Travelling is fun, and it can mean putting some of your usual day-to-day worries and responsibilities aside. However, it shouldn’t have to involve damaging the places you visit.

Millions of people travel every year, and their actions have significant consequences. For example, tourists may add tonnes of waste to already fragile or stressed systems. They create excessive demand for locally found items such as seashells and items made from wood. In many parts of the world, they have prompted the destruction of natural landscapes in favour of sprawling tourist accommodation and golf courses. They may also behave in ways that are offensive to local people, whether intentionally or by accident.

None of these types of behaviours make the world a better place to travel in.

How can you be a responsible tourist?

Increasingly, people are calling for and investigating more responsible ways to travel. Responsible tourism helps the environment, people and local economies in the places you visit – or at the very least, does nothing to harm them.

Start on the Internet

Start at home by investigating tour operators and accommodation options that focus on responsible tourism. Growing demand for ethical and environmentally friendly options has encouraged the tourism industry to provide more options, in the UK and in many other countries around the world.

If you’ll be spending time in a country where a lot of people are affected by poverty, you might also choose to research some of the options for doing voluntary work. As a tourist, you may be able to donate just a little of your time to make things better for others – and to experience a side of a country you wouldn’t otherwise see.

Cultural sensitivity

Often being a responsible tourist boils down simply to showing respect for others. Some of the ways you can do this are to

  • find out about the cultural and religious practices of people in the places you’ll be visiting
  • dress appropriately, given the culture and environment you’re in – for example, in some countries it’s not considered appropriate for women to have bare arms or legs in public, or to sunbathe topless
  • learn a few phrases of the language spoken where you’ll be travelling, for example so that you can say “please”, “thank you”, “hello” and “goodbye”
  • as a basic rule of thumb, watch how local people behave and act accordingly – for example, if others remove their shoes or don a head garment before entering a temple, you should probably do the same; and if in doubt, ask
  • ask before taking people’s pictures

Environmental sensitivity

You can support local economies by buying locally made items instead of mass-produced ones. However, try to avoid buying items made from materials that are being depleted in the local environment, or that damage the environment when they’re made or harvested. Also don’t buy items like rare plants or animals, or pieces of sponge or coral. Don’t be afraid to ask about the source of the products you buy.

As far as possible, minimise your waste. For example, find out if there’s a source of safe water you can use to refill a water bottle, instead of buying and disposing of large numbers of plastic water bottles. Avoid using disposable plastic shopping bags and try not to buy produce that’s wrapped in plastic. If you’re travelling in a village area, pack up your garbage and take it away with you when you leave.

Last, consider modes of transport. You’ll reduce your carbon footprint by minimizing flying. Also, using public transport, walking or cycling are less stressful on the environment than travelling by car.