Credit Hazaar the Bazaar
While I am getting my grip around the sustainable world in my daily life. I must admit there is something I didn’t quite master yet, it’s traveling in a conscious way!! My ethical journey has started a couple of years ago, and I never faced a bigger challenge than being a respectful traveler. Here’s what I learned...
On the road again
I have been traveling on my own for a while, loving every moment of it, as traveling was fuelling my soul with beautiful moments, and encounters. And let's face It, traveling has and still is a big social criteria for a decade with the rise of low-cost flights, university exchanges. Now on a resume of most people you can find traveling as a hobby. But while I was traveling last February in Australia, something shifted inside of me. I didn’t just see the benefit of it but started to think of what kind of impact I have on my environment and people as a traveler.
My first reaction was checking my favourite ethical bloggers, so I read an article about Overtourism or being a respectful traveler written by the lovely Charlotte from the blog Travel Rebel.
I learned that the flow of tourist changed the life of the locals and their quality of life.
Since the last decade, we’ve changed our way of consuming travel by the rise of low-cost flights companies, which makes it more affordable to do Melbourne to the Gold Coast in flight than in bus or cars. While it is pretty good for our wallet and gives more people the opportunity to travel it means as well a huge exploitation of fossil fuel.
“we don’t need a handful of a perfect sustainable/ethical warriors, but millions and millions of imperfect people who are trying their best to make a difference. ”
As you can see, I haven’t figured everything out yet. As much I want Unfortunately the answer I did want to see, which was basically “YASS girl go travel the world is fine” never happened. And I realized the right answer doesn’t exist yet.
I put a lot of faith on the innovation and by the resilience of human beings to plant-based fuel (even though I am convinced we will have to slow down our lives in every way so probably traveling less but better? And not binge travel our experience and savour the taste of it, as something special.
So how I manage this anxiety of mine, it’s by making conscious choices. If I take a flight, I will try to find a company which can offer to offset your carbon footprint by paying extra, making sure I take all my zero waste goodies with me, respecting the local people and animal, promoting the local business if I want to treat myself with a souvenir. If all these options are not possible, or I forgot my hannah pad and have to use something less eco-friendly, I remind myself we don’t need a handful of perfect sustainable/ethical warriors, but millions and millions of imperfect people who are trying their best to make the right choices.
If you want to deep dive on the subject, I recommend these two articles:
