Best practices to reduce negative impacts and feel good about our way of traveling.
Travel is our safe haven when we need a break, our diversionary tactic, our space to dream and fulfil ourselves. And while we take all these benefits from it, the impact and responsibilities tied to it tend to become secondary. But the truth is, whether we like it or not, traveling is often harmful to local culture and nature. Certain destinations are even being ruined by it.
All these challenges won’t stop us from going places. Instead, they should remind us to regularly re-evaluate our practices and do our best to be responsible and respectful travelers. What’s in for us is the possibility to travel with a clear conscience, live more meaningful experiences and learn from them.
You may have gone through many responsible tourism guides and lists of useful hints. I hope mine gives you some new insights and ideas and inspires you to adopt another perspective on a few things.
Leave no trace
You must have heard it before: Please don’t leave anything behind when traveling. Ok, we get it! And this is probably nothing new to you. Or is it? The critical part here is to take it seriously. Leave no trace means leave NO trace.
That includes even seemingly harmless practices like piling up stones. Did you know how much wildlife depends on natural stone and rock formations as their shelter? Building rock piles is an external, unnatural influence on ecosystems. Of course, a single one won’t make much of a difference. But the sentence “imagine everyone did this” applies very well in this case. If a hundred people build just one pile each, wildlife shelter options will decrease significantly.
Leaving fruit peels in nature is another seemingly harmless habit. It’s natural tissue and will decompose, so it’s fine, right? Well, not quite. It’s natural, yes. But think about whether or not it’s local to the area, and the perspective changes already. Going for a hike in the Alps, for example, it’s doubtful that you’ll come across a monkey that just ate a banana and threw away its peel. Just because it’s a natural product, it doesn’t necessarily belong to the local ecosystem. Decomposing bananas or mandarins (a process that can take more than a year) will alter soil composition by introducing non-native substances. They can also attract wildlife and influence their foraging behavior.
These examples show that just because we can’t logically associate any negative impacts with certain practices, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Nature is smarter than us. We need to learn from it, not the other way around. Hence, try to reduce your impact on nature as much as possible, and enjoy experiencing its untouched beauty.
Pick up trash
As much as it’s important to leave no trace, you can do good by erasing the ones already left. It can feel weirdly empowering to bring a trash bag and pick up a few things on your way. It’s a very easy but effective thing to do, and it gives you the great feeling that ‘you are the good thing’!
If you want to engage in official cleanup events, you can check if there’s a local Trash Hero chapter in your region, for example. Trash Hero is an NGO organizing clean-up events all over the world. Simply show up to the next one closest to you and join the global movement.
To combine the good deed with your travel experience, you might even attend a cleanup event on your next journey. Trash Hero, for its part, operates in a few cities in Europe and has many local chapters across Southeast Asia, for example. It must be a great way to get in touch with the locals, support them in cleaning up their neighborhoods, and exchange ideas.
In a brighter future where people collectively stop leaving any leftovers in nature, all of this won’t be necessary anymore. Let’s do our best to build such a future, so all the trash heroes can use their energy for further projects.
Take bans seriously
No camping in protected areas, no-drone zones, staying on the trails; such regulations accompany our journeys to nature destinations. Bans are increasingly frequent, and they limit our freedom. This is a complicated situation for many, as freedom is precisely what we seek when wandering the planet.
It is clear that people sometimes find it difficult to follow these rules, as boundaries are regularly crossed. Interestingly, this can also include people who feel closely connected to nature, for example, when they seek unique camping experiences or aim to capture striking landscapes with a drone to share their perspective with others. There still seems to be a belief that individual impact is minimal, that it’s just this one exception, one will leave no trace, and act responsibly.
However, regulations are generally introduced for specific reasons, including the cumulative effect of many small individual actions. Their aim isn’t to impair our experience, but to give nature a break. And we need it to take this break, lest we lose it entirely and be unable to enjoy outdoor experiences at all.
One possible way to look at this is to value the idea that certain places belong solely to nature. There is something meaningful in passing a protected area and knowing that no humans ever access this place. By taking on this perspective, following the rules can become easier. Of course, it makes total freedom impossible, but in return, we get the certainty that nature can thrive. And knowing that is a beautiful feeling.
Shop responsibly
Doing good often goes hand in hand with limiting our consumption, sometimes to our regret. However, you can certainly do good by consuming the right kind of products. This is something I wasn’t always aware of and had to learn step by step.
My aunt loves decorations and all kinds of knick-knacks for her bookshelves or garden. I, for my part, used to be a super strict non-consumer: the less the better! Until I started joining her on her shopping tours, which led us to small shops with sustainable products and cute local markets.
She would be blown away by the number of trinkets made by hand and with love. When wanting to buy yet another thing she found, she would say, “Ah, I already bought so much stuff today that nobody really needs. But at least, by buying this too, I will support the lovely local vendor and her good cause.” Thinking more about her words, I realized the difference she was making by shopping responsibly.
Nowadays, my aunt works voluntarily in a global fair-trade store. Whenever she makes me a present, it’s a bag full of well-thought-out (mostly edible) products from artisans and crafters from around the globe. Each bag supports these people and their livelihoods back home.
When we travel, we should take a page from this approach. Try supporting local vendors on one of your journeys, go to the local coffee shop instead of Starbucks or buy from young startups working towards circular economy. Even if their products are imperfect, it’s essential to support them, thus boosting further innovation and taking small steps towards a greener future.
Citizen science
Have you ever visited a place so precious that a strong will to contribute to its preservation invaded you? That you wanted to do everything in your power to protect this place and its people? In the difficult times we’re facing, I’ve struggled with the feeling that our hands are tied. The solutions to present-day problems lie partly in our responsibility, but the other, enormous part is the responsibility of our elected officials.
The good news is that there are ways of taking concrete action directly from home. So-called “citizen science” is a concept that gives us civilians the chance to participate actively in science. The idea is simple: scientists collect loads of data in their respective research fields. But they often lack the time to analyze the amount of data they have. This is where we come into play.
Citizen science gives us access to data and guidance to support the evaluation process. The importance of this opportunity is enormous. Research is the first step in any nature conservation program. We cannot act if we don’t know what we are doing. Hence, increasing the number of findings is crucial to protecting planet Earth.
So far, my favorite example of Citizen Science is the Zooniverse Platform. Personally, I’ve chosen a project where you count iguanas on drone recordings from the Galapagos Islands. Plenty of other projects are available, though. You go through a few explanatory steps, and then you’re ready to start.
The Zooniverse is a good possibility to take concrete action in a simple way. For those wishing to do more hands-on jobs, you support science directly in the field. More and more projects integrating civilians are being initiated. In Switzerland, for example, I know about an opportunity to visit various water sources in the Alps, analyze them, and submit the data.
Lastly, you can also integrate citizen science into your next travel itinerary. Rainforest Expeditions, located in the Peruvian Amazon, offers insights into its science programs and lets you actively participate in the process on-site. This is a unique and meaningful way of visiting new places, supporting conservation projects, and collecting long-lasting memories.
(Please be aware that you will never have a net positive impact on a destination by participating in citizen science on-site if you fly to the destination, unless you stay there for an extended period. Your flight emissions will outweigh the positive effect of supporting a conservation project. Working with online science platforms from home, your CO2 footprint will be significantly lower. Nevertheless, if you plan on visiting a destination in any case, such scientific programs are a good option for giving back to the destination. If you want to make a greater effort to balance out some of the negative effects of your flight, financial support will be the only truly effective solution. Through Wilderness International, you can buy land in the Peruvian Amazon, placing it under strict protection in the long run.)
Like, share, comment
Being a responsible traveler might be mainly, but not only, about our behavior during the journey. An essential part of what we can do is use our digital footprint. Insta, TikTok, and co. can be annoying and frustrating. Understandably, many people are trying to reduce their use of it. If you don’t use any of these applications, I am not inviting you to start doing so. Enjoy your freedom!
However, for those of us using them, let’s not forget about their reach and the positive impact they can create on subjects like nature conservation, responsible practices, community events and more. The socials have a massive potential in this matter, which every one of us can easily grasp.
So, if you want to do something straightforward while lying in bed and eating chips, follow the conservationists and pioneers out there, like their posts, and share their messages in your story. Sign their petitions and motivate others to do the same. Boost their reach and become part of this great community. The more members we have, the louder we are heard and the further our message spreads. Welcome to the club!
Homestay experiences
In former times, traveling meant exploring and living adventures in unknown places. Nowadays, it has become so well structured and organized that it is more of a product we consume, knowing exactly what we’ll get. Consequently, travelers and locals have moved apart to such an extent that interactions are now rare.
To many people, this is an unwanted development. We accept it, knowing that it has become more difficult to travel outside of the scale of organized itineraries and activities. Yet, if we could, we would probably like to return to a time when traveling was more authentic and rewarding.
A great way to take this step back is to stay in homestays. They offer the opportunity to stay with local families who actively seek to welcome guests. Especially those in rural or remote regions enable us to explore countries “off-the-beaten-path” while learning about local culture. At the same time, they are a good opportunity to give back to the destination, as our money goes directly to local people rather than to big companies or hotel chains.
In my article ‘Homestay experience in rural Malaysia‘, I give insights into my visit to Lenggong, in Northern Malaysia, where I stayed at a homestay and met lots of people from the local community. Have a look at it to find out more about homestays and community tourism, and how such an experience will make your journey much more meaningful.
Travel with an open mind
What I believe is most important is going through the world with open eyes and an open mind. I advocate for providers to educate travelers about their visited destinations and for travelers to inform themselves before going somewhere. Because only informed people can make informed decisions.
Understandably, we shy away from getting too involved in the problems and opportunities of the destinations we visit. Knowing too much could complicate our journey, as there are possible discrepancies between fulfilling our dearest travel wishes and wanting to be a responsible tourist. We don’t like feeling guilty about our decisions, and the easy way out would be to ignore the facts.
Nonetheless, being informed is not about boycotting all types of activities because they have negative aspects. Everything we do has its good and bad sides. It’s more about being able to evaluate the situation, choosing the way of traveling that is right for us, and understanding if there are ways of adapting to be more responsible. Ultimately, this will enable us to enjoy the destination with peace of mind, have more meaningful experiences and reduce negative impacts.
(Note: I’m not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned – this mention is entirely unpaid and independent.)