How to travel responsibly and sustainably ?

Our traveling has always an impact on the countries and communities we visit. The impact is either negative or positive. It is upon us that what we priorities. With a sense of responsibility, we can reduce our negative impacts and can actually bring a positive change in the communities.

Guidelines for being a responsible traveler.

  • Be considerate – of the communities and environment you visit.
  • Don’t litter. Try to carry your own shopping bag to avoid contributing to the plastic problem in many countries of the world.
  • Try to avoid excessive waste and the use of plastic bottles (in many countries there is no way of disposing of these, therefore creating plastic mountains due to tourism) – bring your own and consider purifying your own water & remove all packaging before leaving home.
  • Reduce energy consumption. Unplug your mobile phone charger, turn off the lights…
  • Conserve water. Take shorter showers… the average hotel guest uses over 300 litres of water per night! In a luxury hotel it is approx. 1800 litres!
  • Always ask before taking photographs. If someone says no, respect their wishes.
  • Educate yourself about the place you are visiting and the people.
  • Respect cultural differences – and learn from it! People in different places do things differently – don’t try to change them – enjoy them.
  • Dress respectively. Cover up away from the beach. Cover your head in religious places. Notice local dress codes and adhere to them.
  • Do not purchase or eat endangered species (e.g. turtle egg soup, crocodile handbags). Choose sustainable seafood
  • Support the local economy. Buy locally made souvenirs, eat at local restaurants – enjoy the local culture!
  • Do not give pens, candy or other gifts to local children – it fosters a begging economy. If you wish to donate, contact a local school or tour operator who can ensure the gifts are distributed fairly and properly.
  • Do not support the illegal drug trade or the sex trade.
  • Take public transit. Or if you must rent a car – why not a hybrid or electric one if available?
  • Support a local charity or organization that works towards responsible
  • Before you go, ask your travel provider (tour operator, travel agent) about the company’s environmental and responsible tourism policies – support those who support responsible tourism.
  • Ask your accommodation provider (hotel, guest house, lodge) about their sustainability practices – do they compost? Recycle? Have fair labour laws? Have an environmental policy?
  • Support responsible tourism organizations – those operators who publicly are aiming to make tourism more responsible.
  • Support local organizations – either in the place you visit or where you live

We wish you all best of luck for your future journeys.

Some of the above content  belongs to sustainable tourism.net

 

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