Responsible travel means having a positive impact on the place and people you visit. Rethinking the way you travel, protecting the environment, respecting crops and practicing tourism that benefits the local economy. To show you that being responsible when traveling is easy, we have compiled our guide with tips on how to be responsible tourists in 2020 and afterwards.
1. Rethinking your journey
Travelling to the destination is an essential part of the carbon footprint of our journeys. The first environmental action you take is to review the way you travel to your holiday destination, but also how you get around when you’re there. 
Hill. cube.m/ CO2 separated when travelling 500 km
Three ways to rethink your travel plans:
- Prefer cleaner or shared transport:
Whenever possible, use the mode of transport that emits at least CO2. If you can’t sail or cycle around the world , choose the train, which is a much cleaner alternative than flying. If the road is your only alternative, consider travel solutions.
- Choose a direct flight – more expensive, but cleaner:
When the flight is the only option, choose the most direct flight to your destination. In fact, carbon emissions are much higher on take-off and landing. You can also choose an airline that offers a carbon offset program.
- Take the time to find the best and most convenient ways for you:
To explore your holiday destination in an environmentally friendly way, choose clean modes of transport. Public transport, cycling, scooters or car sharing – there are many solutions and they develop in all major cities. Even cleaner, do like many tourists and walk around the area on foot. This is the best way for us to find a city or village and find its secret gems.
2. Travel without lights and waste
The problem of plastic pollution has been on the front page for years. We will not tell you that being a passenger with zero waste is the only option ... but if you have adopted a waste-free lifestyle at home, take it on holiday with you. If you are going on a picnic or hiking trip in the mountains or to another hard-to-reach place where there is no waste – take your garbage with you and take it to the city. 
Three simple steps to limit travel waste:
- Choose a light suitcase
The weight of your luggage also affects the carbon emissions of your flight. So before you go, choose the most important thing and be minimal. Just because you’re allowed 20 kg of luggage doesn’t mean you have to take it with you.
- Say no to disposable products
Recycling does not necessarily mean recycling, so the best option is to avoid using disposable plastic. In practice:
- Refuse plastic straws or take with you a folding metal straw or bamboo straw
- Never be left without your backpack or shopping bag. Some hoteliers even provide them in the rooms for those who have forgotten them.
- Take your favorite bottle with you or invest in a filter bottle if you visit a country where the water is not drinking. Even if the hotel puts five free bottles of water a day in your room.
- Avoid using soaps and shampoos provided by the hotel if in individual packages. Carry your products, hard or liquids packed in refill containers. If you use the hard soap, take it with you when you leave, so as not to throw it away or ask your hotel if they are participating in a soap recycling program.
- Be sure to sort:
Whenever you can, participate in the sorting of garbage. If your hotel does not offer this opportunity in your room, always ask, they will certainly agree to help you.
3. Consume local products
Sustainable tourism is also tourism that benefits the economic development of a region and its inhabitants. Consumption of local products is part of the main steps.
- Eat local products
Choose to buy and consume seasonal products from local manufacturers. Markets are one of the best places to visit to discover the specialties of a region or a foreign country. In restaurants, too, focus on eco-friendly restaurants and those that offer local food from local products.
- Buy real souvenirs
When buying souvenirs, make sure that the products you buy promote local craftsmanship and that they are really produced in the country you are visiting.
- Pay the right price
If you are in a market and want to negotiate the price, if it is in the culture of the country – you should, but do not be too strict in your negotiations . If you don’t pay the right price, you don’t support the economy or the people who worked to make the product you’re buying.
4. Protect nature and landscapes
In each country visited, the basis is to respect the natural biodiversity of the sites. In short, do not take anything but photos, leave nothing but prints.
What responsible action should we take to protect biodiversity?
- Follow the marked paths:
When hiking, walk only on paths designed for pedestrians , do not walk or harm nature, which could be protected or threatened. Even because of the beauty of your Instagram photos!
- Protect corals:
Corals are particularly sensitive to human activity, and mass tourism practices have destroyed some of our planet’s reefs. Be a responsible surfer, environmental snorkeler or respectful swimmer. Do not touch corals and use mineral sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.
- Collect only waste:
Shells, pebbles and sand form the ecosystem of our coastlines. Taking shells, sand or stones is harmful and weakens this ecosystem. Some countries have strict regulations and risk huge fines if you leave with souvenirs of nature in your bag. On the other hand, if you come across pieces, fishing nets or other plastic waste, take them!
5. Use resources efficiently
The most obvious actions for you may prove more important than you think when you are in a country with limited natural resources.
- Bring with you your good habits:
Someone said there’s no small gesture if there are billions like us doing it. So keep your good habits on holiday as well. Stop the water when brushing your teeth, use the water from washing your vegetables to water plants or another good habit you have at home.
- Participate in reducing the use of detergents in your accommodation
No, the hotel isn’t eco-friendly just because they tell you to reuse your towels. However, it would be a pity not to participate in reducing water consumption and detergent just because you think it is only pro forma compliance with environmental standards. And while you are on this wave, you can also refuse the daily cleaning of your room.
- Use air conditioners and lights in moderation
Not all hotels and properties have invested in smart systems, such as air conditioning, which automatically shuts down when windows are open, or lights that turn off when you’re away. Therefore, adopt an environmental attitude to save energy resources. In short, as you would be at home.
6. Respect people
Being a responsible traveler also means respect for human rights. You are likely to face this problem in developing economies.
- Do not encourage child employment or exploitation or begging
- Contribute differently
Don’t give gifts to children. While this may seem like a nice gesture, it’s not a virtuous act and can sometimes create conflicts in the community you visit. If you want to help local communities, always go through recognized and reliable official organizations and ask them what they need before you leave.
7. Be an informed passenger
The beauty of travel is also the wealth offered by encounters with other cultures. When planning to travel abroad, get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the country you will visit.
- Learn before you go:
Learn more about what you shouldn’t do, and when you’re there, make sure you follow them. In some countries, holding hands on the street or kissing in public can be very offensive, or some gestures may not mean the same thing, depending on whether you are on one side of the world or on the other.
- Make it easier to talk to locals:
Learn to say hello, goodbye and thank you to show your hosts that you are ready to learn from them. This will bring pride to your hosts and they will be even happier to communicate with you.
8. Respect animals
Observing the animals in their natural habitat, what a great experience. And this kind of tourism is increasingly popular. 
- Practice ethical encounters with wildlife
Avoid any close contact with animals and prefer excursions where you can see them in nature. All activities in which animals are trained, kept captive or even abused shall be prohibited. They are numerous and 80% of travellers do not know that sometimes they visit places that abuse or encourage animal cruelty . So check before you go.
- Support places that protect endangered species:
Visiting places where endangered animals live can be an excellent experience. Not only are you involved in species rehabilitation, but it’s also a great way to learn more about the diversity of wildlife in the area you visit.
9. Selection of ethical excursions
When going on an excursion, make sure that the organizer has a sustainable and ethical way of working and promotes local employment. Abroad, do not encourage tours that exploit a population of “tribes”. Some may be far from authentic; people are often disguised, exploited and underpaid for the sole purpose of entertaining tourists. Wherever you are in the world, if you can, do a guided service with someone from the region : you will get authentic information and stories during your visit.
10. Sleep in ecological places
More and more participants in the tourism and accommodation industry are sustainable and have many environmental characteristics. And none of them will ask you to compromise on your comfort. Whether certified with an official environmental label or not, many options can offer you beautiful experiences that match the way you want to travel.
11. Be responsible Travelgrammer
Perhaps Instagram is the social media that travelers like the most to share their stories. A tool for inspiration for some, a promotion tool for others, but in 2020 we can not miss it in our list of tips on being a responsible tourist.
- Respect the places even if it costs you less “chamomile”
Even if they respect the environment, biodiversity, animals, in the race for the likes, some people forget it pretty quickly. Thus, historical places such as Auschwitz had to raise the issue of disrespectful poses in which tourists there are photographed, and some tulip producers in the Netherlands had to create spaces reserved for selfies to protect their fields.
- Keep your hidden gems a secret
It’s a responsible Trump who doesn’t get geolocalyzed. Prefer to place a common location rather than the exact coordinates of the place you are visiting; Why can geolocation be harmful? – Some destinations in France, the United States and Iceland have been affected by uncontrollable flows of visitors since the publication of certain places. Therefore, avoid participating in the development of mass tourism in areas that are not ready to manage them. – Animal poaching is a practice that continues into 2020. So wherever you are in the world, if a species is threatened, geolocation data in your photos or in your food can help malicious people. This is especially true in Africa, but also in many places around the world. So if you have the opportunity to observe interesting or endangered places, animals and plants, avoid sharing them.
Do you need a résumé?
Here is the summary of our 10 tips on how to be responsible tourists.
Download the infographic, share it with your children, your friends, or social media. It’il make the world a little better for all of us.
This article was first published on: https://mediaviva.net/10-lesni-saveta-kak-da-badem-otgovorni-turisti-prez-2020-godina
What about you?What is your best advice on how to be a responsible tourist?Let’s talk in the comments.
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