Responsible Travel

HOW to Be a RESPONSIBLE TRAVELER & ADVOCATE

Get ready for an experience of a lifetime! Following ethics of responsible travel does require some personal initiative, but the positive impact you have, the feeling you will experience and the unexpected surprises you will encounter as a result may just change your life, a little or a lot!

Before and During Your Trip

• Abide by the detailed environmental and cultural guidelines supplied to you by your adventure travel outfitter, specific for the each region and trip.
• When booking a trip, choose to off-set your carbon emissions of your international travel.  Ask if your local operator offsets local emissions as a standard operating practice.
• When shopping, purchase locally made goods and handicrafts. Please do not bargain below a fair price.
• Do not hand out money, gifts or medicines. If interested in making a contribution to a specific cause to the area you are visiting, please channel this through a local non-government organization (NGO) or relief agency.  They will make sure your donation is given to a legitimate organization, program or individual that will provide sustainable results with transparency.
• Save water - travel with your own water bottle and purification tablets; minimize time in shower and request not to have linens & towels cleaned every day.
• Buy a language phrase book for the country you are visiting to share words with people you meet.
• Read about the areas you are visiting prior to your departure and understand how to respect cultural traditions.  Good companies will provide you with this information before you travel.
• Engage in communication with local community where appropriate and talk with our local guide to learn more about the culture and environment.
• Respect nature and wildlife by staying on trails, staying your distance and minimizing waste and impact.

After Your Trip

When you go home, share your experiences with family, friends and colleagues - give a local slide show, put up a public account on Flikr, upload a new gallery on Facebook.  Tell them about the Tharu woman in Nepal that you had tea with and what her house looked like. Explain the function of the Bhutanese fortresses and the monks you saw meditating. Describe the awesome snow-capped peaks of the Nepal Himalaya and the village where you slept. Show friends your photographs of the endangered black-necked crane and explain the community-based initiative that has formed to protect this magnificent bird.  Your experience can open the eyes of many to experience the magic of the world, while supporting a sustainable planet and international peace.

This is only the beginning of what you can achieve with your travels.  By sharing all you can with others, you can make the world a more tolerant, peaceful and exciting place.  Go for it!