Responsible Travel

Responsible Travel - Peoplehttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/peopleResponsible Travel - Peoplehttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/travelling-cheaply-good-for-planetInstead of feeling limited by a tight budget, consider how being thrifty can have a positive impact on the environment and communities we visit.2023-05-02T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/travelling-cheaply-good-for-planethttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>While hitting the road on a shoestring budget might not sound like the most enjoyable approach to seeing the world, it can actually be a great way to encourage more sustainable travel habits. From the modes of transport we take to the activities we participate in, here are just a few ways being a frugal traveler can have a positive impact on people and the planet.  </p> <ul> <li><span><a href="#1">Off-season travel supports ecosystems and local economies </a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#2">Cheaper accommodation can be sleek and sustainable </a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#3">Simple adventures encourage richer connection </a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#4">Go vego and BYO to cut costs and emissions </a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#5">When it comes to transport, think slow and low </a></span></li> </ul> <h2 id="1">Off-season travel supports ecosystems and local economies</h2> <p>There are plenty of perks to traveling over the quieter months in addition to significant savings, like avoiding the crowds and taking advantage of more availability in sought-after destinations. However, heading on an off-peak adventure also benefits the communities and places we visit, particularly when they are economies that rely heavily on tourism. Traveling to a region during a time when trade is scarce can help to keep local businesses afloat when they might otherwise go for months without an income.</p> <p>Off-season holidays mean you're not contributing to over-tourism, therefore reducing pressure on natural resources and giving nature a chance to regenerate. Less rubbish to be disposed of and more water to go around can ease the strain on the environment, while those traveling by car will likely notice a decrease in traffic and air pollution when hitting the road off-season.</p> <p><strong>TIP – try seeking out '<a href="/explore/europe/italy/what-to-see-and-do-in-lecce">second cities</a>' or lesser-known destinations that have just as much to offer without the 'tourist hotspot' price tag.</strong></p> <h2 id="2">Cheaper accommodation can be sleek and sustainable    </h2> <p>Budget hotels and hostels have come a long way in recent years, with many now designed to offer both stylish and sustainable lodging that caters to families, professionals and backpackers alike. Having a smaller overall footprint than larger hotels means modest accommodation is often inherently more eco-friendly, while common spaces such as kitchens and laundry areas allow resources to be shared. If you'd prefer privacy, there are plenty of <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/why-small-stays-are-a-greener-choice">cabins, tiny houses and wilderness huts</a> that might be more your style.   </p> <p>Avoiding the well-known chains for locally owned accommodation can also mean your dollars are going back into the local economy. For example, a homestay can support the livelihood of an entire family, and a small-scale hotel that's a little bit further from the town center might grow its own produce and use renewable energy. At the end of the day, it pays to do some research before you book to ensure your money is spent responsibly, no matter your budget.</p> <p><strong>TIP – try <a href="https://fairbnb.coop/">Fairbnb</a>, an ethical alternative to Airbnb that supports sustainable community projects, or consider house-swapping as a low-cost, environmentally-friendly option if this is available to you</strong>. </p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/people/travel-cheaply-body-image.jpg" alt="Two backpackers sitting in front of mountains" /><figcaption>A couple backpacking in the mountains. Photo credit: Getty Images/Jordan Siemens</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="3">Simple adventures encourage a richer connection</h2> <p>Making travel dollars go further means getting creative with your choice of activities. Walking or <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/putting-cycling-first">cycling around a new city</a> are great ways to discover the sights and tread lighter along the way, while camping is a sustainable vacation option that also delivers on adventure and that much-needed connection to nature.</p> <p><strong>TIP – save money before you even leave the house by borrowing the items you might not have a lot of use for later, such as a backpack, yoga mat or hiking boots.</strong></p> <p>Activities such as walking, cycling and setting up at a campsite allow us to see and experience more than if we were sitting in a car or a high-rise hotel room and encourage us to engage with local people and cultures, not to mention the health benefits of staying active and spending time outdoors.</p> <p><strong>TIP – many volunteering opportunities such as conservation work, fruit picking, or joining a WWOOFing program offer free board and meals and enable to you to connect with the local community while learning a new skill.</strong></p> <h2 id="4">Go BYO to cut costs and emissions</h2> <p>Meal expenses are a key factor in budgeting for travel, and, with a little planning, it's an area where you can also avoid unnecessary waste. Packing your own lunch in stainless steel food containers when you're heading out for the day means you won't be tempted to grab a pre-packaged sandwich on the go, while carrying a reusable water bottle can save countless plastic bottles from landfill.</p> <p><strong>TIP – many cafes offer a discount for those who bring their own coffee cup, so it's a win-win.</strong></p> <p>Much like at home, eating a vegetarian diet while traveling benefits both the earth and our grocery bill, with farming and processing animals for meat generating 20 times the greenhouse gases of vegetables. Go for the vegetarian option wherever possible and opt for seasonal markets over fancy restaurants to benefit the health of your body, your bank balance and the planet. Eschewing meat and dairy will also make your meals easier to digest, which is always a plus when you're on the road.</p> <h2 id="5">When it comes to transport, think slow and low</h2> <p>How we get to our destination is one of the most important decisions impacting our carbon footprint, and there's no denying the high price of air travel on our wallets and on our planet. You might have found yourself Googling train timetables to avoid the cost of a last-minute flight, however, there's more to love about a rail pass than the price. <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/the-return-of-train-travel">Traveling by train</a> is one of the most energy-efficient modes of transport, and it's also one of the most scenic.</p> <p>As a rule, the shorter the distance you travel, the lower your carbon footprint, although covering fewer miles doesn't mean missing out on experiences. On the contrary, staying put for longer can lead to a richer experience and understanding of a place. When you're not focused on getting to your next destination, you'll have more time to chat to locals, seek out traditional culture and cuisine, and get a better sense of what it feels like to live in and be a part of a community.</p>Getty Images / SolStock 0 A woman traveler on a boat under palms

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/responsible-travel-heroesHow Intrepid Travel is helping to decarbonize the global travel industry under Global Environmental Impact Manager, Dr. Susanne Etti.2023-04-11T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/responsible-travel-heroeshttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>Melbourne-based Intrepid Travel, one of the world’s largest travel companies, has long been a leader in responsible, ethical and sustainable travel. Intrepid’s first Global Environmental Impact Manager, Dr. Susanne Etti, explains how she came to be at the helm of Intrepid’s latest, greatest mission: to decarbonize travel.  </p> <p>Growing up in Germany, with a love of nature and an interest in biology, spending any free time she had hiking and skiing in the Alps, Etti couldn’t have predicted that life’s winding path would eventually lead her to Melbourne, Australia, where she would become a passionate advocate for climate action in tourism.</p> <p>This latest chapter in her life started in January 2019 when Etti – who has a Ph.D. in biology – joined <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au">Intrepid Travel</a> as the adventure tour operator’s first Global Environmental Impact Manager. It’s a role that seems tailor-made for Etti and is integral to everything Intrepid does, given the company’s longstanding commitment to ethical, sustainable travel and climate action.</p> <p>Straight out of the blocks, Etti helped Intrepid become the world’s first travel company to commit to a science-based emissions reduction target that aligns with a 1.5°C future, which was verified in 2020 by the <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/">Science Based Targets Initiative</a> (SBTI). In 2022, Intrepid ramped this up by committing to SBTI’s long-term net zero target: a 90 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050, with carbon removal (not offsets) used to neutralize any remaining emissions. Etti was also involved in Intrepid becoming one of the first travel companies to <a href="https://www.tourismdeclares.com/">declare a climate emergency</a> and develop a climate action plan in 2020, and one of the first signatories to the UN-backed <a href="https://www.unwto.org/the-glasgow-declaration-on-climate-action-in-tourism">Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism</a> launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. And these are just a few of her achievements so far.</p> <p>So how did Etti get here and what does the future of travel look like to her?   </p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/make-a-difference/index-responsible-travel/people/dr-susanne-etti-dolomites-in-articlejpg.jpg" /><figcaption>Dr. Susanne Etti in the Dolomites.</figcaption></figure> <h2><strong>Was there a moment in your life when the climate crisis became real for you? </strong></h2> <p>I think spending a lot of time in the European Alps as a child, on skis and in walking boots, I grew up being aware of glaciers and the fact that they were changing. Scientific knowledge about climate change wasn’t as advanced back then as it is today, but the conversation was definitely starting. Then, when I was in high school, there was a growing awareness of deforestation happening in the Amazon. I realized that if I studied biology it would give me an understanding of how the natural world works. I ended up doing my Master’s and Ph.D. theses on the impact of climate change on infectious diseases, specifically malaria and Lyme disease, and while I was at university I got to spend three months in the Ecuadorian rainforest, in the Amazon, doing field research, which had a big impact on me.</p> <h2><strong>In what way?</strong> </h2> <p>Experiencing primary rainforest was quite magical, just seeing the enormous diversity of species there. I saw my first hummingbird, a tiny thing that weighs only three grams. I also saw first-hand the impact of deforestation; even if there is regrowth, you lose so much biodiversity. That experience made me realize I was on the right track studying biology and that I didn’t want to specialize in ornithology or taxonomy. I wanted to look at the bigger picture, see how all the various elements fit together, and use that knowledge to help change things for the better.</p> <h2 id="help">How did you get from studying biology to working in sustainability?</h2> <p>During my Ph.D., I worked part-time with a carbon-offsetting start-up and I got full-time employment with them when I finished my degree in 2005, which led to various consulting roles in corporate <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/what-the-uns-sustainability-goals-mean-for-travel">sustainability </a>around the world [until 2019]. Leaving academia was a very conscious decision for me. I wanted to work <em>with</em> industry, in the business sector, and I thought that as a scientist I could bring some rigor to the conversation.</p> <h2><strong>Was it also a conscious decision to work in the travel industry?</strong></h2> <p>Not at all. How it happened was that I could see the climate crisis was intensifying, I wanted to work in the climate space and when I saw this role with Intrepid I was just really impressed with what they were doing. They were a <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/why-we-became-a-b-corp/">certified B Corp</a> [since 2018], they were carbon neutral way back in 2010, and their climate journey actually started in 2005 when everyone in senior management read <em>The Weather Makers</em> by Tim Flannery. <em>An Inconvenient Truth</em> came out around the same time and Intrepid took all its staff and customers to see the film. Then they got to work, measuring their carbon footprint. They just have this “we want to do more” attitude across the entire company, from the board to their trip leaders, and that seemed a great match for my experience.</p> <h2><strong>What does your work at Intrepid involve?</strong></h2> <p>In one sense, I’m continuing what Intrepid has been doing since 2010 and scaling it up so we can improve what we do. Through Intrepid’s annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory, for instance, we now know exactly what the carbon footprint is per passenger per day for every trip we run. That’s exciting because we can now give more precise data to our product team that creates all our trips and use that data to ramp up decarbonization. It’s no longer about carbon neutrality; that’s not going to save us from the climate crisis. Our focus now is on decarbonizing all our operations, including all the trips we run, worldwide. My job is basically to ensure that climate action and decarbonization are top of mind throughout the company and all it does.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/make-a-difference/index-responsible-travel/people/dr-susanne-etti-in-article-india.jpg" /><figcaption>Dr. Susanne Etti hiking in India.</figcaption></figure> <h2><strong>How did the pandemic pause in travel affect sustainability in the industry?</strong></h2> <p>I think it helped us all start working together more on climate action. When I joined Intrepid, I really wanted to help create change across the whole industry and during the pandemic, I became really focused on helping other travel companies – most of which are small-medium businesses that don’t have someone like me on staff – use that time when they weren’t able to run trips, to act on climate change. We encouraged them to sign <a href="https://www.tourismdeclares.com/">Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency</a>. We published a free <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/decarbonise-travel/">10-step guide to decarbonizing your travel business</a>. We made available our <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/download-our-carbon-measurement-blueprint-for-tour-operators">methodology around measurement</a> and decarbonization because unless you measure, you don’t know how to reduce your emissions. And on the animal welfare side, we created the <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/download-our-animal-welfare-policy-toolkit">Animal Welfare Policy Toolkit</a> for companies that include animals in their tour offerings, which we developed with <a href="https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au/">World Animal Protection</a>.</p> <h2>What do you love about your job?</h2> <p>I love engaging with people to create change. I try to make sure that every single staff member within Intrepid understands that they’re part of decarbonization. I was trained by Al Gore in 2011 as part of<span> </span><a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/">The Climate Reality Project</a><span> </span>to present his slideshow from<span> </span><em>An Inconvenient Truth</em>, so I hold virtual sessions with our staff around the world [Intrepid has more than 1,700 staff members] to explain why we need to change and help them figure out how they can change. It’s about developing a culture, and reminding people that climate action happens at every level.</p> <h2><strong>Anything you don’t love about it?</strong></h2> <p>While the measurement side is super important, it is <em>extremely</em> time-consuming. You want to be as accurate as possible and we’re always broadening our scope, adding more detail; for example, we’re counting working-from-home emissions now and the emissions of professional services we use. Coming out the other side of our annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory is always a big relief!</p> <h2><strong>What’s ahead for Intrepid in terms of reducing its environmental impact?</strong></h2> <p>We’re really committed to our decarbonization strategy and staying on track to meet our near and long-term science-based targets. We’re also developing a biodiversity strategy because we don’t just have a climate crisis, we’re in a biodiversity crisis too. And we have an ongoing commitment to reducing plastic pollution, at all levels of our operations, working with our suppliers to provide, say, water filters or jerrycans on trips to avoid single-use water bottles.</p> <h2><strong>What do you think “sustainable travel” will look like in 2030 and beyond?</strong></h2> <p>I think aviation is the biggest challenge for the travel industry, so innovations around sustainable fuels will be critical. But there will also be changes in the way people travel, which we’re already seeing, like staying longer when we fly long-haul and using trains more. Intrepid is switching to high-speed <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/the-return-of-train-travel">trains</a> in countries like Japan, for instance, to reduce short flights on certain trips. There’ll be changes in seasonality; the hiking season in Europe might extend into October, for instance, while August might become too hot for hiking.</p> <p>As more and more people consider the impact of their travels, I think the industry will have to provide more responsible, sustainable, low-carbon trips. We know that travel improves our lives and often the places we visit, but it also has a huge carbon footprint, contributing around 8 per cent of global emissions, so it’s going become increasingly important that we all reduce our impact on the natural environment as much as possible.</p>Images provided by Dr Susanne Etti 0 A woman hike rests on a hillside with snow

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/destination-zero-wasteWe can travel more consciously by visiting those places making bold leaps towards zero waste… and by leaving them just as we found them.2023-04-11T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/destination-zero-wastehttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>Fortunately for us travel lovers, some of the best destinations on earth are also some of the most progressive in their commitment to waste reduction, aiming towards a <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/zero-waste-dining">zero-waste economy</a>. And it’s not just some of the big names – those large modern cities where we expect to find plenty of innovation towards waste management. I’m thinking San Francisco, Copenhagen, Singapore.</p> <ul> <ul> <li><span><a href="#global">Global movement</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#what">What is zero waste?</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#plastic">The plastic problem</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#help">What can travelers do to help?</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#leave">Leave nothing behind</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#local">Local legislation</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#zero">Zero waste – a win-win</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="#success">Success in Sardinia</a></span></li> </ul> </ul> <h2 id="global">Global movement</h2> <p>In far-flung corners of the globe, there are also smaller, more remote – and beautiful – destinations making impressive efforts to eliminate waste.</p> <p>Take Siquijor, a tiny island province in the Philippines home to around 100,000 people. Plastic is prohibited on the island meaning that people often take their own bags to markets and grocery stores, and their own reusable containers to restaurants.</p> <p>The island’s roads, parks, beaches, and markets are free of plastic litter – and the local marine and bird life can breathe a sigh of relief in the nation’s third largest producer of marine plastic pollution.</p> <h2 id="what">What is zero waste?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.no-burn.org/about/">The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)</a> recently defined zero waste as “a comprehensive waste management approach that prioritizes waste reduction and material recovery. <br /><br />“Strategies include policy interventions and business approaches to drive the redesign of products and delivery systems; and increasing access to reuse, repair, recycling, and composting.</p> <p>“The ultimate aim is to create a circular economy, shrinking waste disposal to zero.”</p> <p>So, zero waste is more than just managing waste – it’s about not producing it in the first place and increasing reuse and recycling. Traditional disposal systems that rely on incineration and landfill to handle waste are not zero waste – these are expensive and harmful to the environment.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/make-a-difference/index-responsible-travel/people/zero-waste-in-article-image.jpg" /><figcaption>Punta Don Diego beach in Sardinia (Italy) Photo credit: Getty Images/virtualphoto</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="plastic">The plastic problem</h2> <p>The issue for many tourist destinations is that they often end up being spoiled by their success; while they attract plenty of visitors, with those greater numbers comes extra rubbish and many smaller places don’t have the extra resources to deal with it.</p> <p>Claire Arkin, Global Communications Lead for GAIA, told us: “Many tourist destinations tend to be near bodies of water like oceans, rivers and lakes. But the natural beauty that draws tourists to these areas become hotspots for waste pollution, threatening the tourism economy for residents.</p> <p>“Plastic pollution in particular causes major problems,” Arkin said. “Most single-use plastic is used for a short period and then stays in the environment in one form or another for hundreds of years.</p> <p>“So many tourist destinations have to deal with growing volumes of plastic waste that are impossible to manage. This plastic gets into bodies of water, litters streets, clogs gutters and drains, etc.”</p> <p>This not only detracts from the destination’s beauty, Arkin told us, but it’s expensive to clean up. It can also make areas more prone to flooding, and exposes residents to toxic pollution from sources like microplastics and emissions from burning plastic.</p> <h2 id="help">What can travelers do to help?</h2> <p>“Tourists can seek out and support accommodations and businesses that practice zero waste,” Arkin said. <br /><br />“Travelers can also take the opportunity to learn more about the community groups and organizations working towards zero waste in the place that they are visiting – these kinds of cross-regional exchanges help the zero-waste movement grow!”</p> <p>Or she suggests joining such groups to support their efforts towards zero waste, including <a href="https://www.no-burn.org/join-gaia/">GAIA</a>. </p> <h2 id="leave">Leave nothing behind</h2> <p>Camila Aguilera of GAIA Latin America offers practical ways tourists can help destinations on their road to zero waste. Aguilera works with Puerto Natales, a city in Chilean Patagonia making deep inroads towards zero waste.</p> <p>Puerto Natales is the primary transit point of travelers to Torres del Paine National Park, “one of the most visited natural in Chile,” said Aguilera. During some periods the city’s overpopulation with tourists seriously affects its waste management, exacerbated by its remote location.</p> <p>GAIA Latin America works with a local environmental conservation organization <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fundacionlenga/?hl=en">Fundación Lenga</a> and collaborates with a tour operator and a hostel on a program to reduce waste and promote recycling.</p> <p>“Although recycling is very difficult since the city cannot be reached by road,” Aguilera said. “Making the transport of recyclable waste not only very difficult, but also costly.</p> <p>“Where possible, always refill and reuse containers. When visiting national parks, return with waste at least to the nearest town. If it is difficult to manage waste in Puerto Natales, it is much more complex to do so in a remote national park.”</p> <p>Auguilera also advises asking tourist operators and hotels and hostels if they have zero-waste initiatives in their businesses.</p> <p>“Tourism is the economic engine of the area and if tourists themselves start making zero waste demands, it can accelerate the efforts of local communities and organizations such as Fundación Lenga.”</p> <h2 id="local">Local legislation</h2> <p>However, Aguilera said it’s not tourists themselves that are the problem, but the lack of legal mandates to control waste.</p> <p>“Of course, tourists generate a lot of disposable waste because they are just passing through, but it is not the tourists themselves who are the problem. The real problem is that in places as remote and naturally important as Patagonia, the use of disposable containers should not be allowed. </p> <p>“There should be a legal mandate forcing companies to provide the possibility of reuse and refilling. But until that happens, tourists' waste is affecting overburdened management systems… We are talking about a tremendously windy place, where waste can end up far away in nature.”</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/make-a-difference/index-responsible-travel/people/zero-waste-in-article-2.jpg" /><figcaption>Siquijor island, Philippines. Photo credit: Getty Images/Max Shen</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="zero">Zero waste – a win-win</h2> <p>Back to Siquijor in the Philippines, which made such mandates, with great success. </p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.no-burn.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Community-Voices_single.pdf">a report on the island’s waste reduction</a>, making waste management part of the agenda results in “a win-win scenario for local communities, especially in highly urbanized and/or tourism areas with challenges in land space for sanitary landfills.”</p> <p>“The community gets to maintain the beauty of the place and invite more tourists while also saving money that would otherwise be spent on managing increasing waste.”</p> <p>Aiming for <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/sustainable-terms">zero waste</a> through waste reduction, reuse, repair and recycling also can also boost local economies by job generation with not only more, but better, jobs, according to GAIA. </p> <p>They estimate that, compared with incinerators and landfills, repair creates over 200 times more jobs; recycling, over 50 times more jobs; and remanufacturing, almost 30 times more jobs.”</p> <h2 id="success">Success in Sardinia</h2> <p>Over in Europe, another destination that has become a model for zero-waste progress is the beautiful Italian island Sardinia. A combination of government legislation and incentives <a href="https://www.missionzeroacademy.eu/miza/leading-by-example-sardinias-zero-waste-model/">has transformed waste management on the island over twenty years</a>, despite the challenges of its relative remoteness from the mainland and large visitor numbers.</p> <p>The island aimed to stop biowaste from ending up in landfill with a compulsory separate collection, as well as targets on the amount of biowaste per inhabitant and the introduction of a reward/penalty system.</p> <p>Now, 206 out of 377 municipalities have achieved a recycling rate above 65 per cent. To put this in perspective, the European recycling target for 2035 is 65 per cent, so over half of Sardinia’s municipalities are already there.</p> <p>That sounds like a win-win for both locals and visitors.</p>Getty Images/Javier Ghersi 0 A town at sunrise

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/sustainable-termsStaying up-to-date with the latest sustainability terms can ensure we’re all on the same page and may even broaden our ideas of what the future of travel could look like.2025-01-27T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/sustainable-termshttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>Ecotourism, carbon offsets and greenwashing are <em>so</em> five minutes ago. As our planet changes and traveling sustainably increasingly becomes the new normal, new words keep busting down the door of our ethical lexicon.</p> <p>Of course, words can still be used to hide our true intentions and hoodwink others (greenwashing will probably always be a thing). But words can be a force for good too, connecting us with like-minded travelers and immersing us in a more sustainable future; speak the lingo and you’re already part of the responsible travel revolution.</p> <p>Here are a few sustainable travel terms we’re all going to be hearing – and saying – a lot more.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#nature"> Nature positive </a></li> <li><a href="#foodprint">Foodprint</a></li> <li><a href="#decolonizing"> Decolonizing </a></li> <li><a href="#guerilla"> Guerilla humanitarianism </a></li> <li><a href="#zero">Net zero</a></li> <li><a href="#climate">Climate positive</a></li> <li><a href="#untourism">Untourism</a></li> <li><a href="#jomo">Jomo travel</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="nature">Nature positive</h2> <p>“Nature positive” has become the buzz phrase of our time, particularly since the UN’s Biodiversity Conference, COP15, in Montreal in December 2022, where an historic global agreement was signed to, among other things, <span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/19/cop15-historic-deal-signed-to-halt-biodiversity-loss-by-2030-aoe" target="_blank">protect 30 per cent of the planet for nature</a></span> and halt biodiversity loss by 2030 (the “30 by 30” target).</p> <p>“Nature positive” is essentially the idea that limiting our damage to the natural environment isn’t enough; we need to ensure our actions have a <em>positive</em> impact. How? The World Travel and Tourism Council's <span><a href="https://research.wttc.org/nature-positive-travel-and-tourism?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=nature-positive-report&utm_content=pensara_video" target="_blank">Nature Positive Travel & Tourism report</a></span> focuses on “reversing damage to nature” through recovery and regeneration and include tips on how to protect biodiversity and travel in harmony with nature.</p> <h2 id="foodprint">Foodprint</h2> <p>A play on “carbon footprint”, this one relates to the environmental, animal welfare and social impact of the foods we eat. It might be trickier to calculate your “foodprint” than the carbon emissions of a trip, but it’s more about eating as ethically as we can, using guides such as Melbourne-based <a href="https://sustainabletable.org.au/all-things-ethical-eating/" target="_blank">Sustainable Table</a> and US-based <a href="https://foodprint.org/" target="_blank">Foodprint</a> and its <span><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-youre-eating/id1609268111" target="_blank">What You’re Eating</a></span> podcast.</p> <p>A related term is “climavore” – someone who reduces their impact on the climate through their food decisions. Being a climavore goes beyond eating plant-based or choosing SLOW (seasonal, local, organic, whole) foods when we travel. It involves considering the fossil-fuels used to grow, process, store, transport and cook what we eat, particularly in remote locations, and making food decisions as specific, and as beneficial, as possible to the destinations we visit.</p> <h2 id="decolonizing">Decolonizing</h2> <p>This growing movement – also called “rejecting neo-colonializm” – seeks to challenge predominantly white, Western perspectives that dominate how many destinations are presented and experienced. The goal: a truly inclusive, local-centric way of seeing and experiencing those places. “Decolonizing” travel means being aware of our privilege in traveling and questioning messages we might be presented with, asking at any given moment, “Is this the voice of the colonizer or the colonized?<span>”.</span></p> <p>As travelers, we can choose tours that shine a light on the realities behind tourism – such as those offered by <span><a href="https://www.makingtheroad.com/" target="_blank">Making the Road</a></span> and the Hawaii DeTours Project (and companion <span><a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2667/DetoursA-Decolonial-Guide-to-Hawai-i" target="_blank">book</a></span>) – avoid white saviorism (particularly when volunteering) and words like “discover” and “colonial charm”, and support local guides and locally owned businesses, restaurants and hotels to ensure that the money we spend stays in the communities we visit.<br /><br /></p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/7sustainabletravelterms/beach-cleanup.jpg" /><figcaption> Picking up litter when you travel makes a difference. Photo credit: Getty Images: Solstock</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="guerilla" style="text-align: left;">Guerilla humanitarianism</h2> <p>Less institutional and more hands-on than voluntourism, “guerilla humanitarianism” is simply about doing good while you’re on the road. At its most basic, it can involve doing spontaneous beach clean-ups during a surf trip. Or you could pack specific items needed by people living where you’re going, whether it’s shoes or school books or medical supplies, donating them via hotels and tour operators through US-based <span><a href="https://www.packforapurpose.org/" target="_blank">Pack for a Purpose</a></span>, which runs projects in more than 55 countries.</p> <p>Similarly, <span><a href="https://www.wavesforwater.org/couriers/about" target="_blank">Waves for Water</a></span> has a “courier” program whereby travelers can crowdfund compact water filters they then carry in to remote, often inaccessible, communities; each water filter can provide 100 people with clean water for up to five years.</p> <h2 id="zero">Net zero</h2> <p>“Zero carbon” – not producing <em>any</em> carbon emissions – might be the holy grail when it comes to climate action, but total decarbonization is practically impossible for the travel industry, which is responsible for roughly <a href="https://sustainabletravel.org/issues/carbon-footprint-tourism/" target="_blank">8 per cent of global emissions</a>. The next best thing is a “net zero” approach, which involves travel companies using <span><a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/net-zero" target="_blank">science-based targets</a></span> to make “rapid, deep emissions cuts”, reducing their emissions by 90-95 per cent by 2050 and neutralizing the remaining 5-10 per cent through carbon removal.</p> <p><a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au" target="_blank">Intrepid Travel</a>, which has been carbon neutral since 2010, has signed up to this approach. Their decarbonization measures include removing short-haul flights from 14 of their most popular trips in destinations such as Vietnam, Turkey, and Egypt.</p> <h2 id="climate">Climate positive</h2> <p><span>In a perfect world, being “climate positive” would involve actually removing more carbon, and other greenhouse gases, from the atmosphere – through, say, carbon storage technology – than you produce. In reality, climate-positive companies use carbon offsetting, to offset more carbon than they emit. You might also hear travel companies marketing themselves as “</span>climate-conscious<span>” or “</span>climate-aware<span>”, meaning they’re taking action to reduce their contribution to the climate crisis, throughout their supply chains.</span></p> <p>Going next level, Bhutan became the<span> </span><a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Q_qHCk815Yh46kR6FJozQU?domain=earth.org/" target="_blank">world’s first “carbon-negative” destination</a><span> </span><span>in 2021; its extensive forests act as a carbon sink, absorbing more carbon than the tiny Himalayan country produces. And</span><span> </span><a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/tqKEC91W8JHxgz6ghoLBoe?domain=discovergabon.com/">Gabon</a><span> </span><span>in central Africa uses its equatorial rainforests to do the same, but calls itself the most</span><span> </span><a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/XItNC0YKgwF4Dk9DFDKeIU?domain=karryon.com.au/">“carbon positive”</a><span> </span><span>nation on earth</span><em>.</em></p> <h2 id="untourism">Untourism</h2> <p>First, there was overtourism. Then came undertourism, with tour operators promoting unsung hiking trails and “second cities”, to share the travel love.</p> <p>Now there’s “untourism” which, in its purest form, is all about wandering, without a list or an itinerary, letting serendipity be your guide. It’s about travelers interacting directly with locals who get to show off their favorite places and the things they love doing to a select few, in an ad hoc fashion – not on organized tours. It’s personal, unplanned, affecting and refreshingly non-commercial – although, inevitably, there are “untours” such as the wildly popular <span><a href="https://www.wehatetourismtours.com/" target="_blank">We Hate Tourism Tours</a></span> in Portugal.</p> <h2 id="jomo">Jomo travel</h2> <p>You’re likely familiar with the term FOMO (fear of missing out). This type of social pressure often has travelers packing as much into their itinerary as possible. What if you don’t check out that restaurant or beach or museum everyone is raving about?</p> <p>JOMO (the joy of missing out) turns that on its head. Similar to the “<a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/the-beauty-of-slow-travel">slow travel</a>” movement, Jomo travel is about intentionally limiting the number of stops or attractions you visit, and instead taking the time to truly savor and enjoy the place you’re in. It’s OK not to see or do everything. And it’s OK not to share every moment on social media. Putting phones down and keeping your schedule light makes for a much more relaxing holiday.</p> <p>Jomo travel often involves spending time in nature or seeking out wellness retreats, but it can apply to a city visit or stay-cation too. It has the added benefits of helping local economies and reducing your carbon footprint, since you’re staying longer in one place.</p>Getty Images / Pamela Joe McFarlane 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/indigenous-foodWe can all learn from ancient, seasonal food practices and traditions when we travel.2023-02-21T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/indigenous-foodhttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>After escaping the tourist crowds of Tulum, I found myself sleeping in a hammock beneath a thatched roof hut in a small, dusty Mayan village on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Every morning and every evening, I had the pleasure of sitting beneath the shade of palm trees while indulging in a colorful spread of fresh foods prepared by the women in the village. Green avocado smashed with lime and salt. Magenta-hued water pressed from fresh hibiscus leaves (or, in Spanish, <em>jamaica</em>). Corn tortillas, black beans spiced with chilies, and steaming tamales wrapped in corn husks cooked underground. Many of these dishes are familiar suspects commonly associated with contemporary Mexican cuisine. In reality, all of these dishes have much older roots. They have origins with the indigenous Mayan peoples inhabiting the Yucatan peninsula of modern-day Mexico, whose cuisine dates back as far as 1500 BC.</p> <p>Many of our favorite foods from around the world have ancient indigenous heritages. From familiar ingredients such as quinoa, avocado, cacao, wild salmon, squash, and maple syrup, to lesser recognized ancient ingredients that were once commonly foraged such as yaupon (the only indigenous caffeinated plant in North America), chokeberries, and <em>timpsula</em> (a wild prairie turnip) in the Americas, to lemon myrtle and finger limes in Australia, indigenous cuisine is deeply tied to the local land.</p> <p>Over the past several centuries, colonialism and globalization spurred an unprecedented movement of people, goods, and ideas. Consequently, the trajectory of the world and food as it once existed was permanently altered. Indigenous foods and techniques were blended with new ingredients and over time new dishes and fusion foods commonly recognized in contemporary cuisine emerged. Consequently, the purity of indigenous cuisine was lost, along with its culture association.</p> <p>As original stewards of the land who lived in rhythm with the changing of seasons, a celebration of seasonal, local ingredients with conservation-focused techniques such as foraging, pickling, and curing was, and still are, fundamental to indigenous diets. The native Sami people from the Lapland region of Sweden, Norway, and Finland, for example, have at least eight seasons of food. Reindeer is central to Sami cuisine and every part of the animal is used, in stews, cured into sausages, reserved after slaughter, so it lasts through the winter. Cloudberries, mushrooms, and lingonberries are some of the goods the Sami forage in the forest, used fresh, in jams, and in herbal concoctions.</p> <p>In an age where hyper-local, hyper-seasonal cuisine is taking the center stage in dining experiences, we should look to indigenous traditions to understand this increasingly important ethos to how we eat. It’s nothing revolutionary but rather a return to ancient wisdom and a reverence for the land.</p> <h2><strong><span>Indigenous food experiences</span></strong></h2> <p>From North, Central, and South America, to Australia and New Zealand, indigenous communities around the world are working to preserve and celebrate the food of their ancestors and the food that is still prominent in their cultures today. For foodies, history buffs, and conscious consumers alike, there are an array of cafes, restaurants, and immersive experiences focused on fostering the cuisine of indigenous communities. On your next travels, whether they be far afield or simply at a dining establishment in your hometown, seek out culinary experiences that celebrate indigenous food. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorites for some inspiration. Keep in mind, that while some are curated, others can be experienced by tapping into the local food scene in countries such as Mexico and Guatemala.</p> <p><span><a href="https://www.makamham.com/cafeohlone"><strong>Café Ohlone</strong></a><strong> in Berkeley, CA, USA: </strong>described as a “love song to Ohlone culture,” Café Ohlone transports guests to a reimagined time as they enter a redwood-framed shadow box where native plants dance in the sun and wind. This café at the University of California Berkeley’s Hearst Museum of Anthropology is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the history and culture of the Ohlone tribe. A garden thrives with aromatic native plants that are used in various teas and dishes on the menu. The dining experience at Café Ohlone is intentional and educational, designed to immerse visitors in every element of Ohlone culture. Traditional, seasonal foods such as black oak acorn soup, chanterelle mushrooms, Dungeness crab, and teas made from yerba Buena, elderberry, and hummingbird sage make for a colorful and intriguing menu. Café Ohlone is as much a celebration of Ohlone culture for guests to experience, as it is a gathering space for the Ohlone people, where language classes, cultural sessions, and food drop-offs are held.</span></p> <p><span><a href="https://www.songheesevents.ca/food-truck"><strong>Songhees Nation Food Truck</strong></a><strong> in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: </strong>the Songhees Nation hold a prominent place along the waters of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. To honor this heritage and promote cultural awareness, the Songhees Nation Food Truck was started in 2016 as a partnership between the Songhees Nation and Clipper Vacations (the ferry traveling between Victoria and Seattle). Currently, the food truck is fully Songhees-owned and run. Aaron, or Cheethlum in Coastal Salsih, says that the goal behind the truck is to “use modern twists on traditional foods. The features we do are fun, and we like to use seafood when possible.” The menu features fresh, local ingredients like wild salmon, bison, and bannock (a flatbread), that echo the culture of the Songhees. These Songhees-inspired culinary creations can be enjoyed in a relaxed seating area designed to look like a traditional longhouse.</span></p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/indigenousfood/beach-walk.jpg " alt="Daintree beach walk." /> <figcaption> Visitors are shown indigenous food sources on a Queensland beach in Australia. Photo credit: Walkabout Cultural Adventures and Tourism Australia.</figcaption></figure> <p><span><a href="https://walkaboutadventures.com.au/"><strong>Walkabout Cultural Adventures</strong></a><strong> in Queensland, Australia</strong>: Juan pointed to the tree trunk crawling with green ants. “Do you see these green ants? They have a distinct lime flavor.” He held the head of a squirming ant as I bit off the end and waited for the burst of citrus. In Kuku Yalanji country around the Daintree Rainforest, green ants are commonly used for seasoning and medicine. Seven Seasons has even distilled a <a href="https://www.seven-seasons.com.au/product/green-ant-gin-700-ml">Green Ant Gin</a>, which has a distinctively citrus pop. Beyond emerald-colored insects, the Daintree Rainforest in Tropical Northern Queensland is abundant with fresh ingredients found within the thick tangles of the forest, including berries and fruits like Damson, native gingers, and pencil cedar fruit. And among the marshy mangroves bordering the coast, one can collect shellfish, snails, cockles, crabs, and fish. With Walkabout Cultural Tours, an aboriginal-run company, you can accompany guides like Juan into the rainforest and along the coast to learn about what the Kuku Yalanji people traditionally ate and what they foraged for in the bush for food and medicine. “Sharing our culture and creating an understanding with a broader audience is a pathway to preservation and reconciliation,” remarked Juan. “And like most cultures, the sharing of food brings family and people together.”</span></p> <p><span><a href="https://www.hiakai.co.nz/"><strong>Hiakai</strong></a><strong> in Wellington, New Zealand: </strong>Maori culinary experiences aren’t the easiest to come by in New Zealand, or Aotearoa as the modern nation is called in Maori. Traditional dishes and ingredients from the native stewards of Aotearoa include the likes of fresh mussels in <em>puha </em>juice (fern thistle), <em>pikopiko </em>(fern roots), <em>kumara</em> (sweet potato), and local species of fish. <em>Hangi</em> is a traditional method of cooking beneath the ground, using heated rocks buried in a pit oven. If you find yourself in Wellington, it’s worth making a reservation at <a href="https://www.hiakai.co.nz/">Hiakai</a>. First started as a pop-up series hosted by chef Monique Fiso that focused on exploring and showcasing Maori cooking techniques, Hiakai has now landed in a permanent space in Wellington. This women-led establishment has challenged and pushed the boundaries of Maori cuisine in New Zealand, paving the way for an innovative exploration of indigenous cuisine meeting modern, exploratory techniques. The menu is inspired by “the whenua (land), moana (sea), and tāngata (people) of Aotearoa”; a reflection of the Maori’s deep respect for the earth and the ocean.</span> </p> <p><span><a href="https://owamni.com/"><strong>Owamni by the Sioux Chef</strong></a><strong> in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: </strong>Sean Sherman, author of <em>The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, </em>first opened Owamni as a catering company. In 2021, it transitioned into a permanent establishment serving Dakota and Ojibwe dishes. The menu is completely decolonized, meaning that it exclusively uses ingredients that were found in North America prior to European colonization. Curious what this looks like? Blue corn bread, elk with blackberries and cranberries, wild rice, and bison and black bean stew are among the dishes that guests can choose between. Colonial ingredients, such as dairy, cane sugar, and wheat flour won’t be found on the menu. At its heart, Owamni serves decolonized food of “Mni Sota Makoce: Land Where the Waters Reflect the Clouds.”</span></p>Walkabout Cultural Adventures and Tourism and Events Queensland 0 Walking on a beach near Daintree

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/putting-cycling-firstBy prioritising cycling, these cities are becoming more flexible, sustainable and liveable.2025-04-08T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/putting-cycling-firsthttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#madison">Madison, USA</a></li> <li><a href="#nyc">New York City, USA</a></li> <li><a href="#utrecht">Utrecht, Netherlands</a></li> <li><a href="#bogata">Bogotá, Colombia </a></li> <li><a href="#paris">Paris, France</a></li> </ul> <p>Not only are cars incredibly damaging to the planet, as their fuel pollutes the air we breathe, but many people simply can’t afford to own cars so they rely on public transportation and bicycles to get around. <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/cycling-travel-insurance">Cycling</a> affords flexibility and freedom, where your leg strength (and the condition of your bike, of course) are the only factors limiting you from getting where you need to go.</p> <p>By making cycling a more accessible option, cities can create a more level playing field where everyone – regardless of whether or not they own a car – can move around the city safely, easily, and in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.</p> <p>The best-known and most popular example of cycling infrastructure is the cyclist’s beloved bike lane, which comes in many forms. Some lanes are shared with cars, with nothing more than minimal on-street markings, while others are fully separated, protected paths.</p> <p>Bike lines create a demarcated safe space for cyclists that both encourages more cycling and forces drivers to respect the street space afforded to cyclists. They are a great start to encourage more pedal-powered transportation but they are just that, a start, as they are only one tool in the cycling tool box.</p> <p>Some cities around the world have made strong investments in education and broader cycling infrastructure that make cycling easier, safer, and more enjoyable. Here are some of the top global destinations that are putting cycling first.</p> <h2 id="madison">Madison, USA</h2> <p>This small state capital may be known to visitors for its lively nightlife, frequent political rallies, and “forever young” college town vibe but, for locals, it’s also well-known for its love of cycling. Wisconsinites are a hearty bunch, as anyone who lives here needs to put up with brutally cold and snowy winters, including cyclists.</p> <p>Madison city officials have responded by not only installing bike tools along popular bike routes, but by actually plowing bike lanes in the winter so that cyclists can still ride. Bike lanes often get ignored by snow plows (most of which can’t even fit in them) and it’s especially rare to find a small city footing the bill to plow them. But because Madison lanes are plowed, you’ll see Madisonians riding no matter the weather.</p> <p>The city has also received one of the coveted few <a href="https://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/blog/2024-02-07/madison-renewed-as-platinum-bicycle-friendly-community" target="_blank">Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community status awards</a><span> from the League of American Bicyclists. The award was granted as a result of Madison investing in pedestrian and bicycle bridges over major highways, cross-flow bike lanes (bike lanes going in both directions on a one-way street), a citywide <a href="https://madison.bcycle.com/" target="_blank">Madison BCycle</a> bike share system, bicycle crossing signals at intersections, and an extensive network of bike lanes that connect Madison with surrounding communities.</span></p> <h2 id="nyc">New York City, USA</h2> <p>The city that never sleeps is one of the best places in the world for cycling, in no small part thanks to the priority the city has placed on cycling infrastructure. While local cyclists (myself included) still complain about how much more could be done (and about the NYPD cops who consistently park in the bike lanes), there is no denying the huge investment the city has made to make cycling safer and easier here. From installing bike lanes – and maintaining them in good condition – to offering free helmet giveaways in the summer, the Big Apple has long prioritized and promoted cycling as a way to stay fit and reduce the city’s famous congestion problem.</p> <p>New York City has an extensive network of bike lanes across the city, including dozens of large, wide, fully protected bike paths along main avenues. In many cases, entire parking and driving lanes have been eliminated to create space for cyclists, much to the anger of local drivers. New York’s <span><a href="https://citibikenyc.com/" target="_blank">CitiBike bike share program</a> is the largest in the country, with over 26,000 bikes spread across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and two communities across the Hudson River in New Jersey.</span></p> <p>New York’s Department of Transportation also produces highly detailed, extremely useful <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikemaps.shtml" target="_blank">NYC bike maps</a> each year, which not only plot out all the bike lanes, but also include bike shop information, and have close-ups of difficult-to-navigate bridge crossings.</p> <h2 id="utrecht">Utrecht, Netherlands</h2> <p>Surprise, surprise, the Netherlands made the list of most bike-friendly destinations. Many <a href="/explore/europe/netherlands/dutch-cities-worth-visiting-beyond-amsterdam">Dutch cities</a> could actually appear on this list (and Amsterdam often gets all the attention, thanks to its many bike lanes and public bike parking options), but Utrecht deserves special mention thanks to its enormous bike parking storage lot. This behemoth of a bike garage, <span><a href="https://www.utrecht.nl/city-of-utrecht/mobility/cycling/bicycle-parking/bicycle-parking-stationsplein/">Stationsplein</a>, is the world’s largest, accommodating an astounding 12,500 bicycles. The garage was strategically located near Utrecht Central Station popular public transportation terminal (to further encourage carless transportation) and it’s open 24 hours per day. Best of all, parking is actually free for the first 24 hours, as a way to both encourage its use while also discouraging misuse (using it for permanent storage).</span></p> <h2 id="bogata">Bogotá, Colombia</h2> <p>Colombia’s cultural and political hub may be known for its history, museums, and street art, but many visitors are surprised to learn how bike-friendly it is. Bogotá is blanketed with about 250 mi (400km) of bike lanes and is extremely proud to be home to Latin America’s oldest and largest Ciclovía ride. <span>Ciclovía, also known as Open Streets, was founded in 1974 and <a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/50-years-ciclovia-open-streets-cycling-cars/" target="_blank">celebrated its 50th anniversary</a> in December 2024. </span>Each Sunday, tens of thousands of cyclists hit the streets to enjoy 75 mi (120km) of car-free lanes in the otherwise congested capital city.</p> <p>Even if you can’t make the Sunday ride, you’ll find large, well-defined bike lanes (many of which are protected) throughout the city but know that cars are still king here so you’ll want to stay alert while riding.</p> <p>Either rent a bike from a local shop or borrow one from the city’s brand new bike share system, <span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://tembici.com.co/en/" target="_blank">Tembici</a><span style="color: #0e101a;">. The program launched in 2022 and, with 1,500 mechanical bikes and 1,500 electric bikes across 300 stations, it’s the largest in Latin America. Bringing the whole family? Look out for one of the 150 bikes that comes equipped with a children’s seat!</span></span></p> <h2 id="paris">Paris, France</h2> <p>In late 2021, Paris announced that it would spend $291 million on infrastructure to make the entire city “100% cyclable” by 2026. The city’s impressive <span><a href="https://www.paris.fr/pages/un-nouveau-plan-velo-pour-une-ville-100-cyclable-19554">Bike Plan</a> details how Paris would gain 112 mi (180km) of new, permanent segregated bike lanes and how it will prioritize infrastructure that will connect the city to neighboring suburbs.</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/bicycles-outperform-cars-in-paris-and-its-inner-suburbs-by-far-28354" target="_blank">According to a 2024 study</a>, far more people already get around Paris by bicycle than by car. This can cause traffic jams on more popular routes. Additionally, most of the city’s current bike “lanes” are actually just shared spaces with cars and not segregated lanes that are fully separated from traffic. So, this plan is a dramatic improvement.</p> <p>Also, not only will Paris add 30,000 new metal arches to increase the number of bicycle parking spots from 60,000 to more than 130,000, but 1,000 of these arches will be dedicated to cargo bikes, which many people rely on to transport goods, groceries, and children around town.</p>Getty Images / peterspiro 0 Cyclist on the Brooklyn bridge

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/calendarHere's how to make travel help others – every month of the year.2023-01-16T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/calendarhttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>The global wave of support for responsible travel needs momentum to keep it going, so we’ve rounded up some inspiring ideas to do just that – one for every month of the year. </p> <h2>January</h2> <h3>Take a rickshaw tour in India</h3> <p>The <span><a href="http://pinkcityrickshawcompany.com/">Pink City Rickshaw Company</a></span> has trained and empowered 200 women from low-income households in Jaipur to run local tours in custom-designed, eco-friendly rickshaws. The well-run tours immerse travellers in the local culture, food, sights and heritage of Jaipur. The tour operators signed up to become equity holders in the rickshaw company, which they now proudly own and manage.</p> <h2>February</h2> <h3>Help street dogs in Greece</h3> <p>Exploring the Greek islands is a heavenly way to holiday but when you get to Crete, consider pausing for a couple of weeks to help out at an <span><a href="https://www.volunteerworld.com/en/volunteer-program/support-greek-dog-shelter-gr-in-greece-iraklio">animal shelter</a></span>. You’ll spend your mornings feeding and walking the dogs and cleaning cages and helping with the rescue of stray dogs. Your afternoons can be spent as you please.</p> <h2>March</h2> <h3>Stay with a local in Nepal</h3> <p>The <span><a href="https://www.communityhomestay.com/">Community Homestay Network</a></span> is a social enterprise that connects travelers with families across Nepal. Host families share their culture and daily life with their guests who, in return, give families access to a sustainable source of income through tourism. As well as being welcomed like a member of the family, you’ll have the chance to get involved with cooking and other daily chores and get to know the local community.</p> <h2>April</h2> <h3>Walk your way around Japan</h3> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/calendarofevents/calendar-in-copy.jpg " alt="A hiker on the Kumano Kodo." /> <figcaption> A hiker on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage in Japan. Photo credit: GettyImages/Janice Chen</figcaption></figure> <p>Self-guided walking tours abound in Japan, and it’s one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the country’s culture – and much kinder to the planet than getting around by car, bus or train. Walk from village to village on the Nakasendo Way, staying at local inns and soaking your worries away in the hot springs en route – or tackle the more challenging 70km <span><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Japan/Self-Guided-Walking/Kumano-Kodo-Self-Guided-Hike">Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage</a></span>. The mountainous UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage route is steeped in Buddhist history. The only other pilgrimage route to obtain UNESCO World Heritage status is Camino de Santiago in Spain.</p> <h2>May</h2> <h3>Mend a broken bear in Asia</h3> <p>Adventure World has teamed up with Animals Asia to end bear bile farming. More than 10,000 sun bears, moon bears and brown bears are held in captivity in Asia to have bile extracted from their gallbladders for use in Chinese medicine. Adventure World now donates $300 to Animals Asia for every one of its <span><a href="https://www.adventureworld.com.au/asia/">Asia trips</a></span> booked. Adventure World has also launched a <span><a href="https://www.adventureworld.com.au/conservation-collection/">Conservation Collection</a></span> of trips endorsed by the <span><a href="https://www.treadright.org/">Treadright Foundation</a>.</span></p> <h2>June</h2> <h3>Visit One Planet Expo in The Netherlands</h3> <p>Science and culture museum, <span><a href="https://oneplanet.nl/">Museon Omniversum</a></span>, is home to One Planet Expo, an exhibition based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals formulated by the United Nations. The interactive exhibition is an engaging way for visitors of all ages to learn how we can work together to ensure a healthy and sustainable future for the planet.</p> <h2>July</h2> <h3>Visit an ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand</h3> <p>Not all elephant sanctuaries are created equal, but the <span><a href="https://www.phuketelephantsanctuary.org/en/">Phuket Elephant Sanctuary</a></span> – endorsed by National Geographic and World Animal Protection – is among the most ethical. A 600m-long, 6m-high canopy walkway at the 30-acre sanctuary allows visitors to observe elephants doing their thing without disturbing them. The sanctuary rescues sick, injured and old elephants from the logging and tourism industry. You won’t find elephant riding or bathing here, but you will have a moving experience that supports the sanctuary’s good work.</p> <h2>August</h2> <h3>Help restore the Great Barrier Reef in Australia</h3> <p>Join EarthWatch researchers measuring environmental conditions and the diversity of marine life on an expedition helping to restore the reef. Coral reefs around the world are being impacted by climate change and other threats, but what scientists learn here will help the recovery of reefs everywhere. You’ll spend much of this <span><a href="https://earthwatch.org/expeditions/recovery-great-barrier-reef">five-day expedition</a></span> in scuba gear underwater.</p> <h2>September</h2> <h3>Walk to help Vietnamese youth </h3> <p>One in five Vietnamese children are living in poverty so The Intrepid Foundation has teamed up with the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation to support its annual <span><a href="https://bdmarathonwalk2022.raisely.com/">Blue Dragon Marathon Walk</a></span>. You can sign up to do a 21km or 42km fundraising walk anywhere in the world on September 10, 2023. Last year, walkers raised almost $200,000 to help Vietnamese kids in need.</p> <h2>October</h2> <h3>Save sea turtles in Costa Rica</h3> <p>All seven sea turtle species are endangered, and volunteers play a vital role in saving them. In <span><a href="https://www.volunteerworld.com/volunteer-program/sea-turtle-conservation-ambassador-in-costa-rica-quepos">Costa Rica</a></span>, you can patrol beaches for turtle nests with biologists, keep them safe from poachers and predators, and help young ones make it safely into the ocean. Talk about a feelgood getaway!</p> <h2>November</h2> <h3>Cycle through Kenya to help children</h3> <p>This 500km <span><a href="https://rideafrica.org/kenya-ultimate-cycle-safari">cycle safari</a></span> raises money for child.org programs that support women and children’s health in Africa and Sierra Leone. Setting off from the elephant playgrounds of Amboseli National Park, you’ll peddle your way through three incredible national parks to the Indian ocean coastline at Mombasa. The ride has a support team of guides, vehicles, a nurse, and a police escort.</p> <h2>December</h2> <h3>Go souvenir shopping in Sri Lanka</h3> <p>Meaning ‘woman’ in Sinhala and Tamil languages, ‘Sthree’ provides a market for disadvantaged women and disabled people to sell their high-quality handcrafted wares, thus empowering them in their homes and communities. The <span><a href="https://sthreestore.com/">Sthree</a></span> store and cafe, a social enterprise located in Kandy, produces everything from sarees to jewellery made by women throughout Sri Lanka, while the cafe provides employment and training opportunities. Find out more about it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQiW-F9tXnc">here</a>. </p>Getty Images/Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Stringer 1 Getty Images woman feeds elephant

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/how-wmnswork-is-diversifying-the-travel-industrywmnsWORK is the tourism industry’s first business accelerator for women and non-binary entrepreneurs. Find out how it is helping transform the industry for the better.2022-11-30T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/how-wmnswork-is-diversifying-the-travel-industryhttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>Women make up more than half of tourism industry employees – yet only a fifth of them hold management roles. The reason isn’t a lack of drive or ideas, but a lack of support and access to technology, education, and training, as stated by the <a href="https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284420384" target="_blank">UNWTO’s Second Report on Women in Tourism</a>.</p> <p>Tourism professional Iris Serbanescu became increasingly aware of this disparity during her 10 years in the industry and saw the issue increase during the COVID pandemic when women disproportionately were let go or had to leave their jobs to take care of their families.</p> <p>She also noticed another disparity for non-binary folks in the industry – and was inspired to create a program for those who wanted to start their own tourism businesses.</p> <p>“In my own experience, there was no formal support system for anyone who identifies as a woman or non-binary who was new to their business journey,” said Serbanescu.</p> <p>“<a href="https://wmnswork.com/" target="_blank">wmnsWORK</a> is the industry’s first global, virtual, equity-free business accelerator created specifically for women and non-binary entrepreneurs in the early stages of their business,” she said.</p> <p>“Everyone has different goals and ambitions and perspectives, but the crux of the program is to help them get tangible results that elevate their business from one stage to the next.”</p> <p>wmnsWORK is a 12-week program consisting of up to 12 workshops led by industry experts and focused on three pillars: Education, Mentorship, and Support.</p> <p>“Our second cohort is wrapping up in December 2022. It has 50% more people than our first cohort, from eight participants up to 12. Thanks to sponsorships available through partners like World Nomads, we have been able to attract a much more diverse participant base from seven different countries,” said Serbanescu.</p> <p>To find out more, World Nomads sat down with Iris and Njeri Gachuhi, founder of Kenya-based <a href="https://thetravellingwakili.com" target="_blank">The Traveling Wakili</a> who attended the program thanks to a sponsorship from World Nomads.</p> <p><strong>Iris, what role did the pandemic play in the decision to start wmnsWORK?</strong></p> <p>The pandemic gave me a moment to stop and think about how the way we’ve been doing business led us to this point. All my perspectives from my years in the travel industry boiled down to one solution: I have to help women who want to start businesses post-pandemic, because out of great crisis comes the biggest opportunity, and I want to create something I wish I had.</p> <p>Because a lot of travel businesses have unfortunately not weathered the pandemic storm, now might be the best time for new players to enter the market, take the reins, and do things their own way.</p> <p><strong>You’ve been in the travel industry for 10 years. How did you get into travel?</strong></p> <p>It’s a full-circle moment for me – I used to work in insurance. I was a Jr. risk broker, on a management fast-track program. But I had just spent a semester in Paris, and I was truly transformed by that experience. When I thought about where my passion in life really lay, it was in travel, and I had to turn it into a career somehow.</p> <p><strong>What are the primary skills or areas of knowledge you feel entrepreneurs need to have in order to succeed?</strong></p> <p>It depends on the type of business they’re running, and where in the world they’re based. But overall, a good baseline knowledge of business principles, how their business is going to make money and how it will sustain itself, or grow if that’s the goal, year over year.</p> <p>One of the many benefits of the program is breaking down the business plan, the financials, and the pitch deck into workshops with experts that can help them build on those three main things. The business plan can help you get clear on what you want to build, the financials will help answer the question of “how will my business make money?” and the pitch deck will give you a sense of what problem you are solving and how you’re going to talk to people about it.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/wmnswork/turkana.jpg" alt="A group of travelers in Turkana County in northern Kenya." /> <figcaption>One of The Traveling Wakili's group trips to northern Kenya. Image credit: The Traveling Wakili</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>You have applicants from all over the world. Are these primarily virtual workshops?</strong></p> <p>The workshops are 100 percent virtual. Every week, we have a different workshop on a different topic, taught by a subject matter expert in that topic. They’re designed so the members have tangible takeaways that they can implement into their businesses.</p> <p>There’s also a mentorship program where I match everyone up with their own mentor who’s a good personality fit, fits the criteria the mentee is looking for, and ideally has experience running the same kind of business the mentee is hoping to start.</p> <p><strong>Aside from the skills they’re learning, what benefits are your cohort members gaining from the program?</strong></p> <p>I look at wmnsWORK as a long-term investment in your business. The experts that you meet, the mentors, alumni, the fellow participants in your cohort – those can lead to great revenue-generating partnerships down the line. The network is really key because the biggest hurdle when people join a new industry or start a new business is that they feel really alone. That feeling of community and learning from each other is not something that’s easy to create on your own. wmnsWORK is a place to get your questions answered, build your network, and get benefits that outlast your time in the program.</p> <p><strong>Njeri, can you tell us a bit about your business? What does “Wakili” mean?</strong></p> <p>Wakili means “lawyer” in Swahili – my educational background is in law. So, it’s “the Traveling Lawyer.” I got into doing this because I really enjoy doing solo trips. I would show my travels on Instagram and people would say, “Oh, that looks really interesting. Next time, can I come?” So, in 2019 I put together a plan for New Year, put it on the internet, said, “This is what we’re going to do, this is what it’s going to cost. Come if you are serious.” And people came.</p> <p><strong>What is your vision for your business?</strong></p> <p>I want to be a household name, within East Africa particularly, for curating group trips that have a focus on women and queer travel. I want the business to grow beyond just me. I’m the one who leads all the trips, I’m doing everything. But I already feel it’s bigger than me.</p> <p><strong>How did you find out about wmnsWORK?</strong></p> <p>I had been following the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, and they liked or shared the wmnsWORK program on LinkedIn. I had been thinking of joining an accelerator program because I was already feeling I needed the support. So, when I checked out their page, and it was written for women and non-binary people, I felt like it was a perfect alignment.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/wmnswork/waterfall-crop.jpg" alt="A group of women hikers at a waterfall in Kenya." /> <figcaption>Image credit: The Traveling Wakili</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>What were you hoping to gain from the program?</strong></p> <p>I was hoping to gain two things: business growth – tapping into more networks, business knowledge and people who have done this before. And I wanted to build my confidence in speaking about the business side of things.</p> <p><strong>What are the most important things you’ve gotten out of the program so far?</strong></p> <p>Oh, it’s been a lot. To start with, it’s meeting other people doing the same thing as you and having that type of community where you’re bouncing ideas. It’s been great having that support, that level of accountability. And every single session we have, I feel like I gain so much, and then I realize, I also have so much to do! It’s great because it’s been pushing me on all the different fronts. The biggest one was developing my story and how to pitch myself. And the business plan as well – I feel like I had a business plan in my mind, but it was really important to see how to actually write that down.</p> <p><strong>How do you anticipate incorporating those learnings and insights into your business?</strong></p> <p>There are already two things I’ve started incorporating. I’m almost through with my 2023 calendar and I’m going to have almost double the trips I had this year. It’s 100 percent because of being in the program that I feel like 1) I’ll be able to do as many trips as I put in place and 2) I’m going to grow the team. So, starting in January I’m going to look for someone to join me. And I’ve made a few connections I’m going to pursue when it comes to B2B collaborations with different travel agencies that aren’t based in Kenya, so I can be the ground person in Kenya.</p> <p><strong>Can you tell us a bit about your mentor? </strong></p> <p>My mentor has a travel company that’s based in Uganda – he’s a queer African man. I feel like it was a very great fit for the two of us, because one of the top things I wanted out of a mentor is someone who has some experience in queer travel in Africa. I particularly loved that it was a person born and raised in Africa.</p> <p><strong>What kind of community have you developed with the other entrepreneurs in the program? </strong></p> <p>I absolutely love the fact that we are very few, and we’re very diverse. I know almost everyone’s business to where I could explain it to someone else, so if someone said they were looking for someone in Peru, I know exactly who I would [recommend]. There are even people who haven’t started their businesses yet, and there are some who’ve launched their businesses while in the program, and we’ve all been able to give feedback and cheer each other on.</p> <p><strong>What would you tell entrepreneurs who are thinking about applying to the wmnsWORK program?</strong></p> <p>I would say it’s 100 percent value for money. I’m not just saying that because I got sponsored. Even if that had not come my way, [I would say that]. I think Iris did a really good job coming up with the program, the timetable, the communication, and the pairing with the mentor – you can feel this is someone who took time. It’s not this blanket program where you feel you’re reading a textbook. It feels like it’s carefully curated for you.</p> <p><strong>Iris, how can travelers help support women and non-binary entrepreneurs?</strong></p> <p>We’re at the place we are in the travel industry because of decisions we’ve made in the past around power and money. My invitation to anyone reading the article is to question how they can break down the barriers and change the systems in their own micro way – in their communities, in their workplaces, all those oppressive systems that have contributed to this massive disparity in female leadership and ownership. Question your biases.</p> <p><strong>Is there a way companies or individuals can support your program or the participants?</strong></p> <p>Absolutely! Travelers who would like to book trips with or work with our cohort members and alumni can learn about them on our <a href="https://wmnswork.com/participants/">Participants page</a>.</p> <p>Companies who are interested in sponsoring a participant can <a href="https://wmnswork.com/contact/" target="_blank">reach out to me</a>. I’m also happy to hear from people who would like to be mentors or subject matter experts.</p>The Traveling Wakili 0 The Traveling Wakili

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/is-cultural-appropriation-ever-appropriateHow can we make sure we act appropriately when visiting places with customs different to ours – and what even is cultural appropriation anyway? 2022-11-17T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/is-cultural-appropriation-ever-appropriatehttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>We all swim in a soup of multicultural influences, all the time, often without being aware of it. On a typical day we might say <em>“hola!”</em> to each other on the way to a qi gong class after which we bow our thanks to the teacher, wrap a pashmina around our shoulders and head to the nearest café for an espresso – small actions that all originated in faraway places and are now just part of life.</p> <p>But what happens when, as travelers, we pick up the customs, fashions, foods, and gestures of other cultures? Is it ok to use <em>aloha</em> or <em>kia ora</em> as a greeting when you’re holidaying in Hawaii or New Zealand? To get a traditional Polynesian tattoo in Tahiti or Tonga? To visit a <a href="/explore/north-america/united-states/discoveries-finding-truth-through-indigenous-cultures">sweat lodge</a> in California, wear your hair in cornrows in Jamaica or rent a kimono in Kyoto?</p> <p>To find the line, if there is one, between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation we first need to understand what cultural appropriation is, why we do it, how it might be problematic, and how we can be culturally aware as travellers.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#what">What is cultural appropriation?</a></li> <li><a href="#connect">Connecting through culture</a></li> <li><a href="#colonial">The post-colonial problem</a></li> <li><a href="#humanity">Celebrating our shared humanity</a></li> <li><a href="#appreciation">Appreciation, not appropriation</a></li> <li><a href="#differences">Make room for individual differences</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="what">What is cultural appropriation?</h2> <p>It's a slippery term, says cultural tourism researcher Bobbie Chew Bigby, a Cherokee woman based in Oklahoma. “Cultural appropriation has become a really hot topic in the context of wider social issues – including multiculturalism, diversity, social justice issues and the #MeToo movement – and as a result there are a lot of diverse views in the literature on what it actually is.</p> <p>“I’ve heard it defined as simply taking [elements] from cultures that are not your own as well as benefiting from aspects of cultures that are not your own – both of which seem rather broad to me. I personally define cultural appropriation as the use of or engagement with different aspects of culture in a way that is contrary to the perspectives, views, or wishes of the people to whom that culture belongs.”</p> <p>Jim Butcher from the University of Christ Church in the UK and the author of <em>The Moralisation of Tourism</em> takes the broader view. “There is nothing really new here. The Grand Tourists of the 18th century, the sons of the aristocracy sent abroad to become cultured, returned with new fashions and ideas. In fact the meeting of cultures has been a focus for progress in ideas, art, and society throughout history. Look at the great cities built on trade routes, such as Venice, where its growth as a maritime and trading power from around the ninth century through to the Renaissance exposed the city to new ideas and styles that shaped its architecture and history, giving Venice its unique and worldly beauty.”</p> <h2 id="connect">Connecting through culture</h2> <p>Why do we like to imitate other cultures? Because “we enjoy them, find them aesthetically pleasing, or because we want to pay homage to them,” says Butcher.</p> <p>It’s also part of human nature, says Bobbie Bigby. “I think as humans we’ve always been curious and fascinated by other cultures and wanted to experience and connect with them by engaging with various aspects of those cultures. But now, in the modern era, globalization, the internet, international trade have all blurred these boundaries [so] I’d say that where those lines are clearest is in more traditional communities – they’re holding the boundary lines. And alongside this has been a growing awareness of social justice issues in recent years.”</p> <p>Embedded in this concept of marking out one’s cultural territory is a sense of “ownership, pride and identity” in one’s culture, she adds. “For example when we talk about Native American communities in the US, different Tribal groups have different ‘regalia’, as we call our clothing, and there are particular family designs too. So even within a particular Tribe, one family can’t copy another family’s design. I’m Cherokee so I can’t wear a specific design from Seminole, Cheyenne, or Osage clothing, for example. That would just be wrong.”</p> <h2 id="colonial">The post-colonial problem</h2> <p>Connecting with other cultures is one of the joys of travel, but it can become problematic when picking up elements of a culture flows in one direction, as it often does in tourism. “It’s generally more well-off tourists that have the means and resources to visit a place where the people who live there don’t always have equal access to resources,” says Bigby.</p> <p>Cultural appropriation has even been described as a form of neo-colonialism, reinforcing historical inequalities by reducing customs that have deep meaning for one culture to exotic curiosities for another.</p> <p>Jim Butcher thinks otherwise, suggesting that focusing on cultural differences can prevent real connection between individuals. “Cultures are too often defined by their differences, with common, human struggles and aspirations ignored… [and] cultural transformation viewed as an external threat,” he says.</p> <h2 id="humanity">Celebrating our shared humanity</h2> <p>“I don’t see many problems with imitating elements of other cultures,” says Butcher. “In fact I think the placing of cultural identities on a pedestal through the invocation of ‘cultural appropriation’ demeans culture. There are, of course, economic injustices. There is also the suppression of cultures by authoritarian regimes. But cultural appropriation in its contemporary usage [within tourism] is most often aimed at benign, and sometimes exciting, cultural encounters. Far from being offended, people often like to see their culture adopted, even in a playful way, by others.”</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/cultural-appropriation-holi.jpg" alt="A foreign traveler takes part in Holi festival activities in Rajasthan, India." /> <figcaption>A foreign traveler takes part in Holi festival activities in Rajasthan, India. Image credit: Getty Images / t-lorien</figcaption></figure> <p>We’ve all experienced this on our travels. A few years ago, I did a walking safari in Kenya with my father. It was a private trip and we had our own Maasai guide and cooks, all of whom wore traditional red robes called <em>shuka</em>. One morning, Dad decided to take the red blanket off his camp bed and drape it around his shoulders, Maasai style. He wasn’t entirely sure this playful gesture would be well received, but when he emerged from his tent, the Maasai men leapt from their seats by the fire, visibly delighted, and rushed over to shake Dad’s hand. One simple act had bridged the cultural chasm between us and the Maasai men.</p> <h2 id="appreciation">Appreciation, not appropriation</h2> <p>Bobbie Bigby has three tips to improve the likelihood that something we want to do, say or wear will be seen as appropriate by the people we’re visiting:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Check your intention.</strong> By wearing the hijab in a Muslim country, for instance, is your intention to dress modestly or are you wearing it because you think it will make a good Insta post?</li> <li><strong>Ask yourself, “Where is the respect?”</strong> There are various ways to show respect in any culture, but if you put the host culture’s viewpoint (not your own) at the centre of what you’re doing, that will help you see if something’s ok or not.</li> <li><strong>Communicate.</strong> If you’re staying only a short time and not with a host family, ask people who work at the hostel or hotel you’re staying at if something you want to do is ok or not. Just starting a conversation, showing an interest, can change the way we think about a place and its people.</li> </ol> <p>It can help to do some research before participating in cultural experiences, says Tara Kennaway, senior product manager at Intrepid Travel, “to understand the nuances and <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/respectful-travel">cultural significance</a> for the community you’re visiting”. Listening to “cultural insiders” such as local guides is also a good idea, as is traveling with tour operators that, like Intrepid, ensure their guides do regular cultural awareness training.</p> <h2 id="differences">Make room for individual differences</h2> <p>Each of us has a personal line we won’t cross, too, arising from our own values, experiences, and ideas about culture – and what we feel comfortable doing. “At the end of the day, if you feel uncomfortable doing something, it’s ok to say no,” says Bigby. “Listening to your gut feeling is often a good way to navigate your way through a tricky cultural situation.”</p> <p>This goes for the keepers of the culture too. While studying cultural tourism in Broome, Western Australia, earlier this year Bigby noticed non-Yawaru people using the Yawaru greeting <em>Ngaji gurrjin</em> (hello) around town “and everyone seemed ok with that. But there are always individual differences. If you said <em>wado</em> (thank you in Cherokee) to me I would welcome that, but maybe other Cherokee people wouldn’t. So it’s complicated – and context-specific.”</p> <p>Besides, we learn by making mistakes, says Jim Butcher. “We may get it wrong now and again, but this is a part of being human and discovering the world for ourselves. To me, culture is less a set of things owned by a group of people and more of a fluid process. Think of the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers – each river goes its own way and has its own origin, but they are joined and the water that flows in and between each belongs to neither.”</p>Getty Images / Satoshi-K 11211651064 Getty Images A caucasian woman rents a kimono from a shop in Japan.

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/why-indigenous-and-traditional-languages-matterTraditional languages not only help preserve Indigenous cultures, but their presence can also enhance a traveler’s understanding of a destination.2022-05-31T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/why-indigenous-and-traditional-languages-matterhttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#dissapearance">The disappearance of language</a></li> <li><a href="#significance">The significance of stripping native names</a></li> <li><a href="#restore">Efforts to restore Indigenous names and languages</a></li> <li><a href="#storytelling">Language, context, and storytelling</a></li> <li><a href="#connection">The connection of language and identity</a></li> <li><a href="#preserve">How travelers can help preserve Indigenous languages</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="disappearance">The disappearance of language</h2> <p>Despite 7,000 languages spoken across the globe, half of the world’s population speaks only 23 of these languages. The sad truth is that when a language isn’t spoken, it dies, and right now, approximately 90% of the world’s local languages are in danger of disappearing. According to the United Nations, the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/social/preserving-indigenous-languages.html" target="_blank">preservation of Indigenous languages</a> is “the preservation of invaluable wisdom, traditional knowledge, and expressions of art and beauty” that we can’t afford to lose, yet another language dies every two weeks.</p> <p>Across the Americas, we find examples of how colonization attempted to – and, in some cases, succeeded in – eliminating the languages spoken by local populations. In Trinidad and Tobago, French Creole stopped evolving and is no longer in mainstream use because the language was stigmatized by English colonizers. Across what are now the United States and Canada, Native American tribes were forced into boarding schools where only English could be spoken. The results were devastating.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/people/aboriginal-stories.jpg" alt="A close up of an Aboriginal man's hand drawing the Dreamtime stories in the dirt" /> <figcaption>Drawing the Dreamtime stories in the dirt. Photo credit: Getty Images / kerriekerr</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="significance">The significance of stripping native names</h2> <p>Not only did colonizers attempt to eradicate Indigenous languages in their spoken form, but they also tried to remove them from the geographical landscape. Elder Mike Bruised Head of the Blackfoot tribe in Canada <a href="https://www.galtmuseum.com/articles/the-transferring-of-knowledge-from-miistakists" target="_blank">explains here</a> how the “demeaning” and colonially imperialistic practice of stripping mountains of their Native names is an “encroachment” on his tribe’s history. The relationship Blackfoot people had with the mountains is so strong that it is even expressed in the surnames of some of the tribes and in the name of spirit animals in the mountains.</p> <p>Instead of bearing the names that local tribes assigned to the mountains that they lived in and cared for – land that is now part of Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada – the geography was assigned new names in honor of Western explorers and British elite who had no connection to the land. According to Elder Mike, restoring Indigenous names provides a non-colonial interpretation of the history of Native people in the area.</p> <h2 id="restore">Efforts to restore Indigenous names and languages</h2> <p>And while Canada has a long history of stripping Native names from the land, the country, and <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/autochtones-indigenous" target="_blank">Parks Canada</a>, in particular, is also leading efforts on the continent to restore relations with Indigenous communities. Not only have some traditional names been restored, but Parks Canada has begun returning some power to the people who have historically and currently occupy the land. <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nl/torngats" target="_blank">Torngat Mountains National Parks</a>, which resides within the Inuit homeland, is the only park in Canada that is 100 percent managed by Inuit people, who also serve as park guides.</p> <p>In Australia, the traditional home of the Butchulla people, K’gari, has resumed being referred to by its Aboriginal name, instead of its “new” and now-former name, Fraser Island. Similarly, in Alaska, Mount McKinley was “renamed” with its original Indigenous name, Denali, which is derived from the Koyukon language. Unfortunately, no efforts have been made to return control of this or any other National Park in the United States to local tribes.</p> <h2 id="storytelling">Language, context, and storytelling</h2> <p>Maintaining local languages can help stop the Westernization of peoples and their cultures by giving them the freedom to speak, read, learn, and express on their own terms and in their own words. Mishel McMahon, the Indigenous Student Services Officer at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia explains quite simply how <a href="https://www.latrobe.edu.au/nest/naidoc-preserving-indigenous-languages/" target="_blank">when language is lost, so is context</a>. “There are teachings in the Indigenous language where there is no English equivalent,” says McMahon. Storytelling has long been a part of Indigenous culture around the world and when a story can’t be told in its original language, crucial context is lost, to the detriment of individual families and to society.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/people/native-american-art.jpg" alt="Barrier Canyon Style Native American Rock Art at Sego Canyon in Utah" /> <figcaption> Barrier Canyon Style Native American rock art at Sego Canyon in Utah. Photo credit: Getty Images / Daniel A. Leifheit</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="connection">The connection of language and identity</h2> <p>While we often think of the loss of (and efforts to preserve) traditional languages among Indigenous and First Nation people in North America and Aboriginals in Australia, a fascinating example of current language revival efforts comes from <a>Ireland</a>. Until recently, the last feature film made entirely in the Irish language was released 44 years ago but Irish language is now becoming increasingly centered in pop culture, as it’s appearing in more films, music, and books around the country. The Irish author, <a href="https://www.manchan.com/" target="_blank">Manchán Magan</a> describes the connection with one’s language (Irish, in this case), as a sort of portal through which one can understand nature, spirituality, land, and themselves. “You cannot understand Ireland without understanding its relationship with the Irish language,” says Magan.</p> <p>Meanwhile, just across the water in Scotland, a <a href="https://www.gaidhlig.scot/en/gaelic-language-plans/the-national-gaelic-language-plan/" target="_blank">National Gaelic Language Plan</a> seeks to “encourage and enable more people to use Gaelic more often and in a wider range of situations.” Not only is Gàidhlig (Gaelic) used on Scottish road signs, but there is also a new <a href="https://islands.scot/" target="_blank">Scottish Islands Passport</a> mobile app that is geared at travelers. The purpose of the app is to introduce travelers to the history, folk tales, and stories of daily life, all told by local islanders. Each passport stamp includes both English and the local language, be it Gaelic, Shetlandic, or Orcadian.</p> <h2 id="preserve">How travelers can help preserve Indigenous languages</h2> <p>At a bare minimum, seeing Indigenous languages on street signs, informational plaques, and highway markers is a reminder of who lived there long before the streets, plaques, and highways were built. In many corners of the world, it’s possible to spend a week exploring without ever learning that your holiday is occurring on land that was stolen from Native people. Seeing Indigenous languages reinforces the place that Native people have had in history while also recognizing their crucial role in modern society.</p> <p>Most travelers are not going to begin studying Native languages at home just because they see the language displayed on a road sign. However, you could begin asking more questions about who used to live there, who currently lives there, who is making decisions about the land and its use, and how your tourist dollars could support local Indigenous groups. Many English speakers have grown accustomed to seeing English everywhere they go. We’ve been thoroughly spoiled and have no concept of what it’s like to travel in a land where we can’t understand any of the words around us. Seeing non-English languages present, and, ideally, as the default language, is also an important reminder that English is not the only language on earth and the needs, interests, and comfort of English speakers do not outrank those of local populations.</p> <p>Seeking out <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/indigenous-tourism-companies" target="_blank">Indigenous-led tourism</a> is one way to support Indigenous communities and can provide some first-hand exposure to Native languages and how they are currently being used from Australia to the Amazon. Supporting Indigenous-led tourism can be a fun, unique way to get to know a country and, more importantly, it can also help stop the speakers of local languages from becoming socially and economically isolated.</p>Getty Images/Penny Tweedie 0297380-001 Penny Tweedie

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/green-stays-on-a-budget-and-how-to-find-themContrary to popular belief, sustainable stays don’t have to be expensive. In fact there are more budget eco-options than ever before.2022-05-03T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/green-stays-on-a-budget-and-how-to-find-themhttps://www.worldnomads.com<p><span>With more travelers seeking sustainable places to stay – 81 percent of us plan to </span><span>opt for eco-friendly accommodation </span><span>in the coming year, according to a recent global survey by <a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/hI-PCk815YhXvAoZF2HOn5?domain=booking.com" title="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/hI-PCk815YhXvAoZF2HOn5?domain=booking.com">Booking.com</a>, up from 61 percent five years ago – </span><span>there’s never been a better time to “sleep green”.</span></p> <ul> <li><a href="#budget">But can you do it on a budget?</a></li> <li><a href="#sustainable">Hostels make sustainable sense</a></li> <li><a href="#stars">Sleeping under the stars</a></li> <li><a href="#think">Think outside the "hotel room"</a></li> <li><a href="#train">Train stays</a></li> <li><a href="#harvest">Help with the harvest</a></li> <li><a href="#guest">How to be a sustainable guest</a></li> <li><a href="#five">Five green stay hacks</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="budget">But can you do it on a budget?</h2> <p>It’s a common misconception that “sustainable accommodation” is synonymous with luxury eco-lodges, but there are loads of options for those of us who want a sustainable stay <em>and</em> who love traveling on a budget – or just don’t want to spend big on a place to sleep. The trick is knowing <em>how</em>, as well as where, to look.</p> <h2 id="sustainable">Hostels make sustainable sense</h2> <p>With their shared rooms, communal kitchens and co-living (and sometimes co-working) spaces, all of which reduce the environmental impact of each guest, backpacker hostels are the epitome of sustainable accommodation on a budget, without even trying. Some of them go the extra mile, however, such as <a href="https://www.yha.com.au/" target="_blank">YHA Australia</a>. A world leader in sustainability, YHA actively implements initiatives that reduce energy use and waste, conserve water and give back to the community at all its properties, and has dedicated “eco YHAs” in The Grampians and Apollo Bay, both in Victoria and at Pittwater in New South Wales.</p> <p>YHAs are open to everyone, but membership (just $15 for two years in Australia) gives you discounts and benefits - including access to more than 3,000 <a href="https://hihostels.com/" target="_blank">Hostelling International</a> hostels in more than 70 countries, all of which have sustainability at their core. Check out the sustainability standards of <a href="https://hihostels.ca/en/about/sustainability" target="_blank">HI Canada</a> and <a href="https://www.hiusa.org/sustainable-travel" target="_blank">HI USA</a> for starters.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/people/hostel-guest.jpg" alt="Backpacker writing in his journal" /> <figcaption> A backpacker writing in his journal in a hostel. Photo credit: Getty Images / Matthew Micah Wright</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="stars">Sleeping under the stars</h2> <p>If you have a tent, camping offers the ultimate affordable, sustainable accommodation. It’s even free in countries with “right of public access” laws such as Sweden, Norway and Scotland; <a href="https://www.caravanya.com/en/" target="_blank">Caravanya</a>, a website and app launched in 2020, shows where to camp for free or on the cheap all over the world.</p> <p>Don’t have your own camping gear? No problem. (And no need to blow the budget on a glamping stay either.) The award-winning <a href="https://www.binnaburralodge.com.au/" target="_blank">Binna Burra Lodge</a> in south-east Queensland, Australia has four-person safari tents in the middle of a national park for just $75 a night. For something different, <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/hebergement-accommodation" target="_blank">Parks Canada</a> has tipis, yurts and cozy wooden “micro-cubes” in some of its most popular national parks.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/people/sleeping-under-stars-v2.jpg" alt="A tent under the stars at night" /> <figcaption> A tent under the stars. Photo credit: Getty images / Longhua Liao</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="think">Think outside the “hotel room”</h2> <p>Another way to find affordable, sustainable stays is to be open to non-hotel accommodation – like <a href="https://theyardbangkok.com/" target="_blank">The Yard Bangkok</a>. At this little oasis of green-mindedness in one of Bangkok’s hippest neighborhoods, you can sleep in a recycled shipping container (doubles for $56 a night, dorms from $20 per person).</p> <p>Then there’s <a href="https://fairbnb.coop/" target="_blank">Fairbnb</a>, a social enterprise that offers affordable stays in family homes in eight European countries including Italy, France and Portugal and donates half its booking fee to community-run environmental and social projects in each neighborhood, such as community gardens and food waste recovery centers.</p> <h2 id="train">Train stays</h2> <p>Overnight train trips have long been a great way to cut accommodation costs, but with many travelers now choosing trains over planes to reduce their emissions, sleeper trains are making a comeback, particularly in Europe. Czech company <a href="https://regiojet.com/" target="_blank">Regiojet</a>’s new low-cost night train from Prague to the Croatian coast with its 22-euro tickets proved so popular when it was introduced that it became a nightly service.</p> <p><a href="https://www.europeansleeper.eu/english/" target="_blank">European Sleeper</a>, a new Dutch-Belgian initiative specializing in night trains, will open an overnight Brussels-Prague route via Amsterdam and Berlin in 2022; ticket prices are still to be announced, but as a guideline Nightjet, operated by Austrian Railways, has 3-bed Sleepers from 69.90 euros per person for trips between, say, Vienna and Venice. (Nightjet is also planning to introduce a new fleet of overnight carriages in 2023.)</p> <h2 id="harvest">Help with the harvest</h2> <p>One of the most eco-friendly ways to travel on a budget is by WWOOFing. Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (<a href="https://wwoof.net/" target="_blank">WWOOF</a>) was founded in 1971 in the UK on the shoulders of a big idea: “to facilitate exchanges around sustainable living and organic agriculture in pursuit of living in harmony with nature”. By working four to six hours a day on an organic farm and staying with a host family for free, you get to learn about sustainable living first-hand. Most countries have their own national WWOOF groups (in Australia a two-year membership costs $70); the rest are listed at <a href="https://wwoofindependents.org/" target="_blank">WWOOF Independents</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.helpstay.com/" target="_blank">HelpStay</a>, set up in Ireland in 2014 by a bunch of digital nomads, lists other types of work exchanges that include local lodgings such as helping to build mud-brick houses in Colorado, waitressing at a family taverna on a Greek island, working with wild animals in South Africa and cleaning up beaches in Sri Lanka. Membership costs 30 euros a year and many stays are free (others charge a small fee).</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/people/harvesting.jpg" alt="A woman harvesting" /> <figcaption> Harvesting squash. Photo credit: Getty Images / Thomas Barwick</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="guest">How to be a sustainable guest</h2> <p>There’s an almost infinite list of sustainability measures to look for when you book a stay. Start by looking at the property’s website. Is there a sustainability section? Look for details of what they actually do, not vague statements about what they plan to do. Logos can be helpful, showing accreditation or certification with reputable organizations such as <a href="https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us" target="_blank">B Corp</a> or <a href="https://www.greenglobe.com/" target="_blank">Green Globe</a>, but beware: certification can be time-consuming and priced beyond the reach of smaller accommodation providers.</p> <p>When you check in, look around your lodgings with your eco-goggles on. Do the windows open, to reduce the use of aircon? Does the place feel well-insulated, to reduce energy use? Are there free bikes for guests to use? Is there somewhere to refill your water bottle? The more you notice, the more you’ll develop your own sustainable standards, which will help you find your next sustainable stay.</p> <h2 id="five">Five green stay hacks</h2> <p><strong>1. Include eco-issues in your pre-trip research</strong>. Find out what environmental issues your destination might be facing so you know what activities, tourist spots, or foods to sidestep while you’re there.</p> <p><strong>2. Invest in a water filter</strong>. Reusable water bottles are pretty much a given now, but bottles with built-in filters (<a href="https://thegrayl.com.au/" target="_blank">Grayl</a> claims to have the world’s fastest portable purifiers) are ideal for destinations where you can’t drink the water.</p> <p><strong>3. Pack light. </strong>The less you have to carry, the easier it is to walk and use public transport to get around. To hand-wash your clothes quickly and sustainably, try using a lightweight, water-saving <a href="https://thescrubba.com.au/" target="_blank">Scrubba Wash Bag</a>.</p> <p><strong>4. Eat sustainably. </strong>Along with energy use and emissions, what we eat has the biggest impact on the environment. But tailor your eating strategy (going vegetarian, eating local, etc) to your location: different measures have different impacts in different places.</p> <p><strong>5. Stay longer</strong>. You’ll get to know a place and its people better, and care about them more, by hanging around. The more of us who care about the places we’ve been, the more travel serves its true purpose: creating advocates for a healthy planet.</p> <p> </p>Getty Images/lechatnoir 0 A woman standing in a jungle in Indonesia

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/indigenous-tourism-companiesThese Indigenous-led tour companies provide travelers with rich, fulfilling experiences while making a difference in their own communities2022-04-06T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/indigenous-tourism-companieshttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, one of the <a href="https://www.adventuretravelnews.com/adventure-travel-trends-2022" target="_blank">top travel trends</a> in 2022 is diversity and inclusion, which includes welcoming Indigenous groups into the travel conversation, sometimes for the first time. While we should all celebrate the fact that the Hawaii Tourism Authority is now <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/indigenous-groups-are-finally-getting-a-seat-at-tourism-s-table" target="_blank">majority-led by Native Hawaiians</a> and that Tourism Australia has developed a <a href="https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/about/our-programs/signature-experiences-of-australia/discover-aboriginal-experiences.html" target="_blank">Discover Aboriginal Experiences program</a> – these are big wins! – we shouldn't leave it up to the powers that be to make the change we want to see.</p> <p>We, as individual nomads, have the power – and responsibility – to seek out and support Indigenous and Native-owned companies, tours, and initiatives when we travel. Here are a handful of Indigenous companies that are making waves in the travel world while also making a difference in their communities.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#subhead1">Bike touring in Navajo Nation</a></li> <li><a href="#subhead2">Cruising through the Inuit homeland</a></li> <li><a href="#subhead3">Female-run community tourism in the Amazon</a></li> <li><a href="#subhead4">Discover Aboriginal culture in Australia</a></li> <li><a href="#subhead5">Hike the highest peak in Brazil</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="subhead1">Bike touring in Navajo Nation</h2> <p>Until recently, bike tours weren't even legally recognized as a permitted tourism category in the Navajo Nation but <a href="https://www.dziltaahadventures.com/" target="_blank">Dzil Ta’ah Adventures</a> recently changed that. After jumping through hoops and cutting red tape, they were finally granted a permit in 2020 to run overnight bike-packing trips on Navajo land. Not only do Navajo history and creation stories provide context for these desert landscape adventures, but all tour revenue is reinvested back into Navajo communities. Profits are directed toward a Navajo youth bike program that aims to help train the next generation of Navajo bike-tour guides and to help instill an even stronger connection with their land and ancestors.</p> <p>So far, they've only gotten one tour approved, a 44-mile multi-day tour on the southern Monument Valley loop and to Hunts Mesa that has about 1,547 feet of elevation gain. Though the terrain itself isn't especially difficult, the ride is only recommended for intermediate to advanced riders due to the amount of water and gear one needs to carry. After all, there are no supermarkets or service stations in the desert but that's part of the appeal.</p> <h2 id="subhead2">Cruising through the Inuit homeland</h2> <p>Arctic Canada is a massive region where small, spread-out communities are separated by hundreds of miles of land. As few to no roads connect them, the best (and sometimes, the only) way to explore them is by ship. While many large cruise companies operate in the region, only one has an Inuit expedition leader guiding travelers through their sacred homeland. <a></a><a href="https://www.adventurecanada.com/">Adventure Canada</a> may not be an Indigenous-owned company but their long-established commitment to placing Inuit staff both as guides on the ground and in positions of power within the company has translated to contributing to meaningful change across Arctic Canadian communities.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/arctic-canada.jpg" alt="Arctic Canada" /> <figcaption>This Inuit guide carries a gun to protect against possible bear attacks. Photo credit: Cassandra Brooklyn</figcaption></figure> <p>Not only do Inuit guides share their history and culture with travelers during day hikes and kayaking trips, but when Adventure Canada stops at cruise ports in Inuit towns, they partner with local Inuit-run businesses on the ground. This strategy both funnels money into these rarely-visited communities while also creating meaningful <a href="/stories/transformation/learning-to-listen-in-greenland">interactions between local residents and travelers</a>, who can visit independent shops, learn how community food programs operate, and see how youth initiatives are helping combat climate change on a local level.</p> <h2 id="subhead3">Female-run community tourism in the Amazon</h2> <p>Just a four-hour drive from Quito, <a href="/explore/south-america/ecuador/visiting-ecuador-during-covid-19">Ecuador</a> is one of the easiest-to-reach sections of the Amazon – no gas-guzzling airplanes required! Here, near Puerto Misahuallí, several community tourism centers are run by Quechua women whose goal is to offer travel experiences that help preserve traditional customs and create educational and professional opportunities for Quechua women. One of these centers is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SinchiWarmis" target="_blank">Sinchi Warmi</a> (which means “Strong Women” in Quechua), a rustic lodge that immerses guests in local culture and customs like harvesting cacao and weaving bracelets out of plant fibers sourced from on-site gardens. Staying and dining at these lodges helps support Indigenous- and female-owned businesses, even if you spend your entire stay relaxing in a hammock. That said, to get even more out of the visit, you might also consider joining a river tubing trip or a scenic boat ride to a nearby rainforest animal shelter.</p> <h2 id="subhead4">Discover Aboriginal culture in Australia</h2> <p>Sometimes, it can be difficult to find specific travel experiences and even if you find an ethical, sustainable, and perhaps even Indigenous-owned tour operator, cookie-cutter itineraries might not actually include the specific activities that you’re looking for. That’s where the non-profit<a>, </a><a href="https://www.welcometocountry.com/" target="_blank">Welcome to Country</a>, fits in. The platform was launched to connect travelers with a wide range of educational and cultural experiences across Australia. All 200 experiences were created and are run by Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Peoples, including half-day hikes, paddle boarding and sandboarding sessions, and story-telling walks, and five-day female-only immersion at a <a href="https://experience.welcometocountry.com/products/gay-wu-the-dilly-bag-womens-tour" target="_blank">Yolŋu Homeland community</a>.</p> <p>As a means to promote even more economic self-sufficiency and sustainability among Indigenous-owned businesses, Welcome to Country also serves as a <a href="https://shop.welcometocountry.com/" target="_blank">virtual marketplace</a>, where travelers can purchase everything from Aboriginal-produced luggage and beauty products to wool rugs to laurel cutting boards (they only ship within Australia).</p> <h2 id="subhead5">Hike the highest peak in Brazil</h2> <p>Serious hikers looking for an uncrowded alternative to more popular peaks can now head to the Cabeça do Cachorro (Dog’s Head) region of the Brazilian Amazon. At 9,822 feet, Pico da Neblina is the highest peak in Brazil, some 525 miles away from the nearest big city (and a two-hour drive and six-hour boat trip from the nearest village. Though the mountain has been closed to tourists for the past 20 years, in March 2022, the mountain finally re-opened; this time, under 100% Indigenously-owned management. The local Yanomami are now managing all activities in the area (all of which will adhere to strict eco-tourism principles), and tribal members have organized to become guides, boat pilots, porters, and cooks for the expeditions.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/amazon.jpg" alt="An Amazon tribe" /> <figcaption> Amazon Emotions tour in Cabeça do Cachorro. Photo credit: Vanessa Marino</figcaption></figure> <p>While the tribe has not yet formed its own Indigenous-led tour operation, female-owned <a href="https://amazonemotions.com/tour/pico-da-neblina-expedition/?tag=thrillist0d-20&asc_source=facebook&asc_campaign=dodo&asc_refurl=https://www.thrillist.com/amphtml/travel/nation/visit-pico-da-neblina-amazon-brazil">Amazon Emotions</a>, is one of only three companies authorized to lead tours here. The 10-day trek (which includes six to 10 hours of hiking per day) is not for the faint of heart. Full-on mountain climbing equipment such as ropes and crampons aren’t required but the gradient is steep and some days can get extremely windy, cold, foggy, and/or rainy.</p>Getty Images/SheraleeS 0 Indigenous cave paintings

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/sex-tourismSex tourists travel with the intention to offend and ruin lives. What can travelers do to help?2022-03-14T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/sex-tourismhttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#offending">Child sex offending</a></li> <li><a href="#action">Action on the ground</a></li> <li><a href="#travelers">What can travelers do?</a></li> <li><a href="#pandemic">The impact of the global pandemic on sex tourism </a></li> </ul> <p>Early evening in Bangkok’s notorious Patpong Road district and tourists move through the heaving humidity, the chaos of clubs and holiday dreams.</p> <p>Here there are two types of traveler, curious, unsuspecting visitors and more conspicuously, those on the prowl, eager to select a girl by the number pinned on her brief costume. Just like circling the numbers on a lotto ticket but with less concern about the consequences.</p> <p>And it’s a story being played out every night, in every country in the world, not just Thailand and most certainly not only in developing nations.</p> <p>It’s an issue as complex as it is disturbing. Sex tourism. What is it? Who does it impact? And how can it be stopped? Where does that scratchy line between legal, regulated prostitution end and the scourge of human trafficking begin?</p> <h2 id="offending">Child sex offending</h2> <p>Even those who work closely in the field are divided on its definition. But they are united in the cause to stop it. Australian Federal Police (AFP) Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling for the Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), says the AFP does not use the term “sex tourism” or “sex tourists” but instead categorises this type of offending as “traveling child sex offending” and “child sex offenders”.</p> <p>“The AFP does not provide comment on preferred destinations for traveling child sex offenders as it could highlight and provide opportunities for others looking to travel with the intention of offending,” Detective Crossling says. </p> <p>“We continue to work with law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia to build capacity to detect and take action against such offending.</p> <p>“With regard to traveling sex offenders, Australia is predominantly a ‘source’ country, meaning that more Australians travel overseas to commit child sex offences, rather than overseas offenders traveling to Australia to commit offences.”</p> <h2 id="action">Action on the ground</h2> <p>Kristen Scharf is the Cambodia Country Manager for <a href="https://www.a21.org/">A21</a>, one of the largest organizations in the world that is solely fighting human trafficking at a local, domestic and international level.</p> <p>Since 2008, it has expanded to 19 locations in 14 countries, including an office in Sydney.</p> <p>According to A21, human trafficking is <em>“the illegal trade of human beings: the recruitment, control, and use of people for their bodies and for their labour”.</em></p> <p>And the statistics are sobering:</p> <ul> <li>There are more people enslaved today than in any other time in history</li> <li>An estimated 40.3 million people are enslaved today</li> <li>Human trafficking generates an average of USD $150 billion a year</li> <li>Men, women and children can all be victims of trafficking with women the most likely at 71 per cent; men 29 per cent; and children 25 per cent</li> <li>Slavery happens in every country</li> <li>An estimated 5.4 out of every 1,000 people are enslaved around the world.</li> </ul> <p>Ms Scharf says sex tourists are motivated by the freedom of social restraints governing their behavior at home, procuring their victims online before they go; online once in destination; and via contacts on the ground.</p> <p>“Sex tourist discards their moral values abroad and think they can escape the consequences by taking advantage of vulnerable populations and weak legal systems,” she says. </p> <h2 id="travelers">What can travelers do?</h2> <p>Responsible global tour operators such as <a href="https://www.gadventures.com/">G Adventures</a> are aware of the impact of sex tourism around the world. G Adventures runs tours to places such as Nepal where, as part of their trip, travelers can visit the <a href="https://sasanesisterhoodtrek.com/">SASANE</a> project in Kathmandu which assists survivors of sex trafficking and slave labour.</p> <p>Launched more than a decade ago, with the assistance of a USD $25,000 injection from G Adventures, SASANE rescues women who have been trafficked, and trains them to become paralegals so that they, in turn, can represent other women. Those who don’t have a basic education, are trained in valuable hospitality skills, which they share along with their stories to tourists, under the Sisterhood of Survivors project.</p> <p>Since it was established, more than 249 women have been trained to become paralegals, offering free-of-charge assistance to other survivors, who they have represented in more than400 court cases.</p> <p>Nepal is considered the epicentre of human trafficking – with India its main customer - and the issue has only worsened since the 2015 earthquake resulted in more poverty and displacement.</p> <p>Money raised from visiting tourists assists in keeping the operation afloat amid claims human trafficking is the second most prolific organized crime on the planet after the weapons and drug trade. But unlike drugs, a woman can be sold more than once and often many times in one day.</p> <p>Back in Cambodia, Ms Scharf says those who suspect human trafficking or child exploitation should report it immediately to the country’s anti-human trafficking police.</p> <p>“The government of Cambodia has zero tolerance for sex tourists and will prosecute individuals for crimes against children,” she says.</p> <p><a href="https://humantraffickingsearch.org/">Human Trafficking Search</a>, which documents human trafficking and modern slavery, also produces research guides, and toolkits to help raise awareness of trafficking and sex tourism. It recommends <a href="https://humantraffickingsearch.org/tourist-tips-combatting-sex-and-labor-trafficking-while-traveling/">travelers</a> help stamp it out by reporting what they see, only using responsible travel tourism operators committed to anti-trafficking, and to always thoroughly research any volunteer organizations involving children. </p> <h2 id="pandemic">The impact of the global pandemic on sex tourism</h2> <p>Detective Crossing says the AFP believes it is “highly unlikely” that child sex offenders were leaving Australia for the purposes of offending against children during the period when Australia’s international borders were closed.</p> <p>“It is too early to determine the effect that the reopened border has had on this type of offending, however it is highly likely the destinations that were previously attractive to travelling child sex offenders prior to COVID-19 will remain attractive with the borders reopened,” she says.</p> <p>“The AFP is working closely with partners to detect, prevent and where necessary prosecute offenders in relation to travelling sex offending.”</p> <p>At A21 in Cambodia, Ms Scharf says they have noticed a drop in child sex tourism since COVID-19 but intel from its partner agencies reveals there has been a “large shift” to online child exploitation.</p> <p>As travelers re-enter the world, it’s important to remember the lives of those who are powerless to defend themselves depend on people making the right choices to end the cycle.</p>PhotoShelter 0 The red-light district of a city

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/the-destinations-turning-greenWhen planning your trip, think about spending your tourism dollars in the places going the extra mile to make sustainability a priority.2021-12-16T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/the-destinations-turning-greenhttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#Costa"> Costa Rica’s environmental credentials </a></li> <li><a href="#nyc"> New York City’s eco initiatives </a></li> <li><a href="#singapore"> Singapore’s green skyline </a></li> <li><a href="#portugal"> Portugal’s sustainable cities </a></li> <li><a href="#palau"> The Palau Pledge </a></li> </ul> <p><span>Sure, we can bring our own reusable water bottle and reef-safe sunscreen when we travel, and we can opt to use <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/low-impact-ways-to-see-the-world">bicycles and public transportation</a> instead of taxis, but what about the sustainability-consciousness of the actual destinations we visit? As eco-minded travelers, we certainly should make choices while traveling that help reduce our own carbon footprint, but if we want to go a step further, we can also actively seek out destinations that are prioritizing sustainability.</span></p> <p><span>Not only does visiting sustainable destinations incentivize and reward cities, businesses, and individuals that are environmentally responsible, but doing so also just makes it easier for we travelers to do the right thing. Here are some of the most eco-minded destinations around the world that are doing their best to be greener for the planet and more livable for their residents.</span></p> <h2 id="Costa">Costa Rica’s environmental credentials</h2> <p>The Central American country of <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/central-america/costa-rica/traveling-in-costa-rica-during-covid">Costa Rica</a> is often held up as the poster child of sustainable travel and with good reason. In Costa Rica, sustainability is not just a mantra that is preached to draw in eco-minded tourists, it is a closely-held belief that has trickled down across the entire population. Not only do you see large players like the government, tourism board, and non-profit leaders taking major steps to protect natural resources, but you see individual hotels eliminating single-use plastics and prioritizing locally-produced food and personal care products. Costa Rica was recognized by the United Nations as a “<a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/costa-rica-named-un-champion-earth-pioneering-role-fighting-climate">Champion of the Earth</a>” and the country has its own <a href="https://www.ict.go.cr/en/sustainability/cst.html">official national certification system</a> for businesses that are avoiding gas emissions, using biodegradable products, reducing waste, recycling, conserving water, and hiring from local communities.</p> <p>Renting a car to explore the country certainly is possible but it’s also easy to catch buses from town to town. Just about anywhere you go, hiking, biking, surfing, zip lining, tubing, rafting, and wildlife watching opportunities await – all of which emphasize and engage directly with the stunning surrounding environment without reliance on gas-guzzling vehicles.</p> <h2 id="nyc">New York City’s eco initiatives</h2> <p>New York City may be best known for tourist meccas like the Brooklyn Bridge, Broadway, and Times Square but The Big Apple is also one of the most sustainable cities in the United States. Travelers may not interact with the citywide composting efforts or textile recycling programs that are still very rare elsewhere in the country but they surely will benefit from an extensive and easy-to-navigate subway system, a growing network of inter-borough ferries, a thriving network of bike lanes, and an ever-expanding bike share program – not to mention an abundance of restaurants specializing in locally- and sustainably-grown food!</p> <p>Not only does New York City make it easy for visitors to <a href="/explore/north-america/united-states/walking-tour-of-new-york-lower-east-side">explore by foot</a>, bicycle, or public transportation, but loads of buses and trains leave the City That Never Sleeps every day for Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., meaning you can easily explore multiple cities in the Northeast region without having to rent a car or book a flight.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/destinationsgoinggreen/sustainable.jpg " alt="View of Manhattan from the plane." /> <figcaption> The view of Manhattan from the plane. Photo credit: Getty Images / Artem Vorobiev</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="singapore">Singapore's green credentials</h2> <p>When you arrive in <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/singapore/asias-top-food-destination">Singapore</a>, the first thing you’ll notice will probably be its unique skyscrapers. The second thing you’ll notice will probably be that most of the skyscrapers (and just about all the office and apartment buildings) are covered with greenery. These rooftop, balcony, parking lot, and wall-climbing vertical gardens make the city extraordinarily beautiful while also improving air quality, producing food, and providing habitat and nourishment for birds and insects. In fact, Singapore aims to have 80% of its buildings achieve Green Mark Certification (a sustainable development certification) by 2030. This sovereign island city-state aims to become one of the most sustainable urban destinations in the world and their national carrier, Singapore Airlines, recently announced their commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, partially through the usage of sustainable aviation fuel. Much of Singapore can be explored on foot or by bike (and there are several bike share programs to choose from), but the Tourism Board is also working with local hotels and attractions to develop and implement new sustainability standards, such as transitioning to 100% renewable resources by 2030.</p> <h2 id="portugal">Portugal’s sustainable cities</h2> <p>Portugal has not one, but two cities that stand out in terms of sustainability. Capital city, Lisbon, has a thriving network of buses, trolleys, and <a href="/explore/europe/portugal/5-ways-to-discover-portugal-by-bike">electric bikes</a> (meaning taxis and rental cars are completely unnecessary) but for those that do drive, the city has one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks on the continent. Lisbon, which has made substantial strides to reduce CO2 emissions, along with water and energy consumption, was even named the <span><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/lisbon-is-the-2020-european-green-capital-award-winner/">2020 Green Capital of Europe</a></span>.</p> <p>Further north in the city of Águeda (about an hour south of Porto), the focus has been on improving air quality by promoting non-motorized transportation and making public transportation more energy efficient. The city has also added new pedestrian walking trails, car-free zones, and bike lanes while encouraging the use of the public e-bike system both among locals <em>and </em>tourists.</p> <h2 id="palau">The Palau Pledge</h2> <p>Climate change is a palpable threat to the existence of the hundreds of islands that make up the Micronesian nation of Palau. As such, the country teamed up with international sustainability organizations in an effort to become the world’s first carbon neutral destination. The goal of the program is not only to conserve coastal ecosystems and neutralize the carbon footprint imposed by tourism, but to also increase local food security and empower women to participate more fully in the tourism industry. In 2020, the country also introduced a ban on the sale and use of sunscreens that are believed to be harmful to coral reefs.<br /><br />Palau is also the first nation to create an eco-responsibility pledge for travelers to sign before entering the country. Drafted by local children, the <a href="https://palaupledge.com/">Palau Pledge</a> includes a checklist of things that visitors promise to not do, such as not littering, feeding sharks, or collecting marine souvenirs like coral and shells, along with a list of things <em>to</em> do, like learning about local culture and supporting small businesses. As of this writing, nearly 600,000 people have taken the pledge.</p>Getty Images / Wendy A. Capili 0 Drone shot of Palau's stunning water

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/destination-visitor-capsA world without travelers has proved positive for many places. Now some locations are either maintaining pre-existing limits on visitors or introducing new ones.2021-12-06T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/destination-visitor-capshttps://www.worldnomads.com<p><span>Whether the goal is to protect sensitive environments or provide a more enjoyable visitor experience, an increasing number of destinations around the world are <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/destinations-combating-overtourism">limiting the number of visitors</a> they welcome each day. </span></p> <p><span>In some cases, these tourism caps have been around for more than a decade, in other cases, pandemic travel patterns have encouraged new restrictions to take effect. Regardless of when or why the visitor caps were put in place, having to work with them means spending a bit more time planning your trip, such as booking timed-admission tickets months in advance and then planning your entire trip around it. But, is that such a bad thing? </span></p> <p>Visitation caps make for an inherently less flexible travel experience but as well as minimizing crowds and putting less strain on staff (which continue to be in short supply), limiting the number of visitors also helps to preserve and conserve natural resources.</p> <p>If thousands of people were to descend on an ancient archeological site that can only support a few hundred visitors, impatient tourists might stray from designated paths and potentially trample sensitive areas or wander onto historically-significant ruins and artifacts. Staff would struggle to manage crowds and clean up the mounds of trash that would, no doubt, be produced, and the visitor experience would suffer due to long lines, cramped pathways, overflowing garbage cans, and overcrowded (and under-serviced) bathrooms.</p> <p>Opting for lesser-known and off-the-beaten-path destinations is a great way to minimize overcrowding but, let’s be honest, some popular destinations just don’t have a less-visited alternative so if you want to explore them, you’ll have to work within the visitation cap restrictions. Here are a handful of alluring places to visit around the world that currently (and possibly indefinitely) impose tourism caps.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#glacier">Glacier National Park, Montana, United States</a></li> <li><a href="#howe">Lord Howe Island, Australia</a></li> <li><a href="#machu">Machu Picchu, Peru</a></li> <li><a href="#antarctica"> Antarctica </a></li> <li><a href="#seychelles">Seychelles, Africa</a></li> <li><a href="#barcelona">Barcelona, Spain</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="glacier">Glacier National Park, Montana, United States</h2> <p>As one of the most popular national parks in the United States, <a href="https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm">Glacier National Park</a> has long suffered from over-tourism. Parking lots are often full by sunrise, some trails see more than 1,000 hikers a day, and entire areas of the park are temporarily restricted until traffic congestion clears up. As Americans who were unable or unwilling to travel abroad sought out outdoor spaces closer to home, Glacier saw an especially steep jump in the number of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the country’s 10<sup>th</sup> national park imposed an online reservation system for the popular Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor during peak visitor season (late May to early September 2021).</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/visitorcaps/Glacier-national-park.jpg" /> <figcaption>The unspoiled mountains of Glacier National Park, Montana. Photo credit: Getty Images / Ramesh Iyanswamy </figcaption></figure> <h2 id="howe">Lord Howe Island, Australia</h2> <p>Rising from the Pacific some 370 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia, lies <a href="https://www.lhib.nsw.gov.au/">Lord Howe Island</a>, part of a group of isolated islands born from volcanic activity that now appear on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This semi-tropical island is less than seven miles long and two miles wide, but the island’s status as a Marine Park, and the fact that nearly 75% of its land is classified as a Permanent Park Preserve, makes this protected piece of paradise perfect for nature and wildlife lovers. Rare flora and fauna blanket the island while the world’s most southerly coral reef encompasses surrounding waters. Tourism is the main industry supporting the island’s 400 residents, but a strict tourist cap allows only 400 visitors a night. The cap (which is equal to the number of available beds on the island) was put in place to protect the island's delicate ecosystem and is instrumental in conserving the high number of threatened and endemic species that have evolved to live in the area.</p> <h2 id="machu">Machu Picchu, Peru</h2> <p>Often considered to be the poster child of over-tourism, <a href="/explore/south-america/peru/alternatives-to-the-inca-trail">Machu Picchu</a> customarily received more than 4,000 visitors per day. When the site opened at 6am, there typically were hundreds of tourists already lined up at the gate, all attempting to be the first to enter. Tickets were issued as half-day admissions though the four-hour time restrictions weren’t strictly enforced so most visitors arrived early and stayed as long as they liked.</p> <p>As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the site closed in March 2020, as did pretty much everything in the world. Four months later, Peruvian authorities decided that when the site re-opened, the number of daily visitors would be limited to 2,244 but it didn’t tackle the problem of everyone visiting at the same time (usually early in the morning). Now, a limited number of tickets are issued in time blocks so if you buy a ticket for 10am, you’re only allowed to enter between 10am-11am. Tickets often sell out several months in advance and are not available on-site so if you are planning to visit, it would be wise to confirm your admission ticket before booking your flight or accommodations.</p> <h2 id="antarctica">Antarctica</h2> <p>Tourism to Antarctica was growing steadily until 2009 when the 28 nation members of the 50-year-old Antarctic Treaty decided to limit tourism in the region to protect the continent’s fragile ecosystem. Changes included banning ships with more than 500 passengers from landing sites, restricting landings to one vessel at a time, limiting the number of passengers on shore to 100 at a time, and requiring at least one guide for every 20 visitors while ashore. Given the extremely harsh environment, the only way to get to Antarctica is to go with a tour operator or organization that has been approved by its national authorities, all of whom must comply with the new regulations. Given the visitation caps and requirements have a larger impact on the experience of visitors of large ships, if you want to be able to dock and explore on foot, your best bet is to book a trip on a small ship.</p> <h2 id="seychelles">Seychelles, Africa</h2> <p><span>Officially the Republic of Seychelles, but better known simply as Seychelles, this archipelagic island country consists of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, about 1,100 miles southeast of Somalia and northeast of Madagascar. In 2007, the country recognized the problems associated with its swelling number of visitors (which was up 10% over the previous year) and proposed to cap the number of visitors at 200,000 beginning in 2010. The primary motivation for the cap was concern for protecting the environment but it was unsuccessful and visitor numbers reached 250,000 by 2015. While the country has struggled to enforce visitor caps, it has already begun restricting the building of large hotel developments in favor of smaller, locally-run properties.</span></p> <h2 id="barcelona">Barcelona, Spain</h2> <p>To “stop the city from becoming like Venice”, in 2015, Barcelona’s mayor introduced a cap on the number of tourists visiting the Catalan capital, which then hovered around 7.5 million annually. The mayor issued a temporary freeze on new developments while deciding which areas of the city could receive more tourists and imposed caps on groups visiting iconic places. La Boqueria market on La Rambla boulevard began limiting groups to no more than 15 people and Gaudi’s Park Güell, formerly free, began charging admission and limiting the number of visitors to 800 per day. Unlike other destinations, which typically impose tourism caps to preserve the environment and make for a better visitor experience, the main motivation behind Barcelona’s caps was a desire to improve the quality of life of residents, who, for years, had complained that tourists had taken over their city and made it unlivable.</p> <p><span> </span></p> <p></p>Getty Images/ Diamond Dogs 0 Untouched beach

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/vaccine-inequityBefore you travel, make sure you aren't risking the lives of people in the country you're visiting.2021-10-05T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/vaccine-inequityhttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>If you’ve dared dream where you’ll go next – or are already back into the swing of travel – the lure of foreign lands is hard to resist. For many of us, the joy of travel lies in tasting unfamiliar foods, gazing at views, and exploring cultures unlike our own – and it’s all waiting beyond our own country’s borders.</p> <p>One in four pre-pandemic jobs were tied to tourism, the World Travel and Tourism Council tells us, so it makes sense that the countries we want to visit want us to visit, too … doesn’t it?</p> <p>Sure, unless our visit ends up doing a destination more harm than good. Now is the time to ask what impact we might have when we travel, and whether it’s fair to travel to countries where the majority of the population hasn’t yet had the chance to be vaccinated.</p> <ul> <ul> <li><a href="#inequity"> The problem with vaccine inequity </a></li> <li><a href="#rates"> Improving vaccine rates </a></li> <li><a href="#protect"> Protecting local communities </a></li> <li><a href="#minimize"> How can you minimize the risk to others </a></li> </ul> </ul> <h2 id="inequity">The problem with vaccine inequity</h2> <p>If you’ve been vaccinated, you’re one of the lucky ones. You live in a country where COVID-19 vaccines are easily accessible. As of 5 October 2021, 6.2 billion doses have been administered around the world, and 26 million more are being jabbed into arms each day.</p> <p>While 45 per cent of the global population has received at least one dose, just two per cent of people in low-income countries can say the same.</p> <p>That number falls again for the fully vaccinated. According to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations">Our World in Data</a>, an organization building an international vaccination dataset, vaccine inequity is undeniable – the numbers speak for themselves.</p> <p>In Tanzania, for example, just 1 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, with Kenya not far behind at 1.6 per cent. In Jamaica and Bangladesh, around 10 per cent of people have received the two vaccinations they need to be protected from serious illness or death caused by COVID-19.</p> <p>The picture looks very different in the world’s wealthiest countries, which are leading the charge in the percentage of people fully vaccinated: Portugal (85 per cent), UAE (83), Spain (78), Singapore (77), Denmark (75), Belgium (72), Canada (70). The UK, USA and Australia are sitting at 66, 55 and 43 per cent, respectively.</p> <h2 id="rates">Improving vaccine rates</h2> <p>As wealthy countries reach high vaccination rates, policies inevitably shift from ‘zero-tolerance’ to ‘living with’ COVID-19. International borders open up, quarantine measures relax, and travel lovers fed up with staying home pack their bags and head for the nearest airport.</p> <p>Low vaccine supplies (thanks partly to wealthy countries grabbing more than their fair share early on), manufacture and distribution hold-ups, and the cost and logistics of acquiring vaccines and administering them are all contributing to vaccine inequity.</p> <p>September’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/24/global-covid-19-summit-ending-the-pandemic-and-building-back-better/">Global COVID-19 Summit</a> was a collective step forward, as world leaders committed to accelerating access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments to meet the World Health Organization’s target: that 70 per cent of all people in all countries be vaccinated by mid-2022.</p> <p>NGOs are doing what they can too. UNICEF’s <a href="https://www.vaccinaid.org.au/">Give the World a Shot</a> fundraising campaign aims to deliver 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines, 5.5 million treatments and 5.6 million test kits to countries in need; the WHO Foundation’s <a href="https://gogiveone.org/">Go Give One</a> is raising money to enable low- and middle-income economies to access donor-funded doses of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines (some low-income countries have been resorting to low-efficacy vaccines because it’s all they’ve been able to get their hands on).</p> <h2 id="protect">Protecting local communities</h2> <p>Supporting initiatives such as these is one way you can help, but you can also play a part in not making things worse. That’s one reason ethical tour operator Intrepid Travel requires all its travelers and tour leaders to be fully vaccinated.</p> <p>“We’re taking this step because it’s important to us that we make sure the communities we visit, our leaders and our travelers are safe and that we minimize, as much as possible, anyone’s chances of traveling with and passing on COVID-19,” says Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton. “We need to keep everyone safe. It’s as simple as that.”</p> <p>Tourism-reliant countries who’ve been doing it tough have little choice but to welcome back travelers, no matter how few of their own people have been vaccinated.</p> <p>It’s up to us to monitor and choose travel destinations carefully – for their sake and yours – and to do what we can to minimize mutual risk while we’re there.</p> <p>“The bottom line is that regardless of how ‘pent up’ we feel to travel, it’s still a huge privilege to do so – we must be respectful of places and people and think about our impact before we even begin planning a trip,” says <a href="https://skift.com/">Skift</a> global tourism reporter Lebawit Lily Girma.</p> <p>The best way to protect local communities is simple, Girma says. “It’s unethical to travel to a low-vaccinated country and expose other people who haven't had the privilege of having access to vaccines." <span>Girma</span> goes even further by suggesting travelers should wait until the vaccination rate in the region or local community you’re interested in has reached at least 70 per cent.</p> <h2 id="minimize">How can you minimize the risk to others</h2> <p>Traveling for fun is one thing but traveling to be with family members from whom you’ve been separated is quite another. And the risks to others when you’re spending time with loved ones at their home is dramatically different to those posed during a sightseeing vacation or resort stay where you’re putting locals and tourism workers in jeopardy just by being there.</p> <p>Although you can’t completely <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/worldwide/traveling-safely-when-covid-restrictions-lift">control the risk</a> to yourself by traveling to a country of low vaccination/high infection rates, you can minimize your risk to them. Remember that even if you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you can still catch and pass on the virus.</p> <ul> <ul> <ul> <li>Get vaccinated before you travel</li> <li>Avoid crowded indoor settings with inadequate ventilation in favor of outdoor activities and dining venues</li> <li>Wear a mask in areas of high local transmission rates. Mask wearing on public transport and other crowded places makes good sense wherever you are</li> <li>Don't travel if you feel unwell or have any symptoms of COVID-19</li> <li>Get a negative COVID-19 test before traveling.</li> </ul> </ul> </ul> <p>Infectious disease epidemiologist <a href="https://twitter.com/SaskiaPopescu?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Dr Saskia Popescu</a> discourages travel if you have recently been exposed to a COVID-positive case or aren’t feeling well, no matter how desperate you are to travel or reunite with your family. “We need to be good stewards of public health,” Popescu says. </p> <p>If you travel anyway, your symptoms escalate and you need medical care while you’re away, burdening the local healthcare system does local people no favours. </p> <p>Getting tested just before your departure may be inconvenient – especially if you test positive and need to delay your trip – but it’s the right thing to do.</p> <p>If you’re not feeling well once you reach a low-vaccination destination but have only mild symptoms, self-isolating until you feel better, or test negative is the best way to protect the surrounding community.</p>Peter Unger / Getty Images 1529985291 Getty Images Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/ethical-travel-pandemicLockdowns and restrictions have affected everyone, and many of us are desperate to be reunited with loved ones, or to just hit the road. But what should we consider when we travel during COVID-19?2021-06-03T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/ethical-travel-pandemichttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>If you’ve been separated from loved ones or just miss the joys of travel, you‘re no doubt itching to break out your passport and hit the road again. Before you decide where to go and what to do when you get there, put on your global citizen hat and go forth with an ethical mindset. The travel decisions you make now can have a lasting impact on the communities you visit, and your fellow travelers. </p> <ul> <li><a href="#reunions"> Careful reunions </a></li> <li><a href="#where"> Where to go </a></li> <li><a href="#vaccines"> Vaccines and variants </a></li> <li><a href="#getting"> Getting there and around </a></li> <li><a href="#welcome"> Am I welcome? </a></li> <li><a href="#ethically"> How can I travel more ethically? </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="reunions">Careful reunions</h2> <p>Before the pandemic closed borders and grounded planes, moving to another country for work, love or adventure had become commonplace – more than 50 million ex-pats lived permanently abroad in more than 160 countries. While the pandemic motivated many to return home, it’s been a long time between visits for those who didn’t or couldn’t get back. With vaccination rates increasing and travel becoming possible again, those ex-pats can now entertain the idea of seeing their loved ones not just on a screen, but <a href="/explore/worldwide/post-pandemic-travel-family-reunions">face to face</a>. For travel writer Ivy Carruth, an American ex-pat living in Sydney, Australia, it has been distressing not to be able to visit her parents, both aged in their 70s and largely housebound in their Atlanta home as COVID-19 cases escalated around them.<br /><br />“They’ve both had the vaccine now and I’ve had my first dose, so I hope that once I receive my second, it won’t be long before borders open up,” Carruth says. “As soon as I’m able, I’ll go.” Although she’ll be fully vaccinated, Carruth says she will be taking extra precautions when she travels from now on: “Washing hands, social distancing, masking everywhere and avoiding crowds.”</p> <h2 id="where">Where to go</h2> <p>Reunions aside, the idea of taking to the skies for foreign lands is a tempting one, especially while popular cities and travel hotspots are blissfully free of crowds. When considering where to go, however, ethical travelers will take a ‘we-not-me’ approach and weigh up how ready a destination is to receive travelers. Consider the current vaccination rates in the country you want to visit, whether vaccines are accessible (and affordable) to everyone, and how much risk you’ll pose to local communities just by being there. <br /><br />Locals aside, if you or someone in your group gets sick and needs hospital care, will you be placing an additional burden on an already strained healthcare system? If the pandemic isn’t well under control where you’re headed, will the care you need even be accessible? Thorough research and forward planning are vital when you set off in our pandemic-weary world – preparing for every contingency will give you the peace of mind you need to travel with confidence.</p> <h2 id="vaccines">Vaccines and variants</h2> <p>Vaccination rates are on the rise but it’s still unclear whether vaccinated people can spread the virus and, if so, how easily. Vanderbilt University Medical Center Staff Scientist Sanjay Mishra says preliminary studies indicate that those who get sick with COVID-19 after vaccination experience milder symptoms and are likely to be less infectious. “But without more studies, scientists cannot yet conclude that COVID-19 vaccines really do protect against all transmission,” Mishra says.<br /> <br />Remember that some people are unable to be vaccinated because of their age or health conditions, at home and abroad. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t travel, but that you should do what you can to <a href="/travel-safety/worldwide/traveling-safely-when-covid-restrictions-lift">protect everyone you encounter</a> by wearing a mask, social distancing and sanitizing your hands – even if you’re fully vaccinated and vaccination rates are on the rise in the country to which you’re traveling. <br /><br />This is even more important if someone with whom you’re traveling hasn’t had the jab. Unvaccinated children, for example, may have COVID-19 but not be showing any symptoms. “COVID-19 poses a particular challenge because people with asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections can spread the disease,” Mishra says. “Some scientists estimate that the number of asymptomatic COVID-19 infections in the overall population could be 3 to 20 times higher than the number of confirmed cases.”<br /><br />Intrepid Travel co-founder Geoff Manchester agrees, saying that although <a href="/travel-insurance/why-buy/COVID-19-vaccine-and-travel-plans">vaccines</a> can prevent you from getting sick, they don’t necessarily stop you from becoming infected or spreading an illness around. “Preliminary evidence seems to suggest the COVID-19 vaccines make it less likely someone who’s vaccinated will transmit the coronavirus, but the proof is not yet ironclad,” Manchester says. “Unvaccinated people should still be diligent about mask-wearing, physical distancing, and other precautions against the coronavirus.”</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/responsibletravel/ethicsoftravel/IN COPY IMAGEGettyImages-1265378802.jpg" alt="Passengers use hand sanitizer on a flight" /> <figcaption>Passengers use hand sanitizer on a flight. Photo credit: Getty Images / Devon Strong</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="getting">Getting there and around</h2> <p>As we emerge from the pandemic, some more battered and bruised than others, what we have in common is a newfound appreciation for travel and a desire to <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/6-ways-to-be-a-better-traveler-in-the-post-pandemic-world">do things better this time</a> – the impact tourism has had on the world has been laid bare.</p> <p>Airlines are falling over themselves to convince travelers it’s safe to fly, but now is the time to begin as we mean to go on and <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/responsible-flying">fly with the environment in mind</a>. Choose airlines with environmentally friendly fleets (Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s are among the most fuel-efficient) and that have actively worked to reduce single-use plastics on board. Make up for your flight’s emissions with carbon offsets, and fly direct if you can. <br /><br />UK-based Sue-Anne Mayne, founder of homestay start-up SisterStay, says the worldwide travel restrictions we’ve endured over the past year have given us the time-out we needed to consider what’s important in life and how we wish to travel in the future. <br /><br />“Is it really sustainable to have flights so cheap that we can all afford to nick off to a different European destination every weekend?” Mayne asks. “My vision for the future is to have everyone travel more slowly and thoughtfully – and perhaps less often – staying longer in each destination, getting a feel for the local rhythm of life and contributing to the local economy in a sustainable way.”<br /><br />Mayne started SisterStay because she felt there was a need for a genuine homestay community. “A trip anywhere is always so much more meaningful when we make connections with real people while we’re there,” she says. “I believe most people will naturally carry an awareness of how serious the pandemic has been, but I would love to encourage all travelers to stay up to date with government guidelines, to be sensible in the situations and spaces they go into and, of course, to be kind and mindful towards people they encounter who may still be feeling some anxiety about the virus.”</p> <h2 id="welcome">Am I welcome?</h2> <p>It’s easy to assume you’ll be greeted with open arms when you land in a tourism-reliant destination, but a pandemic flipside has allowed locals to enjoy their own cities without crowds of visitors. If we all flock back to the same over touristed areas, not only will we be putting the same strain on communities and ecosystems as in the past, but it may also be difficult to keep a safe distance from others. <br /><br />Encouragingly, the pandemic is motivating many travelers to explore lesser-known destinations in <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/low-impact-ways-to-see-the-world">low-impact ways</a> and to opt for small-group travel experiences that embrace nature. Travel companies are responding to demand with carbon-neutral itineraries, off-the-beaten-path routes, and local partnerships that help communities recover and give travelers the authentic travel experiences they’ve been craving.</p> <h2 id="ethically">How can I travel more ethically?</h2> <p>Choose an <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/how-to-choose-an-ethical-tour-operator">ethical tour operator</a>, minimize your travel footprint, and do what you can to make sure the travelers following in your footsteps have an experience as enriching as yours. How? <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/show-a-little-kindness-on-your-travels">Travel with kindness</a> to ensure locals give future travelers a warm welcome and accept that your travel experience may be a little different to your travels of the past. Not everything may be open, not every local may appreciate your presence, and the COVID-19 precautions a country has in place may be different – and cause more inconvenience – to what you’re used to.</p> <p>Respect their approach, follow government guidelines, and be prepared for border closures and restrictions to change your plans without warning. Being flexible and adapting without a fuss is the mark of a truly global citizen.</p>Getty Images/Devon Strong 1488775487 Getty Images

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/zero-waste-diningEat up on your travels to support restaurants eliminating every bit of waste they can.2020-09-16T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/zero-waste-dininghttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>As concern for our planet increases exponentially, restaurateurs, chefs and consumers are looking for ways to reduce food waste. It’s no surprise, then, to see the gradual-but-determined global emergence of waste-free restaurants.</p> <p>Thanks to eyebrow-raising data from the <a href="https://www.unep.org/">United Nations Environment Programme</a>, we know that humans waste approximately 1.3 billion tons of food every year. That’s nearly a third of the food produced worldwide. And, roughly 40 percent of that waste – particularly in the developed world – comes from restaurants and other food businesses.</p> <p>Fortunately, these discouraging facts have spawned an encouraging and counteractive global trend: zero-waste restaurants.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#wins">Everyone wins</a></li> <li><a href="#Whittling">Whittling away at waste </a></li> <li><a href="#Creative">Creative thinking </a></li> <li><a href="#taste">Globetrotting for a taste of no waste </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="wins">Everyone wins</h2> <p>By using, consuming, recycling and donating everything in their establishments, no-waste restaurants and their teams are doing their part to reduce our landfills, helping to eliminate hunger, and, according to a recent <a href="https://champions123.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/report_-business-case-for-reducing-food-loss-and-waste.pdf" title="report">report</a>, recouping their investment in food-waste reduction and even earning more money.</p> <p>“As consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, they want to support businesses who are doing the same,” says chef Wayan Kresna Yasa of Bali’s <a href="https://potatohead.co/seminyak/eat-drink/ijen" title="ljen restaurant">Ijen</a>, a zero-waste, line-caught-seafood restaurant. “People are caring about the planet more, and diners are interested to know they can help to reduce their own carbon footprint by eating at restaurants that follow a zero-waste philosophy.”</p> <p>These cutting-edge establishments have managed to eliminate all waste – from food and packaging to other disposable products, such as napkins, paper plates and <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/how-to-reduce-plastic-use-while-you-travel" title="How to Use Less Plastic When You Travel">plastic</a> cutlery.</p> <h2 id="Whittling">Whittling away at waste</h2> For restaurants, going zero-waste is a daunting and ambitious task. Reaching zero-waste status involves meticulously – and creatively – examining every aspect of the business, from food and menu planning to delivery and disposal options and even technology. <p>Despite its challenges, restaurants like Ijen and their teams are proving they can do it. With food, they’re using every bit of the animal and vegetable. Think not only nose-to-tail but also flesh-to-fin and roots-to-leaves dining.</p> <p>“At Ijen, we use the fishbones for stock and the fish scales to make crackers, which are complimentary for guests upon being seated,” says Kresna Yasa. “This allows us to minimize the fish waste and send the rest for animal feed or compost.”</p> <p>Zero-waste restaurants are carefully designing menus based on in-season ingredients and how they can make use of every piece; plus, they’re often opting for set menus to ensure they don’t overorder food. When there is leftover food, these restaurants are championing the resurgence of the (recyclable) doggie bag, or they’re composting the waste to send home with customers for their gardens or giving it to local farmers.</p> <h2 id="Creative">Creative thinking</h2> <p>“One of our biggest challenges was how to get rid of the hard shells from oysters and clams,” says Kresna Yasa. “We had to get quite creative … after talking to consultants, they advised us that chickens were generally calcium-deficient in Indonesia, so we started powdering the shells to add into chicken feed to increase the nutritional value.”</p> <p>As for deliveries, packaging and other waste-making items, no-waste dining means working with suppliers to change the packaging in which they deliver goods, eliminating one-time-use options, and, in some cases, packaging altogether. Instead, restaurants and suppliers are looking to eco-friendly alternatives, such as reusable wooden crates, leaves used to wrap herbs, and biodegradable containers.</p> <p>Technology also plays a role, with software that can track which foods go to waste (so restaurants can better plan menus) and machines that do the composting.</p> <h2 id="taste">Globetrotting for a taste of no waste</h2> <p>Though by no means ubiquitous, these no-waste eateries are little by little popping up across the world. Kresna Yasa hopes to keep the momentum going: “We have started an initiative with a group of chefs on the island to help lead by example and show them through our operations to inspire and support them in their own zero-waste quest.”</p> <p>So, if Bali, New York, London, Brighton, Helsinki or Berlin, for example, are on your <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/6-ways-to-be-a-better-traveler-in-the-post-pandemic-world">upcoming itinerary</a>, embrace the zero-waste Zeitgeist and add one of these destinations’ environmentally friendly eateries to your travel plans.</p>Getty Images / Svetikd 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/tipping-and-haggling-how-to-get-it-right-on-the-roadEveryone loves a bargain, but consider the ethics behind tipping and haggling if you want to be a responsible traveler.2020-08-19T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/tipping-and-haggling-how-to-get-it-right-on-the-roadhttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>The fact that we’re able to board airplanes and explore corners of the world that most people will never get to see means that we travelers enjoy an inherently privileged financial position. Many of us are born in countries where employment opportunities abound and where, if they don’t, a social safety net exists to provide basic necessities. In most countries, however, this is not the case.</p> <p>Many vendors and service industry employees have few other employment options and rely on the money they receive from <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/6-ways-to-be-a-better-traveler-in-the-post-pandemic-world">travelers </a>to feed their families. Practicing generous tipping and mindful haggling gives us an opportunity to <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/travel-choices">help</a> ensure they earn a fair wage.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#wage">How tipping can help locals earn a fair wage </a></li> <li><a href="#haggle">Haggle, but don’t over-haggle </a></li> <li><a href="#when">When to haggle – and when not to </a></li> <li><a href="#fair">Responsible ways to get a fair deal </a></li> <li><a href="#dream">Dream on, and travel responsibly </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="wage">How tipping can help locals earn a fair wage</h2> <p>Wages in the tourism industry are often set low intentionally, with the expectation that travelers will offer cash tips. Even if your own country has no tipping culture, you should still tip abroad, particularly in developing countries, where hourly wages are too low for families to survive. Restaurant workers, tour guides, housekeeping and hotel staff, bartenders, restroom attendants, and hairstylists/barbers should be tipped abroad even if these positions don’t rely on tips in your home country.</p> <h2 id="haggle">Haggle but don’t over-haggle</h2> <p>Many of us come from countries with no haggling culture, so negotiating with a shopkeeper can be part of the travel experience. Though haggling can be fun, you should only encourage a merchant if you intend to <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/the-ethical-traveler-s-guide-to-souvenir-shopping">buy something</a>. Don’t waste a vendor’s time just so you can play the haggling game. In most countries, you are welcome to participate in haggling, but you’re also expected to pay a higher price than locals. Keep in mind that the few extra dollars you may be able to shave off a souvenir would mean exponentially more to a vendor than it would to you.</p> <p>If a shopkeeper offers a t-shirt for $2 that you’d pay $20 for at home, do you really need to bargain another 30 cents off the price? A fair price is not always the cheapest price and the extra money you pay a stall holder could make a huge difference to their family’s wellbeing. If you’re offered a fair price, just accept it; haggling is not always necessary.</p> <p>Nobody wants to get ripped off either so if you want to make sure you’re getting a good deal without taking advantage of a vendor’s desperation, shop around to get a sense of what the price should be before buying. Small shops on side streets, away from well-trafficked corridors, also tend to be a bit cheaper, as they receive fewer visitors. These vendors may also be in greater need of tourist dollars.</p> <h2 id="when">When to haggle – and when not to</h2> <p>Do your research before visiting a country, as haggling rules and etiquette vary across cultures. In <a href="/explore/north-africa/egypt">Egypt,</a> for example, anything without a written price tag is fair game. In neighboring <a href="/explore/middle-east/jordan">Jordan</a>, however, customs are a bit more nuanced.</p> <p>According to Experience Jordan, “You don't usually haggle if there are clear price tags or if there's a clear sign stating that the prices are fixed”. Elizabeth Palacios, a guide in Mexico City, says “Just because some countries haggle doesn’t mean it’s acceptable here.” She instructs participants on her tours to pay whatever price the vendor offers, noting that “sellers get upset when people haggle because their work is not being valued.</p> <h2 id="fair">Responsible ways to get a fair deal</h2> <ul> <li>If you have a particular souvenir in mind, ask your host, tour guide, or a local friend what a fair price is</li> <li>Visit several shops to understand the going rate for an item</li> <li>If a vendor offers a price you believe is reasonable, then there’s no reason to haggle</li> <li>If the price seems too high, offer just below the lowest price you found in another store. The vendor will likely meet you in the middle, at a fair price for both of you</li> <li>If you still find the price unreasonably high, walk away. If the shopkeeper is able to lower it further, they’ll chase after you.</li> </ul>Getty Images / Andrea Pistolesi 0 Morocco market

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/embarrassing-travel-mistakesBeware these little-known social faux pas as you negotiate unfamiliar customs traveling in Japan and around the world – they could leave you red faced.2020-08-19T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/embarrassing-travel-mistakeshttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>Adhering to cultural niceties isn’t all about restrictions. Traveling sets you free, too. In China, it’s considered a compliment to belch after a good meal, and in many Southeast Asian countries (even Japan), noisily slurping noodles and broths are encouraged. Such freedoms aside, if you’d prefer to make friends rather than cause offense, some rules are best followed when you’re on the road.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#jail"> Avoid a fine (or even jail!) </a></li> <li><a href="#polite"> Polite eating </a></li> <li><a href="#japan"> Get it right in Japan </a></li> <li><a href="#rules"> And the most surprising rules </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="jail">Avoid a fine (or even jail!)</h2> <p>Some cultural rules are laws. Pay special attention to cultural rules that carry prison sentences (or fines).</p> <ul> <li>Reconsider kissing your partner in many countries in the Middle East (and India), such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), or drinking alcohol</li> <li>In Thailand, don’t make any jokes about the Thai royal family; even stepping on Thai currency is a criminal act (notes and coins bear the King’s head)</li> <li>Chewing gum in Singapore carries fines of more than US$2,000</li> <li>Wearing camouflage-style clothes in 11 countries (mostly in the Caribbean, but also the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Zambia and Zimbabwe) carries a stiff fine</li> <li>Don’t pee in the sea in Portugal</li> <li>It’s illegal to leave the house without underwear in Thailand. Darn.</li> <li>If the possibility of fines, prison or worse isn’t enough motivation not to do something, be aware that it may also void any travel insurance cover you have as most policies do not cover events arising from illegal acts.</li> </ul> <h2 id="polite">Polite eating</h2> <p>This is the area of travel with the most etiquette rules to remember! So here goes:</p> <ul> <li>Don’t use your hands to eat in Chile or Italy (unless it’s take-out)</li> <li>In Sweden, if you tell your server you’re full they’ll think you didn’t like the food (ful means ugly)</li> <li>Don’t split the bill in France – offer to pay or someone else will</li> <li>Eat only with your right hand in India, most of Africa and Arab countries (the left hand is for… less savory purposes involving the toilet)</li> <li>Finish your meal in India, otherwise it’s considered disrespectful; but in China leave a little bit to show your host you were given more than enough.</li> </ul> <h2 id="japan">Get it right in Japan</h2> <p>Japan has its very own category of etiquette rules.</p> <ul> <li>Don’t hug in public – especially in our post-COVID-19 world.</li> <li>Don’t talk on your phone on trains or buses (or to each other, unless in a whisper)</li> <li>Don’t blow your nose in public</li> <li>Don’t eat while you’re walking or on public transport (unless you’re on a Shinkansen train)</li> <li>Don’t hand cash to restaurant staff, use the plastic tray</li> <li>Remove your shoes before entering a restaurant or a local’s home</li> <li>Don’t cross your chopsticks, lick your chopsticks or put them upright in your bowl (it’ll be considered an offering to the dead)</li> <li>Don’t pour your own drink or attempt to open your own taxi door (they’re controlled by the driver).</li> </ul> <h2 id="rules">And the most surprising rules</h2> <p>These little-known social gaffes are well worth avoiding.</p> <ul> <li>Don’t flush the toilet after 10pm in Switzerland (the noise might wake neighbors)</li> <li>Don’t affectionately rub a child’s head in Thailand (Buddhists consider the head the holiest part of the body)</li> <li>Don’t show the soles of your feet throughout Southeast Asia when sitting down – they are considered unclean</li> <li>Don’t give a thumbs-up sign in the Middle East, Germany or West Africa (it refers to where you want to stick your thumb)</li> <li>Don’t say ‘hiya’ in Turkey (unless you actually meant to say ‘testicles’?).</li> </ul>Joanna Tovia 0