More people than ever are choosing eco-friendly and culturally aware trips. Find out how to plan a holiday responsibly with this eco travel guide.
With the advent of low-cost airlines and information on destinations being available at the touch of a button, tourism is booming. There seems to be few areas left untouched and up until recently, in all the fuss and excitement of discovering new races and places, people thought little on the impact of their travels.
Effects of Mass Tourism
There are stories of the plight of tribes, their culture changed forever by the intrusion of careless tourists; fishermen forced to turn to waitering because hotels have sprung up which use imported fish to provide variety; turtles disturbed because huge trucks with high beams and hoards of travellers tear across the sand, eager to get a glimpse of their nesting or birth.
A New Way of Thinking and Travelling
Now, tourists are becoming much more aware of their effects while travelling, both ecologically and culturally. There is a growing desire to go green and, thankfully, people are slowly but surely making a conscious effort to consider ethical and environmentally-friendly aspects when planning their trips both at home and abroad.
They are moving away from the brash, glitzy high-rise hotels that were so popular in the seventies and eighties and are opting instead for friendly, small, family-run establishments. And in place of imported foods intended to satisfy a western palate, eco-minded travellers prefer to indulge in locally grown produce at local stores and restaurants.
Eco-friendly and Responsible Tour Companies
It’s not just travellers who are changing the way they travel, companies are too. Some not only encourage responsible travel but are happy to arrange the whole trip for those in need of a bit of guidance. Responsible Travel, Different-travel and Gap Adventures are just a few companies catering towards a growing number of travellers concerned about their effects on the environment. Tourism Concern has played a large role in heightening traveller’s awareness of the situation and unless people have been stuck in a lead cask at the bottom of the sea for the past year they will surely not have missed the hubbub about air travel, carbon emissions and the size of their carbon footprint.
Tips for Being a Responsible Traveller
- Offset carbon emissions at the Climate Care website. Simply enter flight details and climate care will calculate emissions generated. They then put the money towards funding sustainable energy projects.
- Opt for a holiday/hotel that ensures their workers are treated fairly and are paid a fair wage. Explore.co.uk has a number of responsible holiday ideas.
- Learn about the destination, study that guide book and respect the local customs and culture, i.e. don’t walk around Muslim countries in a bikini top and hot-pants. Honestly, it happens.
- Try not to be too brash and intrusive, be aware it is their home. Snap-happy travellers should ask before taking photographs of people; some don’t like to be photographed, of course others will be hard to shake from the lens.
- Eat at local restaurants, at food stalls, small family-run hotels and buy local food; this ploughs money back into the community.
- Choose eco-friendly accommodation. Various wonderful places are sprouting up all over the world as demand grows. Goodtravelcompany.com and EcoBookers.com have a great selection of green hotels around the world. Avoid foreign owned hotels as they tend to export their profits or better still, why not try a home-stay? This will allow the opportunity to learn more about the area and culture than was thought possible.
Top Tip
- Get involved with the community and give something back. It will make the trip so much more enjoyable and brighten the host’s day too.
