When he travels internationally, as he often does, Chad Thatcher journeys with the paramount thought: There’s only one planet, so frolic hard and frolic fun, but leave no footprints and patronize local business.

Thatcher, outdoor program director at Mesa State College, teaches his students to respect the earth and contribute to local economies.

It’s about sustainable and responsible travel and understanding the potential negative effects of unbridled tourism development, Thatcher said.

“Travel is the biggest industry in the world,” Thatcher said. In a typical packaged tour, 90 percent of the tour cost stays in the United States with the tour operator. That leaves little for the local economy, he said.

“I try and teach students to get into the economy. They’re responsible, they can actually patronize local business,” in a foreign country, Thatcher said.

Thatcher and a dozen students spent their Christmas holiday break in Mexico and Central America. They traveled from the Yucatan to San Jose, Costa Rica, exploring tropical regions, ancient Mayan ruins, rafting and kayaking pristine rivers, diving in the aqua blue Caribbean, climbing active volcanoes, sliding through jungle canopies and mingling in the cultural centers of Granada, Nicaragua and Antigua and Guatemala.

Thatcher’s been traveling internationally 17 years and has been director of the outdoor program 10. He’s a second-year Ph.D. student in sustainable education through Prescott College.

“The main reason I take students to travel is I want to show them how other people live,” Thatcher said. For example, in the U.S., it’s rare to see more than one person in a vehicle; in foreign countries, it’s far more common to see more people carpool, he said.

Another striking difference relates to seeking happiness.

“It’s amazing to see the family unit down there, smiles all around, just hanging out in parks. They derive happiness from a completely different place, as opposed to buying something,” he said.

“We teach them how to pack, how to buy a plane ticket, travel insurance, politics,” he said. “We talk about getting scammed, how to be a responsible traveler.

“Creating consciousness, that’s it. If you can do that, the rest of it can take care of itself.”

Students get college credit in independent studies or international studies.

The MSC Outdoor Program’s next adventure will be a two-month journey that includes a stay at an Everest base camp, a journey to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, a 10-day river trip in Nepal, a drive over the Friendship Highway, and hiking to Hong Kong from the Tibetan highlands.

Already, 14 people have signed on.

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