3 Ways To Become A More Responsible Traveller

Being a responsible traveller means heading halfway across the globe with the cultures you are going to be immersing yourself in at the heart of your motivations.

Yes, you are travelling to enhance your own outlook on life, to see incredible new vistas, and to marvel at splendid new cuisine, but it also pays to think about the impact you are having on the destination you are visiting.

It’s very easy to take on a more selfish mindset when we travel as we want to pack our days full of incredible activities, we want to secure value for money, and we want to return home fulfilled.

We need to become more mindful of the decisions we make when we hot foot it to a nation that may be less tolerant, fortunate and rich as our own. Take a look at these three simple ways that can see you becoming a more responsible traveller.I

Volunteer

If you are heading to see gorillas in their natural habitat in Uganda, or you are venturing to Peru to embark on the Inca Trail, consider volunteering some of your time to help those people around you.

Sure, it’s lovely to trek through a rainforest to spy a silverback, but consider those people who work to conserve these precious creatures. Take a day or two out of your schedule and offer up some of your time to help their cause.

You might be able to do some filing, show off your data entry skills or simply cook the conservation team a decent meal. By showing your appreciation for their efforts, you are valuing their contribution to the environment and to your travel experience.

You may even want to embrace sustainable tourism and base your entire travel venture around this concept. Plenty of travel initiatives are welcoming motivated individuals who want to see the world for what it really is rather than a glossy perception in a brochure.

You may find yourself taking a jaunt to Lesotho to marvel at the African wilderness, but also to help build a well.

Learn The Language

If you really want to immerse yourself into a new culture, you need to be able to converse on a more meaningful level. If you are hot footing it to the glorious city of Barcelona before driving across mainland Spain, consider enrolling for some private Spanish tuition before you go.

Being able to meet people along the way and get to know them is vital to enhance your travel experience and to show those people you meet how much you value their input.

All too often English and American tourists display a sense of entitlement and arrogance by merely shouting slowly at a Spanish person, a Chinese guy or a French lady in English. Don’t be that person. Be the traveller that shows foreigners just how tolerant, humble and appreciative tourists can be.

Understand Customs

If you are heading to a country like Dubai, China or India, as well as dozens of others of a similar ilk, you need to be conscious of their customs. Immersing yourself in a new culture doesn’t mean living as you do back in good old Blighty but just in a different destination.

It means embracing new people, new cuisine, new rules and new customs. Just because you don’t agree with them, doesn’t give you the right to enter a nation and change them.

Immersing yourself in a new culture doesn’t mean living as you do back in good old Blighty but just in a different destination. It means embracing new people, new cuisine, new rules and new customs. Just because you don’t agree with them, doesn’t give you the right to enter a nation and change them.

There may be a more conservative dress code, religious observance may take precedence over other activities, and you might have to hold back on the public displays of affection.

Now is not the time to be a rebel. You must respect the destination that you are travelling to. Remember, you have made the conscious decision to travel to that part of the world so make the effort to be respectful.

You risk being offensive at best or breaking the law at worst, so ensure that you research every tourist hotspot that you are planning to visit. If you don’t think you can adhere to local customs, then it might not be the destination for you. Instead, seek your wanderlust kicks elsewhere.

Being a responsible traveller is not as easy as you think. You need to consider the impact that your travel wants and desires have on your immediate environment.

Be cautious when embarking on any wildlife tourism, keep an eye on your carbon footprint, and shun the international brands for a more local flavour of your destination of choice. With any luck, you will relish your new found responsible traveller status.