What do we mean by sustainable travel? There are many misconceptions about sustainable travel and what it truly means. Individuals often think of sustainability as reducing the environmental footprint, but in fact, it is much more inclusive and collective than that. Sustainable travelling is all about attaining equilibrium between human wellbeing, environmental health, and economic growth. Sustainable travel also focuses on lessening the negative impacts and increasing the positive benefits for cultures, communities, ecosystems, and the planet. Sustainable tourism gauges the instant impacts felt today as well as the extended impacts that will be experienced by future generations.
There are many trending words thrown around such as “community-based tourism” “nature-tourism” “ethical travel” “regenerative travel” or “ecotourism”. Without getting in too deep, these terms refer to being tapered in range and focus on specific aspects of sustainable travel. For example, regenerative travel focuses on repairing the damage that has been done and leaving places better than they were before, whereas ecotourism focuses on responsible travel to natural areas in the world.
So how to start travelling more sustainably you may ask It’s great to know and understand what sustainable travelling means but the positive repercussions come into play when you start to practice travelling sustainably. We have put together a few tips to get the ball rolling, keep in mind the impact travellers will have once they adopt some practices from the list below.
Conserve water and energy – Water use by travellers can cause stress on local water supplies and energy infrastructures. When on vacation, individuals can do their best to conserve water and energy and turn off the lights, TV, and other electronics that are not in use.Offset carbon footprint – Though some carbon emissions remain unavoidable, travellers can remunerate for this through a method of ‘carbon offsetting‘. Carbon offsetting allows to balance out the carbon footprint by reducing emissions elsewhere. Individuals can simply calculate their carbon footprint using a web calculator, then buy offsets parallel to the amount of CO2 they produced. The funds will then be reinvested in projects that reduce carbon and other greenhouse gasses.Use efficient modes of transportation – The travel industry is a large patron of climate change with over 8% of the world’s carbon emissions produced by travel and tourism. All methods of travel make up the biggest part of tourism’s carbon footprint, some options of travel are more energy-efficient and cleaner than others. When traveling between short distances, travellers can consider traveling by train, or coach and limit their emissions all the while enjoying the scenic views.Slow down and stay awhile – we understand travellers want to cram everything they want to do in a couple of days, so they don’t’ miss out. Though a loaded itinerary may seem appealing and fun, they will be rushing from one place to another and most likely miss what is going on. Slowing things down and enjoying the places they visit will result in a memorable vacation.Get off the beaten path – many locations become a casualty of their own popularity and get beaten up due to the influx of attraction from individuals. Travelers can discover new locations and skip the tourist traps as it may be more rewarding exploring less wandered places.
Our contribution Turtle Down Under is constantly striving to be as sustainable as possible when it comes to our contribution to the travel and tourism industry. We are an ethical company and huge promoters of sustainable travel and most importantly, teaching individuals how to travel sustainably.
