10 Amazing Ways Ethical Travel Can Save The World
Reflecting on travel during a global pandemic – especially after one year of lockdowns and travel restrictions – made me realize even more what a privilege it is to be able to travel. Ethical travel can save the World after lockdown.
The unique sentiment we get the first time we experience a place or learn about a new culture. That feeling changes something in us forever.
In the words of Rick Steves, one of my favorite travel writers and journalists, travel “wallops your ethnocentricity”, “carbonates your experience” and “rearranges your cultural furniture”.
I see this in my friends and family circle and I wonder if any of you ever had the same feeling?
Those who travel and are exposed to different cultures and places seem to be braver, happier, better communicators and generally more optimistic.
When you travel with awareness, you realize the real World is nothing like the news. Sure, bad things do happen but the truth is most people are kind and fascinating.
I believe ethical travel can save the World because it has transformational effects on us. My personal mission is to help as many people I interact with take the leap and just travel. While you’re at it understand that your journey can save the World.
1. Ethical travel helps us understand the impact of our travel decisions
Many of the travels I’ve been on in the last decade led me on a path of discovering what is ethical travel.
I’ve realized on this journey that ethical travel is not about restrictions. On the contrary, since I started to be aware of my daily habits both at home and during travels, I’ve had the most liberating experiences.
By bringing some ethical travel awareness into our research before a trip, we can make sure our decision to visit a place does not negatively impact locals and their life.
Simple daily habits such as buying your coffee or deciding where to eat have more power than you can imagine.
When you book your accommodation choose to stay in places that best reflect your beliefs and that help the locals. If you plan to use a short-term rental service like Airbnb make sure it is ethical first.
By learning about ethical travel we realize that even our decision to book a tour company over another is enough to make that place better.
Or the decision to stay away from the so called animal sanctuaries where thousands of tourists unknowingly condemn beautiful animals to a life of chains and drugs.
2. We embrace diversity and cultural heritage
Mark Twain said “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness”.
I have so many stories of things I’ve witnessed or experienced personally on my journeys.
Stories of people being discriminated against for their culture, beliefs or simply the colour of their skin.
It actually happened to me in a small European city. I was part of a walking tour when this nice elderly couple approached to ask where we come from.
We proudly answered in a choir voice to which they made a sick face and a hand gesture then turned their backs to leave us in shock.
But why do such things happen?
I remember my first big trip abroad with a group of friends. We went to Morocco, twelve of us, fresh out of college most with new jobs but very little money.
It was the beginning of the age of low cost flying that made it all posible 🙂
All white middle class kids, born under communism and raised in a confused Eastern Europe.
None of us had been so far from home before, or exposed to such a different World altogether.
From the moment we landed it was an absolute hurricane of emotions, noises, smells and tastes.
The 10 days of that journey from the stories of Casablanca to the Atlas Mountains, sleeping in a bedouin tent in the desert and then back to the Ocean, were transformational.
That trip certainly changed me forever. Perhaps I understand now looking back why the nice elderly couple reacted like that.
We respond like that to fear and self-doubt.
Ethical travel can save the World of these damaging feelings.
We’re afraid of anything outside of our personal cultural heritage which can be very limited if the only places we’ve ever visited were near our home.
And we doubt that we can change. We doubt that anything good can happen if we expose ourselves to different places and cultures.
My later journeys and discovering ethical travel helped me become the opposite of that. I treasure every encounter with anyone especially from different cultures and I can’t wait to discover their stories.
In the words of George Addair: “Everything you’ve ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear”.
I now apply this to everything from traveling to a new country or posting my thoughts on this blog, to paragliding and flying on a helicopter inside the Grand Canyon.
3. We create lifelong friendships
When we truly open our eyes and our hearts to the people and places we visit, everything changes.
Everyone you meet on the road has a story to tell and each of those stories has the ability to change you and the way you see the World.
Just listen to the traders in the local market or the coffee shop owner, talk to the people at your B&B. The more different their backgrounds and views of the World, the better!
You’ll soon discover that despite so many different experiences we’re all the same and most of us really love to make friends.
I only understood this once I started to travel with more awareness and honest curiosity. I met people who otherwise would have never been a part of my small universe.
One of my former clients lives in Saudi Arabia, is much older than me and manages a very successful international business. You’d think we have nothing in common.
We met a couple of years back when I was on a business trip and we attended a few business dinners together. We connected through stories and it was precisely our differences that helped us form a special bond.
I still talk to him and we happily share stories and laughs. Last time he even invited me to his daughter’s wedding.
That is how powerful the bond of friendship can be. It has no physical borders and we shouldn’t either.
I even became a better business person because I got to meet the real human behind an idea or a job title.
4. Ethical travel helps us truly discover Mother Nature
When we travel somewhere new one of the best ways to appreciate the history and beauty of the area is to explore natural wonders.
Try to find trails and even book a local hiking guide to go out in nature and learn about the local landscape.
Discover local species and understand how they arrived there and what sort of influence they have on the locals.
Remember to leave no trace, it’s rule number one of ethical travel. While you’re there why not pick up some gloves and a trash bag from the hotel and leave the trail cleaner than you found it.
When you discover how nature shapes communities and how important it is that we care for more than our brick homes, you find a new feeling of love for the environment.
The best part is that on our travels we can develop a better appreciation for nature in the area where we live.
5. We understand the communities we visit and we can get involved where it truly matters
It’s very difficult to understand life beyond our own place of living without traveling.
If our only connection to the outside World is watching the news or scrolling through social media then we’ll never get rid of fear and self-doubt.
The danger of living in a bubble of ignorance is very high. We risk passing the control of our emotions and knowledge to others.
When we travel with awareness we get to experience the real life of the communities, the social, financial and economical issues they face.
We understand which are the real problems of the World and what causes most suffering.
The real transformation happens when we see that we are not powerless and that each of us can do something to improve things.
Volunteer with a local school, buy some supplies for children and teachers or do some renovation works if DIY is your thing.
There are plenty of opportunities everywhere, even in richer countries. It could be just spending time with a local food bank, understanding the needs of the community and taking their voice with you wherever you go.
6. Our journeys are more fulfilling and we bring the sentiment home
With every vacation you always go through a multitude of feelings and emotions. The planning, the anticipation, excitement and sometimes frustration.
The more you travel, the better you get at planning for the critical bits and then you also get more relaxation.
Regardless of any challenges you might encounter on your journeys, once you return home there’s always a feeling of achievement. You feel your mind expand with every travel experience.
When you practice awareness on your trips and you really learn about the places you visit and the people you interact with, that’s when the magic happens.
A nice break from the office will get you energized for a few days, maybe weeks if you’re lucky.
Once you take your trips beyond the big tour buses and popular selfie spots, you experience transformations that can last a lifetime.
You get home with a new view on life and the people around you. Perhaps you no longer feel threatened by immigrants just because you see things in the media.
Then you can embrace the cultural richness around you and feel blessed for what you have.
Be warned though, your expressions might change and you may even feel a weight lift of your chest for the first time in a while! You may get funny looks for a while and those around might even ask “why are you so happy”.
That’s when you know you’re onto something!
7. Ethical travel helps us explore the World through colours, smells and flavours
This is one of my favourite topics!
I never knew how much you can learn about a culture, a country and different parts of the same country by understanding what they eat.
Every school should include food stories in history lessons and we would see the impact straight away. In both mental and body health but also in the way we treat each other.
One of the biggest benefits of my corporate career, working for large international companies, has been the exposure I had to so many different cultures.
In my last company people spoke 150 different languages throughout the offices in all regions.
A great way to understand and create a bond with your colleagues from different lands is to learn about their food.
That leads to interesting conversations, skepticism turns into curiosity, colours and flavours take over any sentiment of fear and there you go. You just made a new friend, found a new favourite dish and added a new destination to your list!
Moreover, learning about food and its various historical impacts, we diversify and improve our diet. We see where the foods we like were born and what they mean for the people.
Did you know that modern pizza originates in the Campania region of Italy?
It started as the perfect food for the poor workers in the bay area of Naples. It was cheap, easy to make and could be eaten very quickly.
One of the World’s favourite foods that nowadays gets people together everywhere, was described at the time by travelers from richer parts of Italy as “a disgusting habit”.
Pizza became very popular in the United States before being known in the rest of Italy beyond the area of Naples.
8. Businesses become more diverse and inclusive, driving up the happiness and performance of the people
Travel and technology opened the World to new ways of exploring. Unlike the voyagers of long ago, we have things pretty well mapped out and wherever we go it’s very likely someone has been there before.
The new age voyagers are curious and fearless, eager to see new places and experience ideas they’ve read in books or guides.
Business travelers have also changed the way they think about their jobs. The concept of “Bleisure Travel” has become increasingly popular recently.
With more people traveling with ease and getting to experience new cultures, businesses and workplaces everywhere benefit.
People create jobs and opportunities with international exposure in areas that were previously isolated. Such as Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Africa is now booming with entrepreneurs. Much of that comes from a new generation of fearless creatives who travel the World and come back home transformed.
They see that responsible and ethical travel can improve many lives and develop communities. Instead of filling the pockets of small groups of greedy “investors”.
Technology and global collaboration makes people open up to new ideas coming from all over the World. Traveling with awareness helps us realize ideas and opportunities don’t have a race or colour. We don’t measure ideas by gender or race.
It’s a well-known fact that diverse companies perform much better. I think that ethical travel can help with that.
9. Ethical travel helps us create wonderful memories
Any trip we take has the potential of creating lifelong memories. We leave our daily routines and stress behind. This makes us able to absorb much more of the World around us.
When we associate an event with positive emotions, we create a snippet of that moment and keep it forever.
That is the power of travels, they can be the only kind of memories that have positive effects on us for decades.
When we use ethical travel principles, our adventures have much higher chances of creating wonderful memories not just for us but also for the people we meet along the way.
10. Ethical travel is the best education for our children
Our children’s brains are like sponges in their first 7 years of life. They absorb everything around them without effort or discrimination.
The interactions and experiences they have in this period represent a critical foundation for the adults they will become.
This opens up many opportunities for development by seeing and touching the World. Traveling with children is now easier than ever so why not give them the chance?
Children adopt important concepts such as leave no trace and respect for wildlife easily. They carry their newly discovered knowledge with pride.
On many of my walks and hikes I have seen children raise the alarm each time an adult would litter or otherwise step aside from common sense behavior.
It’s no surprise to see that scientists all agree that children who travel are happier and smarter.
What to read next:
- What is Ethical Travel and How To be an Ethical Tourist
- Is Airbnb Ethical? 7 Fact You Need to Know Before You Use Airbnb
- 10 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint When You Travel
- 9 Ways to Reduce Waste When You Fly
Do you believe Ethical Travel can make the World a better place? Have you traveled with your young children? If so, how was it? I would love to know what you think. Please comment below and let me know.
Do please share this post if you found it useful and remember to always seek personal growth by exploring the World responsibly.
