Responsible Tourism - TIPS! > Responsible Travel

Responsible Travel has these thoughts:

A few thoughts for the responsible traveller…
• Read up on the countries you plan to visit – the welcome will be warmer if you take an interest and speak even a few words of the local language
• Think small when booking a holiday – for example bed and breakfasts, village houses and locally owned accommodation benefit local families
• Travel like Ghandi - with simple clothes, open eyes and an uncluttered mind (Rick Stevens)
• Ask to see your tour operator's responsible travel policy
• Help the local economy of developing countries by buying local produce in preference to imported goods
• If bargaining to buy an item, bear in mind that a small amount to you could be extemely important to the seller
• Realise that often the people in the country you are visiting have different time concepts and thought patterns from your own, this does not make them inferior, only different
• Instead of the western practice of knowing all the answers, cultivate the habit of asking questions and discover the enrichment of seeing a different way of life through others eyes
• Use public transport, hire a bike or walk where convenient – you'll meet local people and get to know the place
• Remember that man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it (Moore 1916)
• Use water sparingly – it is precious in many countries and the local people may not have sufficient clean water
• Find out where the locals go when they have time off. Visit the main sites but get off the tourist trail too
• Don't discard litter, take it home with you. Waste disposal is a major expense in poorer countries
• Respect for local cultures, traditions and holy places earns you respect. For example, ask permission before you photograph local people – in some countries it can cause offence
• Spend time reflecting on your daily experience in an attempt to deepen your understanding. It has been said that what enriches you may rob and violate others
• Do not buy products made from endangered species, hard woods, shells from beach traders, or ancient artefacts (which have probably been stolen)
• Pack small gifts from home as gifts for your hosts - ask your tour operator to ask the local community what would be of most use to them
• If you really want your experience to be a 'home away from home' it is foolish to waste money on travelling
• When you get home drop your tour operator a note to let them know how you got on
• Enjoy the memories