Responsible Travel: If you travel for leisure, is it really possible to do it more responsibly?
The short answer is no.
There are a few travel habits we have adopted to reduce our negative impact on the places we visit. We know we can’t eliminate our impact, especially when we fly to a destination. Taking direct flights and staying longer when we fly are two small changes we have made when booking travel destinations. We also consider our mode of transport, and select ways to support the local economy once we’ve arrived.
Transportation Options
The slower the mode of transport, the more sustainable it is likely to be. We do our best to limit our flights. For example, we choose to take trains between places even when a flight would be quicker or cheaper. We also choose to take commuter trains, ferries and buses (over taxis). We aim to use walking as our mode of transport. By choosing to stay in the historic neighbourhoods, we avoid additional commuting costs. We always choose a walking tour over a hop-on bus tour. Once we arrive in a place, we do our best to minimize our carbon footprint by choosing surface transport.
Support the Local Economy
Stay Local
Once we arrive at our destination, we select locally run hotels for our stays. We know that supporting small independent hotels helps to keep our tourist dollars in the community. We noticed many sustainable practices in Puerto Ayora hotels while in the Galapagos. These Islands have many rules to support local ownership, and this has minimized international chains. We could see the positive impact on the community because our hotel managers and tour guides were knowledgeable, lived locally and proudly ran businesses. The Galapagos Conservancy does an excellent job with a variety of educational practices on rewilding, conservation, and sustainability that are embedded into the daily lives of residents and tourists. Many hotelliers in the European Union do an excellent job of minimizing plastic/waste as part of their conservation goals.
Dine in a locally run establishment
We always seek out locally run restaurants and markets when we visit places. The smaller the place, the better! We enjoy the unique food, which is usually fresher than the “heat and eat” places we have at home. Often, we are surprised by our orders because of our limited language skills! Our visit is often met with appreciation from the owners!
Book Walking Tours
When we first arrive in a new city, we book a free walking tour through GuruWalk because the tour guides are residents. When we tip them after the tour, we know we have directly impacted the local economy. We have always experienced excellent tour guides who are proud to show us their city and share their perspective as residents.
Research Wildlife Viewing Tours
One of our favourite activities to experience is whale watching. Every country manages its regulations differently. Some countries do a better job of protecting habitats than others. Even within Canada, there are variations in the way tour boats can observe mammals. When I lived in New Zealand, there were very strict rules about how you could attract or visit seals, dolphins, or whales. In some countries, there are fewer regulations, and we try to avoid tours in those areas.
As we travel to different locations, we have begun to recognize the countries that are doing a better job at protecting their wildlife and their endemic plants.
Our trip to the Galapagos was by far the best example of sustainable practices we have experienced as tourists. Read about our trip here: The Galapagos Islands- Remarkable Wildlife at Every Turn
Occasionally, we have fallen victim to a less-than-ideal wildlife experience. We try to learn from them. We do our best to select tours that use sustainable practices when possible. We read a lot of reviews and get local recommendations to find the family-run businesses with great reputations before we commit our dollars. When we take the time to research, we are more successful at finding great experiences that don’t negatively impact the wildlife.
Sustainable Travel Habits We Have Adopted
We are trying to make more responsible choices when we travel. We do more research to find appropriate places and activities before we leave home than we did a few years ago. Experiencing places where the wildlife thrives has been a great motivator to apply more sustainable practices to our future travel plans.
We try to incorporate these habits into our travel plans:
- Reduce the number of flights we take to minimize time in the air
- Pack light (carry-on only) with refillable toiletries, water bottles, and used clothing
- Choose public transit over private transfers
- Book locally owned accommodations
- Find family-run dining establishments
- book local guides with GuruWalk
What are your travel hacks that make your travels a bit more responsible?
What ways can you support the local economy as a tourist?
I took my first flight at 6 months of age and I have continued to plan trips and travel to more than 50 countries. Now as a middle age traveler we have learned some travel hacks and budget saving ideas that we are happy to share. Follow our posts for ideas and tips to stretch your travel budget in your gogo years!
