Helpful Tips On Choosing Sustainable Travel
Sustainable Travel / Image: Angela Benito
Guest writer - CheChe Winnie of Sustainable Living & Wildlife Conservation Blog gives you her handy hints and helpful tips on choosing sustainable tourism when travelling.
CheChe Winnie is not just an activist but is on a mission to help people fall in love with our planet and encourage people to protect it.
Climate change, conservation and environmental matters are subjects she is passionate about and ready to discuss at any given moment. She stands proud in urging and educating people to promote conservation and climate change awareness. In this weeks guest post, CheChe shares her knowledge on sustainable and eco-friendly travel.
With so many tour companies across the globe, it’s hard to depict the good from the bad. More and more people are looking to travel sustainably and the demand has never been greater. However, if you’re not a novice at traveling - you could get trapped with companies using green buzzwords and statements that are far from the truth. Believe it or not, travelling eco-friendly and sustainably doesn’t need to be expensive. In actual fact - most of you are doing it without even thinking about it.
Climate change is real. We are the generation that can make a change and it’s up to us to do something about it. All it takes is individual efforts, especially something so simple as travelling sustainably. Wildlife and our planet deserve to be protected. They play a key role in the biodiversity of our ecosystem. Local communities have been co-existing with our wildlife and sustainable practices will aid the process.
With these helpful tips, you’ll be on your way to feeling great about traveling sustainably and truly helping the planet.
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Sustainable Travel / Image: Vivek Doshi
How do I choose a good Ecotourism Company?
Adventures are there to take a break from the day-to-day work life. They help us to take a breather, enjoy a change of scenery and connect with nature or a city of our choice. Whether you choose to take a vacation on safari, by the beach or enjoying different continental cities - it’s always refreshing to break from the norm.
Sustainable Travel / Image: John Mcarthur
When it comes to adventures - travellers tend to take their vacations very seriously! For those that are lucky enough to travel the globe, they have endless choices on a variety of tour companies which can be confusing and overwhelming. I have provided some helpful tips on choosing a good ecotourism company to travel with:
Green buzzwords don’t always tell an accurate story. Many companies try to get in on the trend by labelling their adventures as “green” or “eco-friendly” when their practices don’t actually match up. Make sure you call the tour company and ask the relevant questions on what they are doing to make their adventures eco-friendly.
Check out your company’s reputation and reviews.
If your adventure involves an animal sanctuary or an environment in which you can ‘walk-with’ or take pictures with wild animals, it is highly inadvisable to book with companies that use wild animals as entertainment. Any adventure that advertises a chance to interact with wild animals in this way, is not being responsible or eco-friendly.
Make sure your accommodations are environmentally responsible and sensitive to the local community.
Find out how the tour company gives back to the local community and contributes to surrounding wildlife conservation. If that’s through donating a portion of their profits or hiring locals to help empower the community - make sure to find out how they support the region in which they travel.
Sustainable Travel / Image: Radoslav Bali
What are the qualities of a good tour operator?
Credibility, reputation and reviews are all great qualities for a reputable tour operator. Tour companies are in huge numbers across the globe so searching for the right ones can be somewhat difficult. To be able to trust the tour company is essential when booking your adventure, especially if you are travelling on safari or to a foreign land. It’s extremely important to do enough research in all required fields.
Tour firm registrations and addresses are really important. Make sure to check for those when opting for your desired adventure company too. You are investing a lot of money when you travel and so you want to make sure your money is going to a company you can fully trust.
Knowledge of the tour area is also key. The ability to communicate efficiently and within a time sensitive manner. You ideally want to look for a company who clearly states their terms and conditions, provide a detailed itinerary as well as cancellation policy. Their guides must be fully trained and carry the correct licenses too. Get in touch with one of BornWild’s Travel Advisors to find out more about choosing a good tour operator.
What is sustainable tourism?
Climate change and wildlife conservation continue to remind us of the importance of sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism promotes the benefits of local communities, economic, wildlife conservation and cultural environments of the area in which the adventure takes place.
Sustainable Travel / Image: Syed Ahmed
How can you contribute to sustainable tourism?
Here are some ways you can contribute to sustainable tourism:
If you are opting to volunteer, make sure its with reputable and accredited orphanage centres or wildlife sanctuaries.
Do not increase the demand of wildlife products such as fur, skins and ivory by buying such items.
Use local community tour guides. Ask your tour operator where they source their guides from.
Invest in wildlife conservation by supporting and donating to accredited organisations that are doing good for wildlife.
Respect the local people, cultures, and wildlife by adhering to their cultures, space and way of life.
Is Eco Tourism Cheap?
Vacations and safaris don’t have to be expensive. Green tourism is in fact quite affordable and a great way to enjoy travel, as well as feeling good that your money is going to help the region in which you are traveling to. If you are traveling on a budget - you may already be traveling more eco friendly than you thought. There are also some great safari packages that allow you to exchange your services for accommodation or food too.
Sustainable Travel / Image: David Alfons
CheChe’s Conclusion:
“Vacations and Safaris are there to have fun, watch wildlife and to appreciate the wonders of the world. Enjoy them fully but ensure you promote nature, wildlife and local communities’ conservation whilst you travel.
Only carry memories, photos and gifts that don’t harm any life forms or wild animals. Be respectful to people’s cultural practices and beliefs too and you’ll not only have an amazing time but feel great too!”
AFRICAN LION SAFARI
Discover An African Safari With A Unique Perspective.
We have developed one of the most extraordinary experience that bridges Lion Conservation with adventure travel.
