Responsible Travel Stories

Learn more about responsible travel from the experts
 

Read tales of responsible travel from all over the world. The articles are written by some of the world’s most acclaimed travel writers, sharing their unique insights.

[novo-map id=1]
Tracking mountain gorillas in the post-pandemic era
Tracking mountain gorillas in the post-pandemic era

Gorilla trekking is carefully managed in Africa, with limits on the numbers of visitors allowed on treks, the distance to be kept between the people and the primates, and the amount of time permitted in the company of the gorillas. And then Covid-19 happened, bringing a far greater challenge in gorilla protection.

read more
The unexpected joys of a slow safari in Botswana
The unexpected joys of a slow safari in Botswana

After two years and two Covid-induced cancellations, my partner Will and I finally made it back to Botswana’s Okavango Delta last month (February 2022), commissioned to write about ‘slow safaris’ as part of the post-pandemic concept of ‘travelling back better.’

read more
On the Road Again
On the Road Again

I have encountered many dangerous situations in a lifetime of travel. But perhaps the most dangerous of them all was to fly halfway across the globe in the midst of a global pandemic. A few days after my return, Australia’s borders slammed shut behind me.

read more
Our dream trip – delayed …
Our dream trip – delayed …

I’d planned to write this blog from Botswana, on my first African safari in two years. That might sound a bit ‘privileged,’ but two years is a long absence for me. I’ve been craving to get back there: Africa isn’t just my job, it’s my passion.

read more
Conservation Issues That Won’t Go Away
Conservation Issues That Won’t Go Away

There are very few silver linings to this pandemic, and those that do exist can never replace what has been lost. But the natural world has had a breather, enjoying 18 months of rest from over-development, over-tourism, and humankind’s never-ending encroachments into our planet’s last tracts of wilderness.

read more
Climate Change & the Need to Support Sustainable Tourism: a Moral Dilemma?
Climate Change & the Need to Support Sustainable Tourism: a Moral Dilemma?

I’m no expert on climate change, but I’ve been working as a travel writer specialising in African responsible tourism and wildlife conservation for many years, and have seen just how vital tourism is to the developing world. If done well, sustainable tourism can be a huge force for good, protecting landscapes, conserving wild animals and improving lives.

read more
African Safari Travel in a Post-Covid World
African Safari Travel in a Post-Covid World

The limitations imposed upon international travel by the covid-19 pandemic has us dreaming of exploring the world – particularly the natural world – with newfound longing for the far horizon. Returning to Africa remains one of my most closely held dreams for a post-Covid world, as it does for many.

read more
Let’s talk about periods
Let’s talk about periods

Despite a lot of work to bring menstruation into the mainstream it is still not a topic you will hear being discussed at most dinner parties. We tell our travel stories – such as how we missed a flight and took the slow road, but we don’t talk about how we had to sign-language to buy pads or tampons in outback Vietnam…

read more
Bad Tourists versus Responsible Travelers
Bad Tourists versus Responsible Travelers

In the wake of headlines that read “Tourist Breaks Toes of 200-year-old Italian Sculpture”, I started reflecting about my own ‘bad tourist’ moments and others that I have seen or read about. What makes for responsible tourism compared to what makes for bad tourism…

read more
Travelling Responsibly – Before I Travel
Travelling Responsibly – Before I Travel

Since I am at home, maybe it’s time to take stock of my travel gear and the ethics of what I pack. I am not an expert on ethics or philosophy but like most of us nowadays I try to be conscious of my consumerism and to not waste resources or cause suffering through my choices.

read more
Better in the Long Run
Better in the Long Run

For the sustainable business guru and former Puma boss, Jochen Zeitz, it began in Africa. The German philanthropist made his first trip to the continent in 1989, and watched the Berlin Wall coming down while on safari in Kenya. The African bush and its liberating carpe-diem culture of appreciating the present moment became a refuge.

read more
Why The Illegal Trade in Wildlife Matters
Why The Illegal Trade in Wildlife Matters

Make no mistake about it. The reason that around a third of the world’s population is currently in a coronavirus lockdown and 87% of the world’s children are missing out on a proper education is because of the illegal international trade in wildlife.

read more
The World’s Most Trafficked Animal!
The World’s Most Trafficked Animal!

All my life, it had been my dream to see a pangolin. This gentle, bumbling creature is one of South Africa’s least-known species. I was beginning to think they must be mythical, unicorn-like creatures.

read more
Volunteer Tourism in India
Volunteer Tourism in India

India. Nowhere else on Earth is quite as addictive. And volunteering in India can be an amazingly rewarding experience, but there are important considerations to take into account before rushing off.

read more
African Parks – Conservation Trailblazer
African Parks – Conservation Trailblazer

Managing 15 parks in Africa, African Parks’ holistic approach takes it well beyond traditional conservation models. Its success is largely based on support and investment in local communities. It is setting new standards in conservation and poverty alleviation in Africa.

read more
A Traveller Tackling Gender Discrimination
A Traveller Tackling Gender Discrimination

Where do culture, religion and gender discrimination cross over? This is probably a question we have all had at some point. When we are travelling questions relating to gender can become quite significant to our day-to-day. Great advice about gender issues when you travel.

read more
Ethical Travel and Empowering Women
Ethical Travel and Empowering Women

My desire to help out women is based on an understanding of women’s roles in many of the communities where I travel. It is the case that women are often the family caretaker, reinvesting 90% of their income into families, compared to men’s 30%.

read more
The Responsible Wildlife Traveller
The Responsible Wildlife Traveller

Sadly, tourism has not always been a boon for wildlife. Animals are often exploited and left mentally and physically scarred, all in the name of ‘entertainment’. But if you follow some simple guidelines you can avoid contributing to the exploitation of animals when you travel.

read more
Donations over $2 are tax deductible! MAKE A DONATION
+ +