It’s such a stark example of hypocrisy; I spend my life either being a tourist, or counting down the days until I can be again, and yet in my own city and my own country I find myself grumbling about the tourists and their obnoxious behaviour. Anyone who’s been to Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival can understand my irritation – a 10 minute walk up the Royal Mile can quickly become half an hour, weaving in and out of tourists who have stopped dead in their tracks to photograph some stunning building or to look at a map. So what does it mean to travel responsibly? How can we satisfy our wanderlust without being that tourist?
Language and Culture
It will be unsurprising to many of you that language is on my mind. Before travelling to a new country, learn a few key phrases in the local language. If someone arrived to the UK and insisted on speaking to you in their native tongue we would consider it horribly rude. The locals will have greater respect for you and you may find a new love for the language – if nothing else it will be a useful tool at the markets.
Similarly, learn about the local culture. Adhere to their dress codes (I must admit, I find this one challenging as often it is the female body that is considered offensive; however it is important to respect the traditions of the country you are in) and their rules. For example, in Thai culture it is considered disrespectful to point at or turn your back to a buddha. Respect is mutual: your welcome in a country will be much warmer if you respect their culture.
Support the local economy
We’ve all been there: you’ve been travelling for a while so you miss your home comforts and the Starbucks on the corner is calling your name. However, in addition to be significantly more expensive and cutting into your trip budget; giving chain stores and restaurants your business only lines the pockets of some multi-millionare somewhere. Support the local economy wherever possible; staying at local guesthouses feeds money back into the community and has the added benefit of great local tips for restaurants and activities.
Consider your approach to bartering as well. It can be a huge surge in adrenaline when you get a brilliant bargain and walk away with two pairs of hareem pants for less than a pound, however consider a fair price. This will be significantly less than it is at home – noone is suggesting you pay £15 a pair but will that extra pound make a huge difference to you? In Bali for example, the minimum salary for a month is £126. To families on that salary an extra £1 will go a long way.
Single Use Plastics
This ones seems like common sense no? Say no to straws, plastic bags, bring a reusable bottle… but what does the reality actually look like? In much of Asia there isn’t the same culture around plastic as we have in the western hemisphere and it can be challenging to buy groceries that aren’t wrapped in miles of plastic. Pair that with the fact you can’t drink the tap water and it becomes a lot more complicated. Try asking before purchase for no plastic bag or straw, and check with your hostel if they have free drinking water. If not, try to buy large bottles of water to refill yours from.
There are also many opportunities to make a difference during your travels. Try getting involved with local clean up efforts – a great way to meet other people and to leave a positive trail behind you. Dive Into Travelling has an interesting post about her efforts joining in with #dailybeachclean during her time on Koh Tao. Read it here.
Transport
I would walk 500 miles… Consider your travel options and try to minimise flying as much as possible. It’s estimated that 2% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the aviation industry alone. While walking 500 miles isn’t a viable option for most people, taking a train or a bus has a significantly smaller carbon footprint than a plane or even taking a tuk tuk or taxi.
Where you can, try to walk or even rent a bike between landmarks. Kerry and I spent a (very sweaty) day cycling around the ruins of Anarudhapura in Sri Lanka and it’s one of the highlights of our trip. If the environmental benefit isn’t enough to convince you – try the financial cost. A bus from Luang Prabang (Laos) to Chang Mai (Thailand) cost us about £20 compared with over £100 to fly. In Sri Lanka we took 4-5 hour bus journeys for less than £2.
Animal Tourism
Animal tourism is one of the big moral dilemmas you will face while travelling, and can be more complex than it seems. We went to visit elephants in Thailand but put a lot of research into where we went. Some “no ride” sanctuaries cater to visitors in the morning while offering afternoon rides. One of the arguments in favour od these places is that as the laws in Thailand allow elephants to be owned, their owners will use them for worse means than tourists, such as logging. By having the tourist industry it allows their owners to profit from them without harming the animal.
Now where you stand on that is your own moral dilemma but please, please do the research. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka is one of the main destinations for tourists and looks amazing on instagram, but further research showed that the elephants are chained in the middle of the river and unable to move, in addition to allegations that their handlers treat them unfairly. For me, it wasn’t worth the risk of animal maltreatment and we opted for glimpses of them out of bus windows instead.
Volunteering
Similarly to animal tourism, make sure you do your research. There are a huge number of amazing projects out there that do wonderous things for the local people, but be wary of scams. I’ve heard numerous reports of orphanages in Cambodia where the children have been taken from their parents with well-meaning tourists donating towards the upkeep of the orphanage and where do you think that money goes?
Equally consider your skills. If you are volunteering to build a well – do you have any construction skills? Or would you be better suited to teach English or help with beach clean ups? I was once named and shamed in a blog about “white saviourism” for volunteering in a refugee camp. As a fully qualified teacher with a few years’ experience under my belt this was null and void, but raised valid questions about how helpful we are being. Are the locals going to have to tear down your shoddy well and rebuild it once you have left?
Get off the beaten path
Overtourism is an issue with many areas groaning under the weight of more tourists than local residents. In these instances the infrastructure isn’t there to support the demand for services. Bali is not the tropical paradise you see on instagram, instead of being left speechless by incredible nature I was appalled by the number of cars on the road. It took us 3 hours to go the 20km from the airport to our hostel. Instead, try to find some hidden gems. Stay overnight in areas that usually form part of a day trip – a highlight of my Bali trip was the week we spent on Nusa Penida enjoying the peace and quiet away from the bustle of millions of tourists on the mainland.
In summary, just be sound and do your research. How do you try to be a responsible tourist? Let me know in the comments what steps you take.
If you enjoyed this post, why not check out some of my destination blogs?
Dusky Footprints 