Eco hostels are springing up everywhere, which is perfect if you’re after the fun and friendliness of budget travel as well as keeping your eco-conscience clean on holiday. Travel has huge impact on the environment (think about the carbon footprint… Read More »A greener way to travel
I’m completely enchanted by Makazi’s Guesthouse. It’s built out of sandbags, and is kitted out with solar heating, composting toilets and recycled furniture. The house has been beautifully decorated (inside and out) and all profit made is used to fund… Read More »Makazi’s Guesthouse: sisonke singenza amahluko
Ever wondered what the future of green looks like? Insider Trends has, and it’s set up an event to find out the answer. It’s called ‘Interesting Things For Interesting People: The Future of Green’, and it’ll be a fast, furious… Read More »Find out the Future of Green from those in the know
Are you one of those people who would prefer not to have a car but aren’t quite sure how life would work without one? Or maybe you’re just dreaming of ways to be greener but don’t have a clue how… Read More »Book giveaway: Do Humans Dream of Electric Cars?
The ETA are offering travel insurance with a 25% discount if you don’t fly to your destination. That’s right, get there some other way (take a boat, a train or your own vehicle) and you can save. If you need… Read More »Save 25% off your travel insurance by not flying
A flashmob to protest against the expansion of Heathrow, Manchester and all UK airports is being called to coincide with the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. It also marks the launch of the newly-formed Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport group… Read More »Flashmob against airport expansion
The festival and camping season is on the horizon and to help you stay green through your outdoorsy adventures in 2008, Ecotopia have launched the Eco Festival Pack. With this pack, you’ll be able to considerably reduce your carbon footprint… Read More »Win a green festival kit for the summer
Photo by PJBert_2332 The National Caravan Council have launched a green caravanning website to encourange caravanners to go green, and to encourage non-caravanners to look at caravanning as a relatively low-emissions way of enjoying a UK or European holiday. The… Read More »Go green, go caravanning
This blog post was written by Stephen Knight, webmaster for Volunteer Latin America, an independent and ethical organisation committed to helping protect Latin America’s flora and fauna, its biodiversity, and to offering the most cost effective way to become an environmental or humanitarian volunteer in Central and South America.
Whether you are planning the trip of a lifetime, a gap year abroad or just a holiday break, you can make a difference when you travel, not only for yourself but for the people and places you visit.
Being a responsible traveller means more than just offsetting your carbon emissions, it requires thought and preparation. Responsible travel is based on the principles of sustainability and it requires you to examine the environmental, social and economic dimensions of your trip. Thus, responsible travel is all about minimizing the impact of your travel and maximizing the benefits for local economies, environments and host communities.
Making informed choices before and during your trip is the single most important thing you can do to become a responsible traveller.
Give some serious thought to your packing list. Your hi-tech synthetic travel jacket might keep you snug, but is it also warming up the planet or exploiting the people you plan to visit? Your soap and shampoo may smell wonderful but are they biodegradable? Try and ensure your backpack contains as many ethical products as possible (i.e. environmentally-friendly, fair-trade, not tested on animals etc).
Travel lightly and leave any excess packaging at home (i.e. plastic wrapping) – your hosts shouldn’t have to deal with your rubbish.
Read More »Tips for travelling responsibly