How to Be a More Responsible Traveller

To strive, the travel industry needs to be more sustainable & responsible.

Raising awareness with travellers of their social, environmental and economic impact is something that Satopia Travel believes that the Travel and Tourism Industry has a responsibility to actively tackle, by educating people how to travel responsibly and make more informed decisions to better care of the planet in the process.

“It’s fantastic to see the launch of Travalyst as an initiative to bring together some of the world’s leading travel companies such as Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Visa to develop industry practices, consumer choices, and community-facing initiatives on topics including protecting wildlife, tackling climate change and alleviating over-tourism.

“We also believe it is time for the industry to take responsibility for the negative impact that over-tourism can have on local communities, environmental damage, and the impact on wildlife. Travel has the power to unite humanity in a common goal of protecting our planet and enjoying the beauty and depth of experiences that it provides” says Emma Ponsonby, CEO, Satopia Travel

As more regions and countries develop their tourism industries, a significant growing impact looms on natural resources, consumption patterns, pollution and social systems. The need for sustainable, responsible planning and management is imperative for the travel industry to thrive as a whole.

Image credit: Supplied

Here Are 7 Simple Ways That You Can Be a Responsible Traveller

1. Choose Eco-Friendly Hotels. Eco-friendly hotels are a great choice. Hotels have some of the greatest impact in terms of energy use, food choice and waste disposal. There are a growing number of eco-friendly and community focused hotels and resorts popping up around the world, and an increasing number of hotels are adopting things like ‘no single-use plastics’. COMO Hotels & Resorts take a local approach with their commitment to reducing consumption and sourcing locally and sustainably. If you find yourself staying in a hotel that uses things like plastic straws or non-recyclable toiletries, make a request to the manager or leave your feedback for the hotel to consider adopting a more eco-friendly approach.

 2. Eat Local. One of the many benefits of travelling the world is the opportunity to experience the local cuisine, by eating in locally owned restaurants, where not only you are supporting the local community, but also you’re also getting a real taste of your destination. The Tree Alliance is an NGO in Cambodia that supports a group of training restaurants providing high quality service and food, and most importantly, social businesses with an ultimate goal of providing young people, many of them former street youth, with the culinary training skills they need to become the future chefs of Cambodia.

3. Switch it Off. Have you ever noticed those “green tags” in your hotel room? When it comes to what’s better for the environment, there’s no doubt that switching off lights, TVs, unplugging all chargers before leaving the room and avoiding having long showers all make a difference when you travel, as they do when you’re at home. We all know that using the same hotel towel throughout your stay is the right choice as well. Laundry generally accounts for energy use, wastewater, non-biodegradable detergents, and are around 16% of a hotel’s water consumption, according to Circle of Blue, which reports on water issues around the world.

4. Avoid Single-Use Plastic. Almost 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually — half of which are single-use — and more than 8 million tonnes of that plastic is dumped into the ocean, according to the Plastic Oceans Foundation. Say “no” to plastic water bottles, say “yes” to alternative water bottles when possible is a highly eco-friendly choice. There are many trendy choices available from the traditional glass water bottles to the insulated stainless-steel or those made from corn and bamboo. Get yourself one before you travel and go green!

5. Eat Local. Local produce and Zero km food are always a green choice. Zero km food is a quite recent concept and refers to the food produced, sold and eaten locally, hence it’s food that travelled zero kilometres. Besides the healthy effect of fresh food, there is also its positive ecological impact when it’s only been transported a short distance.

6. Be Carbon Conscious, Fly Light! How often do we pack too many clothes that we don’t end up using when we travel? If you’re flying to your next destination, pack wisely and keep your suitcase light to help reduce carbon emissions, a lighter aircraft will burn less fuel. These small changes, implemented by many travellers do make a big difference.

7. Do Your Research. By researching your destination before you go, you can learn more about the local communities you’ll be visiting. When you’re planning your trip, try to understand the best ways to give back when you travel, if you’re travelling to a developing country think about what resources might be useful rather than giving money and check out potential local initiatives aimed at improving education and quality of life. If you want to design your next experience around giving back, check out the Social Enterprise travel inspiration on the Satopia Travel website.

As part of the Satopia Travel initiative to champion responsible tourism and a conscious travel movement, we have partnered with The Hoxton Hotel to host a series of events called “Wanderluster Stories”. This event series showcases inspirational travellers from around the world who share their travel experiences through personal storytelling, from polar expeditions to the impact of global warming on coral reefs, learn about social, environmental and wildlife initiatives to become more responsible when you travel and discover new destinations for your next adventure.