How to travel more responsibly in 2024 & beyond
Travelling responsibly means considering the negative impact that travel can have on the people, places, communities, animals, and the environment of the places you visit.
This is something I am personally passionate about. I love inspiring others with ideas on how to be more mindful of the planet when they travel.
There are many small changes you can make to your travel style which will have a much more positive impact on the environment and help reduce social and economic problems in the places you visit.
As well as the ecological benefits there are powerful personal benefits that come from doing good and feeling good about your decisions. These all contribute to one of the fundamental outcomes of travel – increased happiness and wellbeing!
If you’re eco-minded, here are a few top things to consider before planning your next holiday…
THINK LOCAL AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITIES YOU VISIT
When you support local businesses, you help to keep money circulating within the local economy. This can help to reduce poverty and inequality, and it can also help to protect the environment.
When you eat at local restaurants, shop at local markets, book local tour guides, and stay at local accommodations, you are supporting local businesses which helps to boost the local economy and ensure that your money stays within the community.
Thinking 'local' allows you to experience the culture of the place you're visiting in a more authentic way and you're also more likely to meet locals and learn about their lives.
When you support local communities, you're helping to make a positive impact on the world. You're helping to create jobs, support families, and protect the environment.
SAY NO TO THINGS THAT DON’T FEEL RIGHT
It’s easy to get chatting to a tour company that you simply can’t say no to when you’re abroad, but it pays to be wary and make sure you know what you’re saying yes to before you sign up to an excursion that you might later regret. Particularly wildlife experiences that exploit animals. This includes things like elephant rides, animal petting zoos, and swimming with dolphins. These activities often involve cruelty to animals and can easily be avoided. If you can touch, bathe, feed, or ride wild animals, it's best to say no.
Another thing to be mindful of is purchasing souvenirs that are mass-produced and sold at tourist traps. It’s often hard to say no if you come across a persistent salesperson but there’s always an alternative to support local artisans and buy souvenirs that are handmade and unique.
GET OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
With a little bit of research and the help of a trusted Travel Agent, you will often find that the most interesting and beautiful places can be discovered outside of the major tourist zones, away from the mass crowds in lesser visited communities. There is almost always a better alternative!
I recently visited Haarlem in Netherlands as an alternative to Amsterdam. I also visited Tarragona in Spain as a great alternative to Barcelona. Both of these cities are smaller, offering a more authentic travel experience but with all the same unique culture and historical aspects to discover along with a much more local vibe. Both can be reached by rail too!
BE AWARE OF YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
There are a number of things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint such as choosing more sustainable transportation options. Can you take a train instead of a plane? Can you walk for 20 minutes instead of taking a 5 minute taxi? Can you join a cycling tour instead of hopping on the City bus to see the local sights? Can you hire an electric car?
Another thing to consider is travelling for longer – doing and seeing more in one trip instead of taking multiple trips is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. For example, Greek island hopping; visiting 2 or 3 islands in one trip and travelling between them by boat means you can experience more in one longer trip with only two flights instead of flying on separate occasions to each island and back. Or a multi-centre stay in Italy where you fly into one airport and home from another whilst navigating around the country to your various accommodation locations by train. This is a fantastic way to see Rome, Puglia, and Naples in one trip instead of taking three separate ones.
BE MINDFUL OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Some great ways to reduce your plastic consumption when travelling include packing your own refillable water bottle and coffee mug. Also, bringing a reusable shopping bag with you.
Choosing accommodation with green credentials that promote their focus on sustainability will ensure that your hotel is also thinking about the environment and making steps to reduce waste, support local food producers, implement recycling processes and energy saving solutions.
Get in touch to talk more about planning and booking your next holiday or for more inspiration on ways to make a positive impact on the planet next time you travel.