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This new column explores the ethical issues facing globetrotters. It will appear every two weeks.

Jeff Greenwald was travelling through Northern India when a young boy in a tattered red vest approached him and, in perfect English, asked if he had a hobby. Taken aback, Greenwald recalls he stammered something about astrophotography.

The boy was nonplussed. "Mine," he replied, "is coin collecting. I collect coins of every country. Please sir, you will give me a coin of your country. . ."

Greenwald, a travel writer and the executive director of Ethical Traveler, a global alliance dedicated to human rights and environmental protection, was impressed with the boy's ingenuity. Still, he says, it was simply a new take on a common dilemma for travellers the world over — begging.

Many of us have come across those small outstretched hands, felt that tugging at our sleeves, heard the plea for money. This becomes even more uncomfortable when the spare change jingling in our pockets represents a considerable sum to locals. Some of us hand over a few coins, while others mutter and keep walking.

But a rare few, such as Greenwald, have developed a response that leaves them feeling satisfied. Greenwald suggests travellers start by asking themselves the following questions: Will what I'm doing improve this person's life, or degrade it? Will it promote greed and dependency, or foster some small degree of autonomy? How will fellow travellers, tomorrow and a decade from now, be affected by my actions?

Your answers will help create a plan to deal with begging so that when the crowds come clamouring, you'll respond in a way that feels right to you. It might also help to think beyond dollars and cents.

Laura Ell, a former dental assistant turned employee at the International Ecotourism Society based in Washington, D.C., was prepared for begging when she visited the Solomon Islands. She had requested toothbrushes from a supplier and packed dozens of them to give away to the children she met. She even demonstrated how to use the toothbrushes and took photos of the kids for her Smiles of the Solomons booklet, which she presented to them. Whatever you do, she says, "don't give candy unless you plan to return to offer dental care."

School supplies are another alternative to giving money. When I booked a trek through northern Thailand, my tour company recommended that I pack school supplies to give to the children in remote villages.

The day I watched a teacher hand out coloured pencils and paper to the delight of the class remains a highlight. Most Third World schools are desperate for such supplies. Aid workers prefer you don't give supplies directly to children, but rather that you give them to a teacher instead.

Similarly, if you do plan on giving gifts to children, Greenwald recommends that you always give it to a parent, older sibling or other adult to give to the children.

"Such a gesture is a sign of respect," he explains, "and reinforces the notion that family members — rather than wealthy tourists — are the ones to turn to for gifts and rewards."

Greenwald, however, prefers to give time and attention. "Generosity doesn't have to mean giving away things," he says.

"Sharing a bit of yourself, opening a window into your own world, is a good place to begin." Share your talent for juggling or playing a small instrument. Greenwald always packs prisms, kaleidoscopes, small tops, even string for cat's cradle. In India, an inflatable globe he had packed turned a "feeding frenzy" into a "geography lesson" and prompted a heated debate over why "India was pink and Pakistan blue." He notes that he doesn't give these things away and kids don't seem to mind, as "their natural appetite for engagement has been satisfied."

By embracing some of these suggestions, travellers may find a satisfying way around the ethical pitfalls of giving cash to children: Kids who beg are often forced to give up their money to those for whom they work, and parents sometimes send their children to beg because they inspire more sympathy and generate more income. In some countries, children are deliberately disabled to inspire more pity. Many aid workers argue that giving cash to beggars simply furthers this practice.

However, it's not only children who beg (though they inevitably inspire the most sympathy, along with young mothers). Even with adult beggars, it's often better to share a bit of your life. Greenwald notes that the desire the world over is to connect. He suggests taking along picture postcards of your hometown and photos of your family.

Some trip organizers take a portion of your fee and support charities. Laura Ell suggests that those who prefer to take matters into their own hands take a portion of their travel budget and donate it to a local charity. Do your homework before you leave so you can ensure you're donating to worthy and reputable organizations, such as Oxfam Canada (www.oxfam.ca), Oxfam Quebec (www.oxfam.qc.ca), CARE Canada (www.care.ca) and Save the Children Canada (www.savethechildren.ca). This ensures that your money is doing good — consider it the vacation equivalent of giving at the office.

Leslie Garrett is an award-winning Canadian journalist specializing in travel ethics.

virtuous@globeandmail.ca