How to Travel Responsibly

With more and more people jetting off to foreign lands every day, there is an urgent need for people to be mindful when they travel. This means doing your bit to minimise the impact you have on the environment and the countries to which you travel. Of course, you do not need to stop travelling altogether, but there are ways to make sure that you travel responsibly. If you are ready to step up your travel game and be the ultimate responsible traveller, here is a list of ways you help the cause.

Stop Using Plastic

The hot topic in the environmental world is single use plastic. I’m talking plastic straws, cutlery, bags, even tampon applicators. Anything that is made of plastic and gets thrown away straight after being used. If you can find alternatives, such as paper straws and reusable bags you will make a huge difference. So much of the plastic we use ends up in the sea and is swallowed by our precious marine life. Let’s keep our sea creatures alive by scrapping single use plastic altogether.

Choose an Eco-Friendly Hotel

It is becoming increasingly common to find eco-friendly hotels and lodges scattered throughout the world. These accommodations make sure that the way they operate leaves their carbon footprint as small as possible. There are some that even manage to be carbon neutral. Collecting rainwater, using locally sourced produce, and generating power with solar panels are all things you should look for to see whether the hotel is eco-friendly or not.

Limit Your Flying

Flying is often unavoidable when it comes to travelling to your vacation destination. However, there are still ways you can fly responsibly. If possible, fly direct as this means you only take one flight as opposed to two or even three. If there is no possibility of a direct flight, you could donate money to a carbon mitigation program afterward to offset your carbon footprint.

Avoid Animal Cruelty Activities

You know all those photos of people riding elephants and playing with tigers? Often these projects are scams and rather than the sanctuaries they make out to be, they are little more than torturous prisons. Animals are maltreated to the point of exhaustion or even death just so you can have nice Instagram snaps. Say no to riding elephants or anything that involves direct contact with animals in captivity.

Buy Local

There are always opportunities when you travel to buy locally. Not only does this give you fantastic local products, be it food, clothes or souvenirs, but you will be putting money straight into the hands of local people. It is tempting to hand over money to corporations you already know and feel comfortable with, but ask yourself: who needs it more?

Do Not Give Money to Street Children

I really cannot stress this enough. Children are hard to say no to and trafficking gangs know this. Too many children have been bought by gangs and forced to work in the streets begging for money. If you give them money, you perpetuate this cycle. If no-one gave money to child beggars, the traffickers would have to change tactics. If you have snacks or juice on you then this is a much better thing to hand over.