When we travel, most of us want to enjoy ourselves while making sure we don’t cause any problems for the places we visit. Yet there’s a large gulf between just avoiding harm and actively doing good while you’re away, and we all have a lovely opportunity to do that when we venture into this wide world of ours. Small choices can make a real impact on local communities, and they often make your trip more meaningful too.
It’s easy to think responsible tourism means sticking to marked paths and taking your rubbish with you. Those things matter, but there’s so much more we can do. After spending time in various countries and seeing how tourism affects different communities, you begin learning that making a positive impact often comes down to simple decisions.
Simple Tips for Being A Good Traveller
But none of this has to feel like you’re making a documentary or public announcement video, or straining to be your best self. In fact, being mindful and considerate can have an impact and is great fun to consider too, assisting you with all sustainable travel guides on our site.
In this post, we’ll discuss some ways you can do that, to the best of your ability, and sustainably, so you never get burned out from such efforts:
Care Where Your Money Goes
The places you spend money while traveling shape the local economy more than you might realize, and it’s healthy to use that power well. Choosing locally-owned restaurants will invariably put money directly into community hands, and that ultimately helps to create jobs and support families. Moreover, shopping at markets and small stores instead of international chains is worthwhile, and you may come back to your accommodation with tasty treats or ingredients if you’re self-catered.
You don’t have to find the smallest and humblest option of course, just little alternatives like picking a family-run guesthouse over a large hotel chain will help spread tourism benefits more evenly through the community. You can bet the locals are glad for your custom, and writing reviews or sharing your positive experience online can help bring more people to that space.
Try To Limit Your Carbon Footprint
Now, travel inevitably creates some environmental impact, but you can sometimes have a little contribution or negate some of your fuel usage where appropriate. Sometimes it can be baked into part of the trip. For example, taking trains between cities often works better than flying, letting you see more of the countryside while producing fewer emissions, and that can be better than renting a car as well.
Calm walking or cycling around town will also connect you with daily life and can help you take a taxi everywhere unless it’s necessary. Bringing certain utilities like a reusable water bottle and shopping bag will also be wise, as it helps you reduce plastic waste that many destinations struggle to process as evenly as others. It’s also a good way to connect with real life, as walking to a place, if safe, might help you notice a new shop you didn’t see before, or understand more of the layout. In other words, in the right circumstance, shedding the easy convenience of fuel use can be a major boon where appropriate.
Adopt & Learn Customs & Heritage
Now, it’s almost always worthwhile to understand the general customs of living in a space, because it could help you avoid mistakes or giving the wrong impression. That doesn’t mean walking on eggshells, but there’s a huge compliment you provide when you dare to meet someone on their own terms, or just ask about them to make sure.
For instance, understanding proper greetings, dining etiquette, and expected dress shows respect for the community, and they’re likely to appreciate you for it. If you’re learning even a few basic phrases in the local language it also helps people do their jobs, and is a nice courtesy. You’ll find people appreciate the effort even if the pronunciation isn’t perfect. Many places have specific customs around religious sites, mealtimes, or social interactions and it’s worth understanding that so as to avoid mistakes.
Don’t worry if you make them though, again, it’s more important that respect is shown. Think about how you might prefer tourists to act in your town, be that clearing up their refuse before they leave or giving a donation to a local museum they enjoy. Conduct and manners aren’t always so prevalent (in Japan they’re everything for instance), but it’s nice to be a good representative of wherever you hail from.
Have A Good, Fun Time
Being mindful of your impact doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself. The locals want you to have fun in their community, and that’s often why they work in tourism. Smile, laugh, and soak in the experiences and don’t worry about too much except for being present and appreciative, which will naturally work its way into becoming politeness.
Happy travelers tend to be more considerate anyway, and your genuine enjoyment might encourage others to visit responsibly too. Remember that many people are proud of their hometown or city, and seeing visitors appreciate it genuinely can be rewarding for them too. You might even share your experiences online. The more joy there is in this often strained world the better, and that’s the true worth many travelers unlock.
That might be heading out on the nightlife looking your best with your best clothes and favorite fragrances, or simply checking out the best breakfast hotspots there. Either way, you’re bringing something of yourself and letting the place explain itself to you as you explore.
Celebrate The Culture
Fully embracing a culture, such as Venice during carnival time, can be a real treat. But it’s important to be mindful. It’s good to join in where appropriate and welcomed, as you might find yourself learning traditional dances, tasting regional specialties, or watching skilled craftspeople at work. These experiences often become the highlights of a trip, creating memories that last far longer than standard tourist activities. Supporting cultural events also helps communities preserve their traditions and pass them down to future generations, which is a win-win.
With this advice, you’re sure to be the best traveling version of you.