The Ultimate Responsible Travel Bucket List

Across the globe we are all trying to find ways to become more environmentally friendly whilst still maintaining a lifestyle of which we have become accustom. As the world leaves the pandemic behind and begins to open up to people again, we find ourselves considering holiday options, but it is important that the environment is at the forefront of our minds and as such a responsible travel trip should be planned.

What is responsible travel?

Simply put responsible tourism is seeks to make all aspects of tourism sustainable by ensuring all stakeholders consider their responsibilities when travelling and visiting places. This means that tourists, businesses, and locals should consider their role in making the destination a sustainable place to visit, including the economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts each person and business has on the place.

Tips on being a responsible tourist?

There are things that you should do as a tourist to ensure you are being responsible and your actions can have a positive impact on the environment, people, and place. Below are a couple of tips to help you become a more responsible tourist.

Minimise Use of Transport

One of the biggest impacts on the environment to come from tourism is that of transportation which accounts for 72% of the CO2 emissions that come from tourism. In order to lower your impact, try staying at a destination for several nights, rather than taking a number of day trips, not only will this lower CO2 emissions but it will also help the local economy.

When visiting a destination try to find local attractions that you can visit on foot and if you have to take motorised transportation think about alternatives, such as electric scooters and public transport.

Off the Beaten Track

Another issue with tourism is ‘overtourism’ – this is when demand for one area is higher than the capacity, which can lead to damage of the environment and have negative impacts on wildlife and locals.

Try visiting areas of the destination that are less well-known. To identify such places, speak to locals and research the destination before your trip.

With these tips in mind, here are some responsible destinations that you may wish to add to your bucket list or visit in 2022.

The Ultimate List

Taking inspiration from TravelBag’s, Ultimate Travel Bucket List that includes Madagascar and Australia, we have compiled a list of three destinations that should be on your bucket list and have given some insight into how you can be a responsible tourist when visiting.

Iceland

As well as being home to some breath-taking scenery, Iceland is one of the greenest countries in the world. Being located on the mid-Atlantic ridge the country is mostly powered by geo-thermal energy.

Many of the attractions in Iceland are also natural and can be reached with organised small group tours which are better for the environment than individual travellers by car. When visiting the key is to leave no trace that you were ever there and leave everything as it was when you arrived.

Although, a great place for energy efficiency, Iceland does have its own issues when it comes to responsible tourism, with overtourism having an impact. As a tourist you can help by visiting less crowded areas and staying for a longer length of time.

For example, you can chase the northern lights. Despite being crowded, you can take part in an ultimate holiday experience giveaway that will allow you to visit less crowded places such as Seltjarnarnes, a peninsula near Reykjavik that offers a panoramic view of the sky, or Eldborgahraun, a lava field in the west of Iceland that has minimal light pollution.

Madagascar

Interestingly, this small island is at the top of the bucket list from TravelBag. As one of the poorest countries in the world that is rich with wildlife there are several things’ tourists can do to help and protect this beautiful place.

Firstly, try to only spend money with locals in order to give back to the economy. Also, do your research there are several volunteering opportunities so you may be able to help out whilst there and do something positive for the locals and the wildlife.

Costa Rica

Home to large areas of protected land this is a beautiful place to visit and explore the rain forest that covers a quarter of the country. This destination is also home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity, from beaches to volcanoes.

Costa Rica also sources 93% of its electricity from renewable resources, making it extremely eco-friendly.

As a tourist you have a responsibility to help protect the biodiversity and only explore in organised group tours, this will ensure you are not on protected land and that you can enjoy the scenery in a sustainable manor.

If you have more destinations to add to this list, or if you have any responsible tourism tips then let us know using the #TheUltimateBucketlist