Mark Rhodes
Do you love the outdoors and want to preserve it for future generations? Two PebbleCreek residents, Mark Rhodes and Jim Upchurch, are board members of a unique volunteer organization that does just that. Conservation Volunteers International Program (ConservationVIP) is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to helping sustain some of the world’s greatest landscapes, cultural heritage sites, and biodiversity.
ConservationVIP organizes and leads small-group conservation trips in partnership with local public land managers and community groups. They currently offer trips to Alaska, the Amazon, Cinque Terre Italy, Costa Rica, Galapagos, Machu Picchu, Patagonia, the Scottish Highlands, Tanzania, the Virgin Islands, and Yosemite. Some Fall 2026 trips still have open spots, and a full slate of 2027 trips is coming soon.
What makes ConservationVIP’s trips really special is not just the destinations; it’s the experiences you can’t get as a typical tourist. On their trips, travelers participate in hands-on conservation activities planned with local public land managers or community groups to meet their needs. Because of this collaboration, the groups often have unique access to places, projects and insights that visitors normally never see. They build meaningful connections with the place and the people that are quite different from the typical customer/vendor dynamic experienced by most tourists. This is slow travel where you can fully appreciate being in amazing places with interesting people and leave with a sense of accomplishment and renewal. Surrounded by like-minded people who care about the environment, many come away with new friendships and a sense of purpose and satisfaction that lasts beyond the journey itself.
This combination of destination, experiences, and people routinely earns 5-star trip reviews. If you or someone you know might enjoy this kind of purposeful travel, visit the website: conservationvip.org. Contact Mark Rhodes, cell 908-447-1920 or mkrhodes@comcast.net, for additional information.