How to travel sustainable and responsible?

Here is the small guide of the responsible tourist, who acts in favor of human and biodiversity. Learn how to travel sustainable and ethically.

It is sometimes difficult to imagine that by wishing to discover a country, by participating in its international tourism development and outreach, we are involved in the deterioration of its fauna, flora and sometimes even its ancestral traditions carried by its ethnic groups.

Unfortunately, the current accessibility of tourism and the opening of borders has, at times, a disastrous impact on some parts of the world. In response to this alarming observation, a new way of travel emerges. This way of travel is able to reconcile everything: to ease the endless appetite of travellers, to democratize the discovery of the most remote areas, to take care of ecosystems and to support the local economy.

His name? Eco-responsible and sustainable tourism. Unlike some ideas received, travel is within the reach of all. Still, it is necessary to benefit from good “ethical and ecological tips” to restore a human face to travel without losing its appeal and excitement. This is why Wanderlix offers you this small guide full of "green" tips.

Soft mobility and the praise of slowness

It is true that it is not always possible to travel without taking the plane and thus burning kerosene. If border countries and some European countries are accessible by train, bus or even car, the aircraft is often the only way to get abroad. That said, nothing prevents the frequency of these air routes from being reduced to the benefit of proximity escapades.

If the opportunity arises, be aware that travelling to a foreign country through a gentle means of transport has a lot of advantages. For example, between your culture and the long-awaited culture in the country of destination, you will encounter a lot of other cultures with various shades. When you don’t take the plane, you don’t suffer from the time shift or the sudden confrontation with new bacteria. Our body gradually gets used to changes and does not suffer any “shock”.

Concretely, for your trips, you can opt for the train: the least energy-efficient motorized transport on the planet. The choice of the railway is added to the carpool. This practice is booming for many reasons: economic benefits for drivers such as passengers, ecological benefits, social ties. Not to mention the local buses, often folklore and filled with authenticity.

But where it is possible to move from this big greenhouse gas transmitter that is the aircraft, it is certainly on the spot. That is, when you decide to visit a whole country in a minimum of time. And if not, you adopted it. slow travel ? Don't travel to see more. Don't see everything but see it better. Immerse yourself in a place, reconnect to nature, discuss with the premises, let yourself be worn by unexpected events and do not have rigid expectations. Look for experiences rather than destinations. Ask yourself: “What do I want to live?” instead of “where do I want to go?” By adopting this way of designing the journey, you can quickly pass inside flights and itineraries that fly over a whole territory in a minimum of time.

Decarbonized activities

Defending and spurring in ethical travel is making wise choices in terms of on-site activities and service providers. Experiences and organizations responsible for their realization must be environmentally friendly and local ethnic. Here are some ideas of decarbonized activities, good for your health, your morals and nature.

• Hiking, from a few hours to several days, sleeping in the dwellings inserted in nature ;
• Bike paths or ATV ;
• Routes in kayak and, why not, camping at each stage;
• Thematic outputs focus on ecosystem observation and awareness;
• Solidarity and participatory activities to local peoples and communities to discover their ancestral traditions and way of life;
• Exit with guides naturalists and scientists to learn in a playful way;
• Eco-believers in a restricted group, on board an ecological boat (carrier, catamaran or traditional boat).

If you are looking to involve yourself more advanced in green and ethical activities, why not test tourism, participatory tourism or solidarity tourism? The goal is to make you useful, whether to collect waste, participate in local events, take part in construction sites, work to improve living conditions and access to education. The goal can also be to take part in unique experiences: 100% nature and wild expeditions, auto-stop trips, etc.

Conversely, we drop the towers by helicopter, the ski jet exits and the quad in the desert.

Responsible accommodation

Accommodation is one of the fundamental aspects of a sustainable and responsible journey. The hotel industry is the second largest greenhouse gas emission station in the world of tourism. Destruction of natural habitats, overconsumption of natural resources, creation of waste: the impacts of some settlements on the planet are catastrophic.

Fortunately, for some years, many ethical and ecological accommodations have been trying on the continents. Holiday homes, family accommodation, hostels green , eco-friendly campsites, sustainable hotels: options to sleep by limiting its ecological footprint are multiple. To facilitate the choice of committed establishments, there are several platforms, travel agencies or specialized sites such as We Go GreenR , Ethik Hotels , Chilowé , Allibert Trekking , etc.

Finally, focus on labeled addresses and registered in a quality approach to sustainable tourism. There is something to satisfy any type of traveller: those who dream of a cottage on the farm like those who dream of a luxury hotel or a melted ecolodge in nature.

Do not hesitate to compare the offers (again, take the time) and to discover those that make “the little things” in appearance, but which ultimately make all the difference in terms of virtuous tourist circle.

Destinations

Every year, billions of travellers cross the borders. If the behaviour and personal choices of the travellers are largely influenced by the sustainable or non-sustainable nature of the journey, the behaviour of tourism professionals also counts. Thus, to allow future generations to discover unspoiled and authentic places, favour the destinations involved.

As such, make an informed choice and turn to departments, regions or countries that put in place initiatives to protect and preserve their biodiversity. Even more, promote restaurants in partnership with local producers, urban eco-neighborhoods where bike paths are queen, hot villages under their solar panels, etc.

In France, several destinations are known for their involvement in the environment: the Les Rousses station, Angers , Cevennes , Canal du Midi , Strasbourg , Brittany , Landes , or Camargue . Urban escalation or rural exodus, in the mountains or by the sea, blue-white-red trips can quite be seen in green!

For a little more change, you can also decide to travel green Europe. The Denmark , Crete , Switzerland , Finland , Iceland , Norway , Azores or the Austria are champion countries in terms of responsible tourism.

Not to mention, for a bath of exoticism, the distant countries of green and sustainable tourism. Costa Rica , Tanzania Republic of Palau, French Polynesia , Galápagos Islands, Bahamas , Benin, Mongolia , Rwanda, Bhutan: these destinations are conducive to a carbon-neutral itinerant journey, tested with eco-responsible accommodations, on board an electric car or in landscapes where the well-being of wildlife and floral species prevail.

The distant journey... at your doorstep

Another way of sustainable and responsible travel is to reinvent its vision of the journey. If the latter is often associated with the distant, why not consider it otherwise, more focused on proximity? This allows, among other things, to meet the challenge of ecology and help to contain global warming while satisfying the needs of discoveries and novelties of travellers.

It is quite possible to enjoy intense pleasure by travelling “at home” rather than abroad. Happiness is not only in front of Taj Mahal , at the foot of the Temples of Angkor or at the top of the Machu Picchu . Travel far, wonder, get out of the way, takes much more to the sensations of an experience than to the destination in which it is made. Therefore, why not consider one or more trips to France, able to provide you with the same emotions as thousands of kilometers?

Colorado? Meet the Colorado Provençal in the Vaucluse . Envie de Sahara? Here's the Pilat Dune en Nouvelle Aquitaine . Want a temple in Myanmar? Direction le Palais du Facteur Cheval in the Drôme . Envie de Cappadoce en Turkey ? Discover the organs of Ille-sur-Têt in the Pyrénées Orientales . Envy of infinite steppes of Mongolia ? Explore Nino Lake in Upper Corsica. Want the most beautiful river in the world? No one can ignore the Loire.

In addition to the landscapes, may you dream of tasting other cultures and experiencing strong human experiences? So get out of your comfort zone and meet the shamans, nomads and expatriates in France. Do you have a heart to go to meet yourself during an initiatory journey? In France, temples, bastides, ashrams that use the same rituals as in India exist.

Otherwise, maybe you want to rest and just spend time with your loved ones? The beaches Brittany , Corse and the Basque Country will be largely up to the height. If you are looking for troublesome and risky adventures in unknown lands, we also have the solution. A survival course in the middle of the forest Orleans , in the skin of a hunter picker, is it not more intense than a route in hotels perched by Western tourists?

You will have understood it, France has marvels that can give you the great thrill of the distant journey.

These little bonuses

Have you selected professionals involved in sustainable tourism, booked your eco-friendly accommodation and listed activities without impact on biodiversity and/or focused on local peoples? Great! It's time to wrap up your suitcase. Moreover, what do we bring on a journey when we are a responsible tourist? It’s simple: essential only and you always keep a little room to bring back memories from local crafts. Depending on the destination you choose, make sure you also take the outfits that are appropriate (especially in places of worship). Let aside any external sign of wealth that might contrast with the country's standard of living.

When preparing your bag, think about the necessary accessories to avoid polluting and avoiding any overconsumption. Tote-bags (washable and reusable fabric bags), beauty products and solid care, dildo and reusable cover: go with a real kit of zero waste.

The memories you don’t buy like the photographs are wonderful. However, before making a portrait of a local, always ask him for his permission and take the time to engage in a dialogue if he invites you to do so. In natural or archaeological areas, read the rules to ensure you do not commit a flight or degrade nature by recollection.

Finally, on your return, become a storyteller or storyteller of the riches and fragility of ecosystems. Raising awareness of the environmental issues and the living conditions experienced during your trip so that the "green murmur" can be heard more and more.