Taking care of the planet is a global responsibility. Sustainable and responsible travel firms are becoming more popular as travellers try to reduce their impact on far-flung destinations that are no longer far-flung. Here’s how to balance your travel plans with sustainable choices, to make the most of seeing the world while successfully reducing your footprint.
1. Choose your tour operator carefully
Ethical travel companies are gaining huge traction in the market. This is similar to the way supermarkets are offering ‘wonky’ fruit and veg to reduce food waste in the UK or how other industries are making steps to become more responsible too. Fashion brands like Thought are seeking better pay for their Asian manufacturing shops and utilising recycled or sustainable fabrics. As the big stores throw out less produce and fashion turns to recycling, travel companies are beginning to assess their own carbon footprints. It is the first step to normalising ethical travel and retail choices.
A simple way of finding an ethical tour operator can be found with just three questions:
- What is your environmental policy?
- What steps have you taken to preserve local cultural heritage and wildlife?
- How do you employ local guides?
2. Reduce plastic waste
It has become almost second nature to ensure we have enough water with us when we take a trip somewhere hotter than our own climate. But have you stopped to think about where your plastic bottle might end up? Plastic waste is a huge concern, not just in the UK but around the world. Much of it ends up in landfill. Small island economies cannot sustain this kind of waste and inevitably significant amounts will make their way back to the sea. Always opt for locally purified water and use a recyclable container where possible (or at least re-use your plastic water bottle).
3. Take a train journey if you can
Not all destinations allow you to travel there by train, certainly not the Seychelles. But travelling to European destinations can be a lot more fun when you do. ‘Slow travel’ is a growing trend. It allows visitors to get a much richer sense of their environment and also reduces the huge carbon footprint that taking multiple plane trips causes.
4. Interact and support the local economy
Not everyone wants to buy crafts and souvenirs when on holiday, but most of us buy something. When buying local foods, drinks, crafts or artwork, make sure you are actually supporting the local economy, not the mass-produced souvenir industry that does nothing to help local producers.
For instance, buying traditional Indian embroidery handcrafted by the local Kutch, direct from village outlets, will help the economy a lot more than buying from the airport. Buyers will also get a real sense for the workmanship that goes into it, resulting in a memento that means so much more. It’ll probably be a lot cheaper too.
5. Never buy wildlife products
Many crafts for sale utilise resources that aren’t always sustainable. For instance, in Sri Lanka there is a strong market for hardwood ornaments and furniture. Much of them use rare, slow growth trees like mahogany or teak. This wood is often sourced from endangered rainforests. Unless travellers refuse to purchase items like these, and other crafts and clothing made from wildlife (like ivory and animal fur), it will only help to further rare and endangered wildlife trafficking.
There are so many more ways in which travellers can visit the world sustainably, from reusing hotel towels, walking instead of taxis, showering instead of bathing, turning off the air conditioning, not feeding the local wildlife, and refusing to use carrier bags. Sustainable tourism isn’t necessarily about seeing less or travelling less, it’s all about being conscious of the ways a visitor impacts on their destination country and making small changes. Because if all of us did it, what a difference we could make.
