5 ways in which travelers have the power to make a difference
When I tell people I’m passionate about ethical travel and that being a sustainable travel advisor is what I do for a living, the topic usually gets narrowed down right away to the question of “to fly or not to fly”.
It’s an important concern and I’m glad that more and more people are becoming aware of this issue and are voicing their concerns about the carbon emissions of the airline industry and their negative impact on climate change.
However, by automatically connecting travel with air traffic, many other options get lost in the discussion. The aviation industry contributes about 2 to 3 percent to global warming. Even though that’s not a very large number, air traffic is expanding and will continue to expand at a rapid rate globally.
Travelers can’t singularly solve the air traffic problem
The responsibility to tackle this problem lies not solely with individual travelers, but also with governments and the industry itself. For example, the absence of a fair tax system on kerosene and flight tickets are among those issues, a leaked study by the European Commission states. The search for more sustainable fuel is another challenge the industry faces.
More and more travelers take measures to narrow down the number of flights they take or replace some flights with other means of transportation like trains or cars. But as said above, individual consumers can’t solve the challenges the aviation industry faces.
Unfortunately, in public debates, this responsibility is often passed on to travelers nevertheless. This burden creates a sense of guilt among — especially conscious — travelers and many feel like the only way to justify the trips they go on is by avoiding the talk about the flights they need to take to reach their destinations.
Travelers can have a positive impact on their trips in so many ways and they deserve to know more about this.
A missed opportunity to educate travelers
Because of the narrow focus on the problems of travel, the opportunity to inform and even educate travelers about the various ways they still hold the power to have a positive impact when they travel gets lost.
In line with my personal attitude towards life, I want to look at the future of travel in the same way: by equally focusing on solutions and challenges.
Of course, the problems are urgent and need to be solved. But in the meantime, we might encourage travelers to look at the bright side too. They can have a positive impact on their trips in so many ways and they deserve to know more about this.
I’m convinced that when people are informed well, feel involved and can make a difference, they are much more likely to take inspired action and make these conscious decisions about future trips.
5 ways travelers hold the power to make a sustainable impact
Let’s shed some light on the various ways that travelers can have a positive impact on the environment and the local community they travel to. This is not hard, it’s only about making the right conscious decisions.
Sustainable tourism can return up to 95% of revenues to the local community. That’s quite a contrast with the 20% from “standard all-inclusive package tours”. So let’s have a look at how travelers can achieve this impact.
1. Support the local economy
If we want revenues to return to the local economy, it’s not only essential to stay in ethical accommodation but also to eat and to shop locally. Ask for recommendations on family-owned restaurants or cafes on your destination.
If you want to make sure you are paying the right prices to the right person for your souvenirs, try to go to the artisan’s workplace where you can buy direct from the source. This also helps to make sure you are not buying anything that is made — on an assembly line — in China.
And isn’t it more impressive to see the artist in his or her actual workplace while they might even create their next artwork? This can be an experience on its own.
2. Choose your destination wisely
By now, we’ve all become familiar with the disastrous effects over tourism can have on a destination, its ecosystem and the local communities. Your wish list of countries you plan to visit in the (near) future is probably long, and you’re not the only one.
As more and more people travel, it’s getting easier and easier to think that soon there will be no remote destinations left to dream off.
Fortunately, the opposite is true. It’s fairly easy to go off-the-beaten-track in popular countries or to try a remote and, as a result, fairly unknown, country instead.
If you need some inspiration, then have a look at this list the least visited countries that The United Nations World Tourism Organization compiled.
3. Choose accommodation that supports social or ecological causes
You can hit two goals at the same time: supporting a great cause while enjoying your holiday. Imagine this: simply by staying at a wonderful location that cares for the environment and the community, you support their work through your financial support.
On the other hand, it’s important to be aware of greenwashing. Many places say they are ‘eco-friendly’ because sustainability becomes more and more popular among travelers. Therefore, it’s good to check if your preferred accommodation is certified for its sustainable efforts by an independent organization like Travelife.
If they are not certified — for example, because it’s a tiny place or certification schemes are absent in this specific country — you can look at specific characteristics to help you recognize sustainable accommodation, like:
- Local ownership or native staff from surrounding communities
- Use of alternative or renewable energy sources
- Implementation of grey water recycling methods (which includes all household wastewater without faecal contamination)
- Organically grown and locally harvested foods
- Deep involvement in nature and/or wildlife conservation efforts
- Support or empowerment of the surrounding community
4. Book activities or tours that support communities and nature
When you travel somewhere, you obviously want to make the most of your time on location regardless of whether that means spending time in the city or in nature. And you might have seen this one coming already, but many popular outdoor tourism activities are disrupting the natural environment or endangering animal life.
And, when we look at for example the context of Kilimanjaro, even the porters who guide you on your climb to the top, are not always treated respectfully.
Therefore, with a conscious approach, enjoying local activities can be so much more authentic for you and “good for the people and good for the planet”. The options are limitless, and so can be the impact and the revenue that goes back to the local community.
Make sure you book activities with organizations that treat their employees with respect by giving them proper training, equipment and fair wages. With Kilimanjaro, I recommend that you only book climbs with KPAP partners. This independent organization screens climbing companies on their ethical practices.
Besides paying attention to the organization you book activities with, opt for nature-supporting activities rather than nature-disrupting ones to protect and preserve unique and vulnerable ecosystems.
Some examples of nature-supporting activities are:
- Hiking
- Sailing
- Horseback riding
- Ziplining and canopy trekkings
- Responsible interaction with (wild) animals in an ethical conservation
- Responsible wildlife watching with trained guides
5. Adopt sustainable travel habits
I saved the easiest step to implement until the end: bring a reusable drink bottle everywhere you go instead of buying a new water bottle every time you use another one.
Reduce the amount of plastic you use. Depending on where you travel to, be mindful of the pressure some developing countries face who have no, or a limited, waste collection system. They burn most of the plastic trash. What’s left ends up in nature or in the ocean.
By the same token: bring your own coffee cup and try to avoid single-use plastics like straws or coffee spoons.
And as a general rule: don’t litter, someone else will have to pick it up after you. Set the example and encourage other travelers to keep the stakes high.
How Fair Voyage helps travelers having a positive impact
As a neutral platform, Fair Voyage is an intermediary that brings together conscious travelers and verified ethical tour operators and accommodations.
As all offers on the platform are screened and only allowed when they adhere to strict ethical and environmental practices, travelers know for sure that the accommodation and activities they book are ethical and responsible with a positive impact on people and the planet.
Fair Voyage goes even further, as they offer both high-end luxurious packages and more affordable tours. This allows all types of travelers to make use of the platform. Regardless of your financial situation or preference, by booking your next holiday through Fair Voyage, you are assured that you’ll have a positive impact on the communities and environments you’ll visit.
So, next time you end up in a conversation about sustainable travel and everyone is squabbling about the pros and cons of flying, try bringing up the above ways of having an impact too.
