The Responsible Traveller is a book to help you navigate travel, while being kind to the planet, ecosystems, wildlife and people. And also respecting local cultures. Learn about the environmental and social effects of tourism and gain a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivity. Learn simple tips and lifestyle changes to make a difference to reduce your impact.
Never accept rides anywhere while abroad (or in England). Report animal abuse abroad to local tour operators, the police and submit reports to Born Free Red Flag.
- Leave only memories and footprints
- Never hire working or entertainment animals
- Find eco ways to get around
- Avoid animal-based foods
- Don’t buy dodgy souvenirs
- Use biodegradable zero-waste products
- Donate to local animal shelters
The Green Edit (Travel) is a super little guide on how to lessen our impact on the world, without giving up things we love. If you wish to still travel, this is the book for you. It doesn’t mean never taking another flight or spending holidays camping in your back garden.
The book is a short expert guide that takes you through every aspect of planning your trip, from booking to boarding. And arms you with all you need for a lower-impact getaway. From knowing which plane to take (yes, some are greener than others) or how to avoid the mini-toiletries trap, save the planet yet still live life to the full.
What is Overtourism? And How to Stop It
Despite being some of England’s most beautiful areas, the city of Bath and the Lake District are now two of our most over-touristed areas. This means that in high season, they are grid-locked with traffic, litter and noise. Same happens obviously in London. And also in the second-most visited place of Stratford-upon-Avon (thanks to Mr Shakespeare!)
Overtourism is now an issue, with certain destinations being visited by way too many people. This in turn puts pressure on the planet (climate change from fossil fuels say for families being encouraged to visit Florida’s Disneyworld for a bucket list) or en-masse tourists causing danger to coral reefs from cruise ships, or disturbance to whales in Boston. Of course, animals suffer too for both food and ‘entertainment’.
What the pandemic taught is that staying close to home can be nice, and some of the best holidays you can have are often right on your doorstep. Who hasn’t got wonderful memories of slurping a knickerbocker glory at a seaside cafe, and then taking a family walk in the rain along a pier?
Modern holidays these days are more about traffic jams, over-priced car parks, long waits at airports, chain-store hotels (and some western tour operators still promote bullfights etc to their customers).
The main areas suffering with over-tourism in England are the Lake District and the city of Bath (two of our most naturally beautiful areas that end up swarmed with litter at the end of the holiday season).
Residents in the nearby Cotswolds are not happy about the huge influx of coaches in the main towns, during summer. In Newquay, London second-home owners are pushing prices up, so locals can’t afford to buy their own homes.
How Venice is Preventing Overtourism
Although Venice is a beautiful and unique city, it also has issues with overtourism (like Barcelona in Spain, which is now making limits on numbers of tourists to protect local nature and people). Venice does have its own urban area where most people live, but canals are littered with trash and pollution, and this has led to interesting ideas brought into practice by the city.
During the pandemic, people in Italy were shocked to see that the normally murky waters of Venice canals became so clear that you could for the first time in years, see fish swimming underneath. Of course everything went back to normal when normal tourism resumed.
But recently the tourism boards have put limits on numbers of tourists arriving at one time, have installed bans on loud-speakers and also banned large ships from entering the harbour (after a crash a few years before). The city is even intending to add a day-tripper ‘tourist tax’ to help pay for all the litter clean-ups, after visitors go home.
Choose Sustainable Luggage (and Passport Holders)
Most people have a couple of suitcases stashed on top of the wardrobe, or in the loft. But when they finally disintegrate (or get lost on the baggage trail), what do you replace them with? A lot of conventional luggage is made from leather (dead animals), so are there better choices? Yes, there are!
Watson & Wolfe (London) offers luxury weekend bags and passports for posh travel! These are expensive, but designed as alternatives for the kind of peeps that use Louis Vutton suitcases, and also should last you a lifetime.
All made from eco corn leather, you can add monogrammed initials, if wished. Some items are made from cork leather (no trees cut down, and a great way to keep forests intact, in a world of plastic wine corks).
If you’re travelling light, Willow Earth (Sussex) offer nice rucksacks made from cotton canvas and natural cork, with offcuts being made to make nice matching zip purses, card holders and wallets.
Elvis & Kresse (also at Social Supermarket) creates beautifully crafted overnight bags, washbags and belts, made from salvaged fire hose. In red or yellow, the company offers a repair-for-life on the entire collection.
50% of profits are given The Fire Fighters Charity, which supports serving and retired firefighters, Its centre in Cumbria helps firefighters and their families also with illness, from strokes and MS to motor neurone disease. The range includes luggage tags and bags made with reclaimed parachute silk (polyester).
Zero Waste Passport Holders
This passport holder is made from plastic that has been collected in beach cleans. Easy to clean with a damp cloth, it contains natural cork so is flexible, and soft to touch. Each ono is unique, a blend of pretty colours.
Oliver Co also makes luxury vegan leather passport holders, which also holds 2 documents and your boarding pass.
