Responsible travel is all about the people who practice it. It’s not just a principle; it’s a way of life, something you do in your home and in friends’ homes, as well as in your extended home community, which in responsible travel terms includes the whole world.
In the interest of promoting best practices, we would like to hear how you have taken responsible travel to heart.
- Tell us what you value in a responsible travel vacation.
- Tell us how you go about finding the information you need so that you can be sure it’s responsible.
- Tell is what you do on a holiday that demonstrates your commitment to responsible travel.
- Remind us about what you do at home too!
We would like to share this information about what you do.
To that end, this space is your space. With every release of this newsletter, we will focus on what you tell us is important. We will profile you –- your interests, your practices, your concerns.
To set the ball rolling, and because at whl.travel we believe in practicing what we preach, below is a short contribution from one of the whl.travel team.
Now it’s your turn. We look forward to what you have to say.
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I am a devoted cyclist. For more than 20 years, the bicycle has been my primary means of transport – commuting in cities, making medium-range trips with friends on weekends and covering long distances when on vacation. I can actually boast that to this day I have covered more ground propelling two wheels than I have steering four. Cycling has even been a central focus of my work as a writer, fundraiser, project manager, non-profit manager and communications consultant. Cycling really is one powerful basis for my way of life, something I have already begun sharing with my young son.
I found my way to pedal pushing mainly because I love the experience of it. On a bike I am open to the elements, to the people and animals around me, to the smells and sounds of a place usually minimised by a motorised vehicle’s armoured shell. If there weren’t such a sensual and hedonistic quality to my devotion to human-powered transport, I might have had trouble sustaining my commitment. However, when a selfish pleasure jives well with an ethical practice, I don’t see how you can go wrong!
Doing what I love, both at home and while on the move, is doing right by the planet.
Hey – I try and travel responsibly by doing a bit of research in advance, no matter whether I am travelling independently, on business or with my family. When you travel blind, you can make choices that you regret later. The beauty of the web is that there are responsible travel options available for transport, accommodation and activities… provided that you take the time to look for them. They’re not normally the one’s on top of the pile with bright flashing lights and “Book me” “Book me” all over them. Instead they’re normally more modest, quite understated, and typically hard to find. But the reward for finding them is real satisfaction…the type that that makes your precious leisure time that much more valuable. After all what value can we put to being conscious about the vulnerability of our world.
As well as things like carbon offsetting for flights and choosing more responsible travel methods (i.e. cycling etc), try to make sure that at least some of the money you spend in destinations actually goes back to helping the local community….buy traditional crafts, give gifts to children instead money to beggers (books, clothing etc). Take time to learn and immerse yourself in the local culture, and not just see the ‘main tourist attractions’.
Change the paradigm.
Popular travel of guidebooks and tour operators is based on consumption. Take pictures, eat, drink, eat some more, and go home. Responsible travel advocates encourage the journey-bound to “go deeper, not farther.”
Act local, even when you’re global.
Ask locals for advice about shopping and eating. Seek out local crafters and check that that gorgeous scarf in the Moroccan market isn’t “made in China.” Many cities and villages have cooperatives and vocational training for the local population, especially for women. Buying from these producers usually ensures that your money goes to back into the community with direct benefits for its members. Talk about stretching the dollar! For a handmade, meaningful token of your vacation you are investing in the pursuit of a sustainable local economy.
Plan an “alternatrip.”
“Voluntourism” is a growing industry that enables tourists to volunteer cross-culturally. Programs range from the short-term and scheduled to the “choose your own adventure,” where you can decide for yourself the whats, hows, and how longs. And rather than reach a destination, why not take a journey? If you’ve got a little more time on your hands, a great way to see a country is to ride a bike through it. Often for charity, bike trips across the US and many other countries take travelers off the beaten path. Not only this, but more and more wanderlusters are circumventing the globe without relying upon wasteful measures. Walking, cycling, and hitchhiking (with caution) around the world are a thing of the past as well as the future!
Raise your voice. In America, the customer is always right. Give feedback to hotels, corporations, transportation services, stores, and restaurants that engage in wasteful practices.
Check your sources.
Going “green” is a buzzword that gets misused. Check out tour operators, hotels, and companies that claim to be environmentally friendly and make sure they live up to their word. And don’t assume that your host culture is tuned into your green life: local guides often encourage behaviors – like taking artifacts or touching coral reefs – that are detrimental to the very site.
- Excepts taken from travelguidesdb.com