Here we are slowly spinning on this beautiful orb suspended in space. We have one world to share with one another. Choices I make affect you and visa versa. Our actions set the stage for what happens not only for us, but for our kids and our kid’s kids. I don’t want to be part of the problem, instead I strive to be a part of the solution.
Here are things that I am NOT doing when Traveling
- I am NOT planning a trip to the Maldives or the Seychelles or any other place that is in peril due to over tourism or man-made destruction.
- I will not take any cruises in Europe that stop in Venice. Cruise ships coming into the lagoon add to the issues they already have maintaining the water levels and quality. Most of the ships displace around 90,000 tons of water when they move, which stirs up the canal sediment and changes the state of the lagoon.
- I won’t move or stack stones for an Instagram photo in Ferry Glen on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, because displacing them leads to beach erosion.
Here are things that I Will do when Traveling
- Conserve Water in my hotel
- Leave no Trace – don’t take anything (shells, sand, stones) or make changes to the environment that might make a negative impact
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- After our last big trip, I was pleased that Trafalgar offered us the “Thank You Gift” option of having them plant 4 trees (per person) to help offset our travel footprint.
Big Travel Companies and Merchants are starting to get it too
- Virgin Voyages will run their fleet as ocean friendly as possible. They will utilize systems that turn organic waste into power and using recyclable products instead of single use plastics.
- Delta Airlines is eliminating plastic straws and other single use plastics from it’s flights and lounges
- American Airlines says that they are ‘reducing’ plastic use (hey, it’s a start)
- United Airlines also got rid of plastic straws and picks
- IHG Hotels will get rid of an average of 50 million single use plastic straws from hotels each year.
- Hilton Hotels has replaced plastic water bottles from meetings and plastic straws in many of their hotels
- Starbucks is doing away with plastic straws
- Marriott Hotels offers guests a $5 food/beverage voucher or 500 Reward points for declining housekeeping during their stay. Thus saving water and energy.
Make Conscious Choices at Home Too
Of course there are tons of things you can do at home to help like utilizing reusable water bottles and shopping bags. Simple things like managing food waste and avoiding the purchase of items that are made of single use plastic or are overly packaged in plastic. We also utilize reusable containers to pack our lunches instead of plastic baggies.
We all just need to be Global Citizens and practice Responsible Travel.
“Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints”
The Cost of Travel on the World
The World According to Dev 