But, how many of us do take out time to find out about the culture of the new place or even take conscious steps to travel responsibly?
Travelling responsibly is not synonymous to eco-tourism. It doesn’t necessarily mean buying eco-holiday packages, staying close to nature etc. Responsible travel is more about considering the local culture – what we shouldn’t do as travelers; protecting the nature – how best we can avoid littering any place; preserving monuments – how we should contribute to preservation of the monuments in own small ways.
One can surely take care of all these with little information & planning before traveling to any destination and yet have a wonderful vacation. Here are few tips to a responsible holiday planning:
- Travellers must well plan the routes & modes of travel to reduce additional carbon emissions. Travel by train has a huge fan following because it has much lower carbon impact than flying and also it’s cheap! If flight is a must then may be one can try to avoid stopover flights.
- One must read up on local cultures before traveling and learn about the Dos & Don’ts which would earn respect for respecting their culture. Learning a few words of the local language helps in communicating, just when you reach the place.
- Choosing an eco-hotel for your vacation might be one of the best ways to show that you care for the ecosystems. Green hotels are usually rated by a third party organization and follow strict green guidelines to ensure that their guests are staying in a safe, non-toxic and energy-efficient accommodation & has following characteristics:
- 100% organic cotton sheets, towels and mattresses
- 100% usage of organic soaps and other amenities
- Non-smoking environment
- Non-disposable dishes
- Guest room and hotel lobby recycling bins
- Towel and sheet re-use (guests can tell housekeeping to leave these slightly used items to reduce water consumption)
- Energy-efficient lighting
- On-site transportation with green vehicles
- While one is enjoying a gala holiday, few things to be kept in mind are:
- When on sight-seeing visit, please DO NOT write names or draw pictures on the walls of historic monuments.
- Please read carefully the instructions & abide by them when you visit any heritage monument, temples, and national parks.
- Wastes to be disposed only in dustbins or recycle bins. Remove excess packaging as waste disposal is difficult in developing cities & nations.
- Satisfy your shopping urge with local handicrafts, textiles or other local produce. Not buying products made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artifacts would discourage these products.
- Use water wisely. In lot of places & especially hill stations, water scarcity is a big problem.
These are just a few tips to travel responsibly which would preserve our historic monuments, culture and leave a safer, non-toxic world for the next generation.
