Being a responsible traveller is easy, don’t let the big words scare you. The textbook definition is being socially, economically and environmentally aware when you travel.
As an offshoot of eco-tourism, it’s basically understanding how your actions can impact a destination and strive to ensure this impact is a positive one.
Travel and tourism can boost local economies and if done sustainably, can even help preserve indigenous ecosystems and cultures.
The term responsible travel refers to travel that inspires and fuels sustainable tourism practices.
Here are 10 expert tips to help you become a responsible traveller this year.
Minimise your eco-footprint
Stay away from plastic material and non-recyclables. For an eco-friendly holiday kit, pack along a bamboo straw, reusable coffee cup and water bottle to reuse to your heart’s content.
The use of some non-recyclables might be unavoidable, but with just those three items you’ll have a cleaner eco-footprint and reduce your non-reusable waste footprint.
Explore closer to home
Travelling in and around your continent can reduce air mileage and as a result the carbon emissions of that trip.
Guests travelling from within the continent tend to want to stay for longer and can do so because of the reduced travel time and expense.
This translates to extra downtime and the freedom to explore more of the attractions within the area.
Accommodation that works with the surrounding communities
Aside from being an opportunity to relax and recharge, travel is a means of discovering and showing appreciation for new cultures.
Look out for cultural villages or cultural tours facilitated by local culture experts such as the Kruger Cultural Village which showcases Swati, Ndebele, Shangaan and Zulu cultural heritage not far from the Kruger National Park’s Kruger Gate Hotel.
Eat local produce
By choosing to eat local produce and goods, you might give a boost to the area’s agricultural sector. Locally produced honey, indigenous foods and fruits and vegetables are great items to consider enjoying during your travels.
Look out for foods that are not imported and opt for meal times at local restaurants or snacks purchased from roadside vendors over store-bought goods.
Conservation activities
Most travellers look forward to interacting with indigenous wildlife for a new and exciting experience in a new area. However, not all animal facilities are conservation centred.
According to Yusuf Jinoo, Head Concierge at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront in Cape Town, ask your hotel concierge for the parks and wildlife centres that work to conserve the area’s wildlife and have them assist you in booking experiences that will fuel the growth of these facilities.
Volunteering
In some areas, sustainable projects like Cape Town’s Oranjezicht City Farms Project allow travellers to sign up for mid-week volunteer days. Volunteer activities can also include donating to local charities, reading stories to schoolchildren, sandwich-making for local schools or organisations or helping to plant indigenous trees in and around the city.
Choosing a hotel group that is dedicated to reducing their carbon footprint
By choosing to have your stay at an accommodation that is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint, you’re automatically embarking on a more responsible travel journey.
The Radisson Hotel Group advises looking out for vacation spots that use renewable energy, promote recycling and actively contribute to water conservation. The group itself is also dedicated to being net zero by 2050.
Buy sustainable
If you are not able to take local food and produce home with you, consider shopping for clothes, and arts and crafts made in the city you’re travelling within. Many goods produced within South Africa for example, carry a proudly South African label. This means that local manufacturers are supported instead of large-scale mass-produced or imported manufacturers.
Help educate friends and family
If you’ve decided to embark on a journey centred around responsible travel, be sure to let friends and family know about it. After learning about the benefits of concepts like eating local, lowering personal carbon footprints and supporting conservation, talk to those around you to tell them all about it.
Be respectful and kind
By being kind and respectful of the area you visit and its people, we might elicit a willingness or curiosity for others to visit the area you come from among those you meet along the way.
So wherever you travel this year, be sure to learn a few phrases like please, hello, goodbye and thank you in the local language and teach others how to say the same when they visit your city.