Traveling is resource-intensive and does add to the pressure on the global climate. Because of this, some people suggest we should go back to the stone age and live in small tribes in the woods. This idea isn’t just short-sighted, it is one of these fairy tales we love to tell ourselves until we realize that we are a few billion people too many on the planet — plus who really wants to give up on modernity. We have gotten so far and human ingenuity will get us further!
A smart way to adapt to the changes the globe is witnessing is to make sustainable traveling attractive and inclusive! I want to share three inspiring travelers who are successful in promoting this new way of globetrotting, who are creating innovative balancing mechanisms and effectively support the local communities.
Responsible travel promotes and facilitates travel experience for small groups to authentic places. Their pivot is to provide experiences that are responsible for nature, avoiding to exploit natural resources and integrating with the local communities that travelers visit. In practice, this means that Responsible Travel boycotts mass tourism, cruise ships, skiing holidays, and areas where fake snow is used, where captive animals are displayed or any other kind of zoo is used to attract tourists. Their claim is to provide maximum experience for minimum impact. If you want to know more, check out their page.
Another amazing project to make traveling a sustainable experience for all of us is the philosophy of Eco Travel FlyGRN. As they write: ‚We can’t stop you from flying but we can give back to nature‘, they offer a progressive solution to compensate the carbon footprint an international flight has. On their page, you can easily calculate the emitted tonnage of carbon dioxide when flying and finance a project in cooperation with the fair climate fund. You should go check them out!
A wonderful woman and a great inspiration to everyone who is tired of witnessing directly or indirectly exclusion (such as racism) of minorities, which includes the wider debate of who has the opportunity to fullfill the desire to roam the surface of the planet freely and who isn't - or has to overcome significant more institutional, economical or societal barriers to do so. Jessica Nabongo who runs @thecatchmeifyoucan insta is the first documented black woman to visit all 195 countries! Her feed is interesting to follow and her page is full of original stories plus a lot of helpful tips for solo travels.
Author: Frederic Maximilian