Responsible travelling: a real alternative or a poor substitute.

A few of my previous entries touched upon the topic of travelling and this one is yet another post from the series. This time I will  discuss the idea of responsible travelling which lately became an interesting alternative for package holidays. Responsible travelling was introduced because “standard travels” usually cause a lot of damage to both the environment and the culture of the place we go to.

WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE TRAVELLING?

There is no specific definition of such a way of travelling since multiple actions may be classified as “responsible”, however, the main aim is to prevent all holiday destinations from losing their virtues. And by virtues I mean environmental sustainability, cultural heritage, economic development and language. Many argue that the idea is just a poor substitute and it has no real future, but is it really so? If we continue to carelessly plan our vacations, not caring about the place of our journey, the state of the Earth will aggravate and the future generations will have a serious problem to tackle.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Responsible travelling is a solution to this problem and, what’s more, can be cheaper than standard journeys. If you want to help our planet and other societies, do a few things before you leave.

1)    Analyze the impact your travel will have on local surroundings.

2)    Analyze whether the long-distance trip is better than a short-distance one.

3)    Choose the most ecological means of transport to reach the place.

4)    Pay carbon credits to compensate the amount of carbon dioxide you will produce.

5)    Consider your destination your home – leave it in a state that will enable others and local people to enjoy it.

6)    Choose local products, tour guides and facilities.

HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRAVEL                      

There are a few websites and even travel agencies which help beginners plan their travel wisely. All you need to do is search “responsible travelling” in Google browser and look for a reliable hotlink (ending with “.org”, “.gov” etc.). It doesn’t cost anything but pays off globally.

MY ADVICE

My suggestion for you is to pick a place not further than 100 kilometers from your house and find as many opportunities to spend your free time as possible. I, personally, would pick Wielkopolski National Park where there are multiple natural and architectural wonders, such as Kociolek lake or Kornik castle. 

(c) http://www.elipsa.at/wielkopolskie-wiele-do-zobaczenia/

(c) http://turystyka.wp.pl/query,zamek%20w%20k%C3%B3rniku,tag.html?ticaid=11455b

I kindly ask you to share your opinion on the topic in the comments. I hope you enjoyed this entry!