel to developing countries, all that logic disappears. The expanded power of a dollar, combined with what seems like infinite need, creates so many situations in which no answer seems appropriate. I find myself feeling like either a deep-pocketed patsy or a skinflint.
In Palmyra, Syria, I once refused to buy a $4 T-shirt from a child hawker, prompting his outraged query: "Why are Americans so cheap?" On the other end of the spectrum, at a roadside stand in rural India, I handed a man with a trained monkey the equivalent of $10, a ridiculous amount that would support his family (and the chimp) for days. And in Accra, Ghana, I was bargaining for a mask and thought the shopkeeper would burst into tears because I had no more cedis (he accepted my final offer of every bill I had).
Each situation left me wondering: did I do the right thing? Is there a "right" way to spend, tip and give money when traveling?
The idea of "responsible tourism" has taken hold in recent years..."
Kevin has eight great tips on spending money while travelling!
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