Responsible Travel
The more thoughtful and well intentioned your choices are, the more satisfying your journey will be
The differences in meaning between responsible travel, sustainable travel and eco travel are blurred, there is a lot of crossover between definitions of each. RoundTrip has put together the following definitions as a starting point in unpacking the meaning of each phrase.
Responsible Travel
Responsible Travel is having an awareness of the social, cultural and environmental impact on the places you visit and the people living in them. It’s about minimizing any negative impact when you travel and maximizing positive outcomes.
Sustainable Travel
Sustainable travel is about pursuing goals that encompass three broad areas: environmentally friendly practices (reduce, reuse, recycle); the protection of cultural and natural heritage (historic buildings or endangered species); and seeking economic benefits for local communities.
Eco-Travel
Eco travel is travel to natural places that promotes environmental awareness, conservation and cultural protections. The actions of visitors should also benefit the welfare of local people.
Leading the Way by Making Good Choices
At RoundTrip, we’re all about giving back and creating sustainable tourism, so making good choices – before, during and after you travel – is an approach we strongly believe in.
To help you do this on your next trip, we’ve put together a growing list of websites that offer useful advice on responsible travel (see Before Your Next Trip…) and sustainable tourism.
We have also created a section of articles on responsible travel topics (see Responsible Travel Stories), which we hope readers will find relevant when planning or indeed during their trips. These features are written by experienced travellers and highly regarded experts in the travel industry. Our articles focus on general advice and tips that are useful for any type of trip, and often reflect the personal experiences of the author. Keep checking that page as new ‘stories’ are frequently posted.
Responsible Travel and RoundTrip
When you travel, your experience often comes down to the choices you make along the way: when you go, where you stay, what you eat, who you spend time with.
The more careless your choices are, the less fulfilling your trip is likely to be. On the other hand, thoughtful and well-intended choices lead to a satisfying journey. The same principle applies to your destination. If you choose to disrespect cultural norms, rubbish the environment, and treat locals as if they don’t exist, or support businesses that do this, your destination will be poorer for your visit.
But if you respect others’ ways of living, care for your surroundings, engage with the people you meet, and spend your money in ways that benefit the locale, you’ll leave positivity in your wake. Not to mention a fantastic example for others to follow. You will be helping to create sustainable tourism which is a way of ensuring that our kids and grand-kids have access to the same natural wonders on the planet that we enjoy.