Traveling and respecting the place you are traveling to are two completely compatible things. Currently there are many cities and places in the world that are being threatened by the massive wave of tourists. This is because many of them do not respect the spaces they visit, they do not feel any kind of respect for the locals and they believe that, simply by spending money in that city or place, they can do anything. And often the worst hit is the environment. We think that it is possible to travel and have fun without damaging the environment and without harming that city or place that has been chosen as a destination. And this respect begins the moment the suitcase is packed.
Is it possible to travel and have fun without harming the environment?
Before travelling
Forget travel-size hygiene products and start using reusable containers. In many stores, and now even in some supermarkets, they sell small travel-size containers that can be filled with shampoo, gel, creams or other personal hygiene products. In addition to saving money, it is a way to avoid generating unnecessary plastics.
It would also be ideal to try to book accommodation with environmentally friendly policies. The rooms of this type of accommodation usually have a consumption regulator in showers and taps, they recycle waste and they tend to monitor the amounts of food served to avoid throwing anything away, among other things.
If you reuse bags to put your shoes or dirty clothes and use rechargeable batteries, you will also be helping the environment a little.
During the trip
Choose the means of transport well
Although many times it is not possible, especially on very long journeys, you have to avoid the plane . Increasing air traffic causes a lot of damage to the environment. The percentage of C02 emissions is increasing year after year and if domestic, private and short-haul flights were avoided or reduced, the global warming to which the planet is heading could be slightly slowed down. We say slightly because, obviously, many other things have to be changed to completely stop it and avoid it.
The best means of transport to travel is the train and we should exchange it for the plane whenever possible.
Respect the places
Archaeological zones, monuments, buildings, forests must always be respected, whether or not they are natural reserves … Everything. By this we mean that you do not have to make a fire anywhere, you do not have to throw garbage on the ground or leave it anywhere, you do not have to dirty buildings, monuments or archaeological remains with graffiti, graffiti or other methods or damage them. And you always have to respect the customs of the locals. We are in his house and we are visitors, not inhabitants.
Having this respect for places, fires, deterioration, losses of great monumental value would be avoided and everything would be much cleaner.
Choose “ecotours”
In many places they offer tours by buses, boats or other non-ecological means of transport. In fact, many boats damage the seabed and are the main culprits for the disappearance of corals, the death of many marine animals and the pollution of the coasts.
Unless it is essential to get to a specific place, it is better to hire excursions that are done on foot, by bicycle or by electric vehicle . In case of doing it by bus or boat, it is best to inform yourself very well before the commitment that the company has with the environment .
Consume local product
Consuming local products , in addition to knowing the authentic gastronomy of the place, helps to maintain the farmland and green areas of the place. It is also avoided that there is a transport and a packaging process in between .
Reduce paper
Nowadays it is not necessary to carry plane or train tickets in paper format, nor is it necessary to print the hotel reservation confirmation or museum or event tickets. It is best to use the e-ticket because it is much more convenient and much more ecological.
Nor is it necessary to take all the maps, all the guides and all the information brochures of the place. It is enough to take only those that are going to be used. It would also be interesting to return them later so that another traveler can use them.
Have fun responsibly
Cycling, bird watching, hiking or mountaineering, participating in environmental education initiatives, visiting museums or animal recovery centers … In any tourist destination there are endless fun activities in which it is not necessary to damage the environment so that be interesting. You just have to be interested in them and do a search.
With this article we want to encourage travelers to be a little more responsible, careful and respectful of the environment and the destination. Because we believe that it is possible to travel and have fun without harming the environment.
