Beyond Guilt Trips

“Beyond Guilt Trips is a fantastic guide to encountering cultural difference in productive ways.”

—Timothy Longman, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Boston University

“Though there are many books and guides that discuss the importance of being good eco-travelers, there are few that help us to be good “anthro-travelers.” Beyond Guilt Trips takes us deep into that world, providing tools for deeper awareness and engagement during our interactions with unfamiliar cultures and individuals. Taranath helps us to navigate our inner and outer journeys, and to return home with a profoundly enriched view of our world.”

—Jeff Greenwald, author of The Size of the World, Director of EthicalTraveler.org

“Over the past twenty years I've led groups on tours and explored the globe on my own, travelling to over fifty countries. The search for deeper meaning is consistent through it all. Taranath is an expert at recognizing deeply felt issues and providing an approach that is inclusive and fulfilling. Let her be your guide through whatever travels you have ahead!”

—Ben Cameron, Rick Steves' Europe Tour Guide

“Taranath skillfully blends storytelling with a guidebook approach to how we can all travel better—go beyond good intentions and become intentional travelers. A much-needed book to transform the travelscape.”

—Amy Gigi Alexander, Editor-in-Chief, Panorama: the Journal of Intelligent Travel

“This is the guide I wished I’d had when first starting to travel the world as a young person. Packed with wisdom and useful tips, Beyond Guilt Trips should be in all campus libraries, youth hostels, and community organizations.”

—Faith Adiele, author of Meeting Faith and founder of VONA Travel Writing

“Taranath illuminates perspectives that many of us seldom consider but are vital to our understanding of our neighbors and ourselves, both at home and abroad.”

—Larry Habegger, executive editor, Travelers’ Tales Books

“I am so grateful for this book, for it left me reflecting on the one trip we are all on, traveling through this life! Taranath is an excellent and humble storyteller who teaches us through stories. Readers will find nuggets here that will help us all to be our best selves.”

—Michele E. Storms, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union, Washington State

“Anu’s writing never sugarcoats, but helps us speak about unequal structures, uncomfortable facts, and our own positions as we travel five or five thousand miles from what’s familiar. This isn’t just a book to read; it’s a way to walk in the world.”

—Dr. Peter Moran, former director, University of Washington Study Abroad Office

“At a time when it has become radical to ask ourselves what it means to be who we are, where we are, Beyond Guilt Trips holds space for these conversations where there wasn’t any before.”

—Bani Amor, queer travel writer

“Beyond Guilt Trips offers a consciousness-raising for travelers, even as it shows us ways to stay present and compassionate amidst a sea of potential confusion, doubt, and guilt.”

—Laurie Hovell McMillin, editor of Away Journal

“Taranath offers the reader sympathetic understanding while firmly naming the realities and complexities of the unjust societies we inhabit and create. While she does not let us off the hook, she consistently brings us back to our shared humanity. I wish this book had been available when I first began to travel abroad.”

—Tina Lopes, co-author of Dancing On Live Embers: Challenging Racism in Organizations

“Taranath unflinchingly confronts the awkward feelings of guilt, shame, and privilege that inevitably arise from international (and even inter-neighborhood) travel, and somehow manages to stare them down, deconstruct them, and take away their power. Beyond Guilt Trips is an essential companion to all those leading, engaging in, or contemplating travel, to ensure they will embark on an inward journey that mirrors the outward one.”

—Claire Bennett, co-author of Learning Service: The Essential Guide to Volunteer Travel

“Beyond Guilt Trips is part reflective memoir, part ethnographic deep-dive, and part user manual for navigating our increasingly unequal world. . . This book is certainly the most teachable—and instructive— book on global travel I have read yet.”

—David Citrin, Global Health and Anthropology, University of Washington

“Beyond Guilt Trips unpacks some of the biggest racial and cultural issues facing Westerners traveling abroad. In straightforward language, Taranath addresses white privilege, micro-aggressions, inequality, and the unspoken rules of race and economics that travelers face when visiting foreign cultures. Simple, necessary, and razor-sharp, this book is an accessible and friendly guide for anyone interested in learning how to 'sit with discomfort.'”

—Adriana Paramo, author of Looking for Esperanza and My Mother's Funeral

“When Mark Twain observed that travel was fatal to bigotry and narrow-mindedness, he somehow predicted we would have this wise and timely book in hand. Taranath shows us how to build a toolbox of keen observation, respectful engagement, and honest examination as we move among our neighborhoods as well as through our world.”

—David Fenner, Peace Corps Volunteer 1979-82, founding director, World Learning Oman Center, former assistant vice provost for international education, University of Washington

“This book takes us into the heart of where we need to go if we truly aim to do away with injustice and transform the world.”

—Michael Westerhaus MD, MA and Amy Finnegan PhD, Co-Directors SocMed

“Instead of guilting or shaming people when they become more aware of their privilege or wealth, Beyond Guilt Trips brings everyone along without erasing histories of oppression. With a generous spirit, Taranath holds space for both the learning of travelers and the dignity of the people they encounter, offering the possibility of meaningful mutual exchange.”

—Frances Lee, writer and cultural activist