What is Sustainable Travel & why is it so important, especially when we begin travelling after COVID 19?
Our world has come to a halt, borders have closed and people are quarantined to their homes, this is like nothing we have ever seen or experienced. Travel as we know it, for the time being, is non existent.
The phrase sustainable travel has been trickling through the travel industry for years now but do we really know what it means? Sustainable travel is a broad term and according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, has four main pillars: Sustainable management; socioeconomic impacts; Cultural impacts as well as Environmental impacts.
What does this mean? How can we weave these practises into our travel experiences?
Sustainable travel is to experience the world and leave the smallest carbon footprint possible. It means to learn about the cultures and destinations that you plan to visit and respecting the locals and their beliefs when you enter their country. To make sure that your actions are not harming the environment around you whether it is the locals, animals or the earth. Sustainable travel is supporting small businesses and giving life to their dreams. Tourism in so many ways can have massive impacts on our world without the average traveller even being aware of it.
Imagine a world where large companies are the sole providers of goods, small businesses do not exist. Where our oceans are filled with plastic and garbage, leaving us virtually no sea life. A world that is polluted, where poverty describes a majority of the population. Is this a world you would be happy in? If there were small things you could do to help change the world, would you?
An incredibly wonderful and brave woman once said “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall
In order to create a more sustainable world and make our own personal differences we need to integrate some better habits into our journeys.
#plasticfree - Plastic is so incredibly harmful to the world around us and all of its inhabitants. I am seeing more and more photos and articles about the horrific consequences of singe use plastic with the majority of it being harmful to our oceans. There are so many sustainable companies now that give us access to products that can help minimize our single plastic use such as the incorporation of steel straws into our everyday lives. When you actually look around and see the countless products that we use everyday that are single use plastic it is mind blowing! There are a lot of different ways now to minimize single plastic use such as shampoo bars, bamboo cutlery, deodorant paste, recycled clothing, bamboo toothbrushes and so much more! Where I am from in Ontario, places like Goodness Me and the Mustard Seed Coop are great options for finding some of these products.
#supportsmallbusinesses - small businesses usually arise out of passion, a person or small group of people have found something that they want to show the world and that they are excited about. These small businesses support peoples families, create jobs where there may not have been one and usually supply us with better quality products or services. I am not a big box company hater, I definitely still shop at them sometimes but I really want to try to buy or book everything that I can locally. I have a small business and booking travel with me does not line the pockets of rich CEO’s. A farmers produce doesn’t give an extra million dollar bonus to the owner. A craftmans art, tour guides excursions or a family run bed and breakfast does not fuel up a private jet. Right now small businesses around the world are struggling, some will not survive COVID 19 so to buy from them and get quality products or services will make a big difference.
#supportpeoplewhosupportlocals - when looking for your accommodations, try to book with a hotel, hostel or other accommodation type that employs members of the local communities and gives back. There are so many options now and the power of the internet allows us to make more informed choices.
#savewater - When I travelled to Jordan a few years ago I was surprised to see signs everywhere at our accommodations about using only as much water as needed, as water is scarce. I am embarrassed to admit that this never really crossed my mind before other then running up a water bill at home. Then came the draught in South Africa where the country almost ran out of water. My long, hot showers where sometimes I just stood there to feel the heat or washing my hair every other day or so, ended. I stopped running the tap more then I needed to, I stopped washing laundry unnecessarily, I switched to using dry shampoo more often and only being in the shower as long as I needed. Small sacrifices, that if everyone does their part, will preserve natural resources.
#takeawalk - We cannot walk everywhere but if it is an option to walk or bike instead of driving, or to take a train instead of flying we should try it. People who love to travel cannot avoid flying, that is just a simple fact but where we can make a difference is in the small details like walking through a city instead of getting a taxi or taking a train to a different city instead of flying.
#leavenotrace - There have been so many instances where I am in awe of the beauty surrounding me, taking in every intricate detail, only to notice that these places are littered with trash. Places like Machu Picchu, Maya Bay, Venice and countless more are so overcrowded with tourists, the least we could do is pick up after ourselves and preserve these stunning places so people for years to come can enjoy them as well. Another alarming situation is the rapid decline in our oceans reefs. A small but important change we can all make is to pack coral reef safe sunscreen.
#saveanimals - This is something that is very close to my heart and that I am very passionate about. Animal welfare is so important yet we are still using animals for our own pleasure and for social media posts. A few years ago people may not have been educated about what goes on behind elephant rides or petting tigers but in 2020, we all know what happens behind the scenes to allow people to interact with wild animals up close. Instead of seeing animals in these types of conditions and contributing to cruelty, why not try to go on a life changing adventure to see these incredible beings in their natural habitat, happy and free as nature intended them to be.
There is still so much more to sustainable travel and sometimes we cannot make 100% of the right choices but if we all work together to make some changes our earth and all of its inhabitants will be much better off! I think that if everyone, including myself, makes more conscious choices and does a little bit of research we can help change the dangerous path that our planet is on.
An incredible resource that is available is Sustainable Travel International, this website provides a wide range of tools to help us better understand our impact and how we can make a difference!
“It’s only one straw” said 8 billion people ...