Sustainability, eco friendly, natural, organic, ethical, responsible, conscious. These words, all powerful in their own meaning, have been regaining quite some popularity over the last couple of years. And with good reason, in the end there is no Planet B. And while these terms are used freely by companies, organisations, individuals, we as travellers should know the real importance of these words. There is a reason why we travel; to explore, to learn and to seek adventure. We might be wrong, but we believe most of us go out there for these reasons, we travel to the far corners of the world to see the most beautiful natural landscapes and to dive into cultures that differ from our own, to simply witness beauty all around the world.
Just imagine that all of this would change, culture becomes one big melting pot and paradise beaches are filled with plastic and other trash. Would we still want to travel to the other side of the world for that? This is why sustainability and all those other terms matter. Yes, we may recycle at home, but on the road things work different. And while working towards sustainable travel might seem impossible, with a couple of small changes we believe that we can all become responsible travellers and some changes might actually be easier then you think. Keep on reading for a more in depth explanation on sustainable travel and how you can become a more responsible traveller or check out these tips on sustainable travel.
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What is Sustainable Travel?
Some people immediately will think about being environmental friendly, but this is not all that is sustainable travel about. There is more to it, much more, just hang in there a little bit longer and we will explain! The foundation of sustainable travel is that you leave only a small to non existent footprint with this footprint being based on three pillars: environment, society & culture and economy. These three pillars will guide us through a series of blogposts on sustainable travel and how we all can be more responsible travellers, but without getting into too much detail, let’s look at why these pillars are actually so important in the world of sustainable travel.
Environmental Sustainability
The easiest pillar of them all. Or well easy, maybe the most well known. Environment might be something you focus on at home as well, you recycle, turn the lights of etc. etc. Environmental friendly travel can be as easy as respecting wildlife, don’t litter, turn of the lights (and air-conditioning) in your room when you leave. We are not asking for big steps, just to be more conscious about what you do! We’ll dive into this deeper, and how to be a better environmental traveler, in future posts!
So why does environmental friendly travel matter? As we said before, we love visiting forests, climb mountains, lay on the most beautiful beaches. We don’t think anyone would like to lay between trash on the beach or climb mountains of trash instead. Besides that, due to global warming many beautiful places (such as the great barrier reef), are already getting destroyed. Let’s try to save the ones that are still out there!
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Social & Cultural Sustainability
The pillar of society is all about culture. This is something that will ask a little bit more of your involvement once traveling. Culture friendly travel means you strive to preserve local culture and heritage. These can be the easiest steps from respecting local culture and following the rules, to diving into the culture, learning about the culture and to build bridges between their culture and yours. Still not sure what we are talking about?
Respecting local culture could mean following dress codes at temples in South East Asia, respecting local spiritual sights such as not climbing Uluru/Ayers Rock, in Australia. These rules are often unspoken, not enforced, and therefore ask for a higher level of participation. But culture friendly travel, and respecting local cultures matter because it is a big reason for many of us for travel. We want to see the monks praying in the temples of Myanmar, hear the prayers of the mosque in Iran, and the cows walking around the streets of India. It might not be your culture, but learn and respect instead of trying to change it.
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Economic Sustainability
Economy? Now, you might be wondering what economy has to do with sustainable travel? When talking about economy we are not referring to being a budget traveler, or how you should save your money. While both important to the most of us, this has nothing to do with sustainable travel. With economy we refer to putting your money in the right places. Instead of choosing for the big corporations, try to invest in the local economy of the country you are visiting.
But why does this matter you might wonder. Big corporations often profit from the situation of the poor. Complete areas where thousands of people live are destroyed so big corporations can build hotels with waterparks. So no, we are not telling you to go and stay in a slum (which might even be a bit dangerous), just to support local communities instead. Opt for home-stays, buy souvenirs and products from small local businesses and show that a rise in tourism can mean empowering local communities instead of international corporations. Focusing on the economy pillar of travel might not be something that benefits you directly, but it will definitely help the people whose country you are visiting.
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So there you have it, the three pillars of sustainable travel. Some things might seem obvious to you, some might be new. This blogpost is the beginning of a new series of blogposts around sustainable travel and only puts down the foundation of why it actually matters. I’ve put down some small steps and advise on how to be a more responsible and why all of the pillars of sustainable travel actually matter. However, in the next couple of posts we will get deeper into the subject, and both you and me will learn more along the way. We would like to call ourselves responsible travellers, but we are not there yet, even though it is something we completely support and believe in. I’ve made mistakes… lots of them. But let’s be real, we all make mistakes and try to do the best that we can, so let’s all learn to grow from these mistakes together. If you are interested in learning more about sustainable travel together be sure to check out some of our other posts:
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26 Comments
Such great points! There are so many easy, small things we can do, but there’s always more to be done! Some of the conspicuous consumption that surrounds me is almost painful to watch.
Thanks! Exactly, if we would all start small it would already make a massive change!
I love this. Too often when we travel we aren’t thinking about how we impact the people who live in the place we’re visiting. This is a great reminder to be mindful of our actions and how we spend our dollars.
Thanks Sherrie. Exactly, if we love to travel we should respect the places that we visit right? Or else, in 50 years no place would be “unique” anymore, and the culture we once treasured the most, might have vanished.
Completely agree with all your pillars of sustainable travel. I don’t always hit the last one, in that I do look out for opportunities to benefit the local economy, but I am sure that some of my travel choices benefit the big corporations and multinationals too. On the evironmental aspect, I feel that the international flights are already a huge indulgence so it makes sense to continue to try and balance that negative throughout the trip. And as for respecting local culture and showing that respect in one’s behaviour and interactions, I find this the easiest of the three, perhaps because like you, it’s one of the key reasons why I travel, to see and understand and appreciate.
Thank you so much Kavita! I really do believe that even if you think more conscious about one of the three pillars more will follow automatically. Just being a slightly more responsible traveler already makes a hugh impact overall!
Great post, so educational and I hope more people will realise how much of a difference we can make!
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Thanks Eli! I hope so too!
It’s never too late to make a change, in our own travel habits and practices for example. it’s beautiful that we have the gift of change whenever we want to adopt better practices and learn from people who have the knowledge to share sustainable practices and suggestions with us. Sounds like you have more to share so I’ll stay tuned!
Thanks Ari, and no it isn’t. You just got to start, small, big, it doesn’t matter. Every step you take is a step in the right direction!
A very interesting post and an important reminder! This topic has been on my mind a lot recently.
Thanks Isie!
Thanks for this! I love reading more about sustainable travel lately – looking forward to the next posts! And yeah, we all make mistakes, but I think it’s important to do the best we can and not be too hard on ourselves when we slip up 🙂
Thanks Emily! I couldn’t agree more. Being perfect in these kind of situations is hard, it is not a black and white situation. I do believe that it is the thought that counts, that will be a start of it all!
I like how you’ve broken sustainable travel down into three, easy to understand pillars – it’s so easy to travel sustainably and we must get better at it! Staying at locally owned accommodation is a great start when it comes to changing behaviour.
Thanks Sarah! I think sustainable travel, or responsible travel, is a concept that is hard to understand sometimes. It is not something that can easily be put down on paper, there are always exceptions. But maybe breaking it down into three pillars creates something that people can have a feel for, a better understanding of it. More about it will follow in the future!
This is a subject so close to my heart, thank you so much for highlighting the importance of sustainable travel! I’m particularly passionate about supporting local economies, especially in “touristy” areas where big companies exploit the area and its inhabitants and culture – buying local and staying local makes a huge impact! Local businesses and operators are often so much more respectful of the environment (after all, it’s their livelihood!), especially the wildlife. Plus, you’ll inevitably have a better experience… Keep up the good work!!
Thanks Sheree! It isn’t always easy, sometimes even hard to differentiate what is locally made or comes from bigger corporations. But it is the thought and the fact that you think about it, that makes the big difference out there! Thanks for reading.
This is something that is so important in travel going forward. I didn’t know about the three pillars but it’s a great way to break down the important areas of sustainable travel into something quite achievable.
It is achievable, I really do believe so! If we would all just take a small step, it would already make the biggest change in the world. Thanks for reading!
Very very well said! All of it! It’s easy to travel and appreciate everything around us, to the point that sometimes, we miss the reality that we also leave a footprint in all aspects of traveling. You’ve said it here perfectly, the most important pillars that need to be consciously considered as a responsible person (by that I mean, not just while traveling but also once the traveling halts and we go back home). 🙂
Couldn’t agree more. It never ends with just on the road, or being at home. Being more responsible is more of a lifestyle, something I believe we should all focus on more. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts Kate!
Great read. I witnessed the importance of respectful travel while in Southeast Asia. While at a tourist heavy beach I saw the destruction of tourists disrespecting the landscape, the entire beach was lined with trash. It seriously broke my heart. It’s up to us to keep nature beautiful. I wish everyone could read this before going on a trip.
Thanks Torey! I really wished so too. I have been in so many destinations, India, Thailand, it is devastating. Let’s hope that one day it will all change
I really love how you have this broken down into three pillars. I totally agree, the environment part may seem more well known, but the economy pillar is just as important and impactful to the places we visit!
Thanks Sarah! It really is hard to think about it yourself sometimes, and maybe these pillars make it a bit more realistic for everyone. Glad you liked it!