Eco-sustainable tourism is a practice that involves traveling without damaging the environment, the economy and the communities you visit.
Today, as never before, it is necessary to travel in a conscious and responsible way. This means respecting the environment, ecosystems, cultures and communities that you visit. How to do it? Through Eco-sustainable tourism.
It is possible to put eco-sustainable tourism into practice by choosing to adopt some simple rules, prefer some destinations to others or by choosing environmentally friendly means of transport.
Below you will find a list of 20 small but precious tips to make your next trip a sustainable one.
- Eat in restaurants which serves 0 km ingredients such as local farms.
- Dispose properly of your waste: do the separate collection and do not throw anything on the ground, in the sea or in the woods. It is a small gesture that costs nothing and added to that of other tourists it will really make a difference for a cleaner planet.
- Do not print, if possible, airline tickets or tickets for museums, exhibitions, so as not to waste paper. Keep them in a digital form, in your smartphone.
- Bring your own bottle, so you can refill it whenever you need, without buying plastic bottles.
- If you have only a couple of days off, travel near home. It is a good way to support local communities and, at the same time, you won’t generate an excessive amount of greenhouse gases.
- Pack your clothes or shoes in fabric bags, do not use plastic disposable bags! Same thing if you need to store some food in your backpack
- When you are at a hotel, do not consume lights and AC in a disproportionate way. Turn them on only when you are inside the room and do not forget to switch them off when you go out.
- Sleeping in hotels is not that sustainable, it costs a lot of energy. Why don’t you sleep at a friend? It is certainly funnier and you will save money too!
- Buy local souvenirs and be careful to check the origin of what you are purchasing. Avoid non-ethical products such as corals, ivory and animal leather
- When you need to take a plane, take a direct flight. If you go near home, use your bike or share your car with your travel buddies.
- Do not forget to collect your trash when you have a picnic in the forest.
- Do not take anything from the environment. It is strictly forbidden to collect seashells or sands from the beaches, stones, corals.
- Avoid the so-called “over tourism”: book your holiday in a period of the year where less people travel and avoid the mainstream destinations. You will enjoy more your holiday and you will save time, money and the planet.
- Avoid cruise ships: they are very polluting and on board, there is a massive waste of food and they do not support the local communities where the ships dock and stop.
- Buy sustainable sunblock: some components of sunscreens are very harmful to fish, corals and the whole aquatic environment. Wear a t-shirt, when possible, to protect yourself from UV rays.
- Choose to swim in a lake or in the sea, rather than in a swimming pool. Lakes and seas are totally natural, no chemicals such as chlorine and ammonia are used, they do not dry out the skin and allow you to fully enjoy the sense of freedom and vacation that summer gives us.
- Do not feed wild animals: doing so means altering their behavior: they will become dependent on man and will put aside their natural distrust.
- Avoid any type of activity which exploits animals. Zoos, circus shows, elephant rides, often even the "sanctuaries" that are supposed to guard sick animals are really just a way to attract tourists and make money.
- Respect the environment, the people and the culture around you: Being respectful also means wearing the right clothes: in sacred places it is better not to enter with short shorts and low-cut T-shirts and in the city it is good not to go around bare-chested, even if it is very hot. Also, if you find yourself in an exotic place and feel like photographing someone, remember to ask first if they agree.
- Do not give money to children who beg or sell souvenirs. You would encourage child labor.
As we have seen, small tricks are enough to travel in a sustainable and responsible way. Having said that, take advantage of this moment to relax and live the days with serenity, in a sustainable way. We truly believe that respect for others and for the world around us must coexist with respect for oneself. Enjoy!