Top Ten Travel Tips to Keep your next Vacation Sustainable And Authentic

What can you do for the Earth while travelling? Many of these suggestions are simple, easy to do and will help you see the real cultural and physical landscape of the places you are visiting.  Don't forget, even the smallest effort can make a huge difference.  Being aware of the impact that you have on each place you visit, and helping others is just the beginning.

- Use Small Hotels : Book yourself into locally owned, and locally operated hotels, this will give you the most authentic experience possible and will reflect the local character and spirit of your vacation.

- Use local transportation:  Want to see the real country? travel the same way the locals do by motorcycle, subway, rickshaw, tuk tuk, bus or even by donkey.

- Use responsible tour operators: Make sure the tour operator that you are using looks after their employees (fare payment, good working conditions) and any animals (Do you really need your photo with the sedated Tiger?)  they work with.

- Help Maintain Local Artifacts:  Take only photos with you when you visit archeological sites, do not alter or take any souvenirs.  Don't buy products made from endangered species or valuable, historical, or cultural artifacts.

- Conserve Energy:  There is a global water shortage, this doesn't change when you're on the road.  An easy way to help out when you're staying multiple nights in the same hotel is to reuse your towels, don't get your bed changed and take quick showers

- Bring a refillable Water Container with you:  Reduce your environmental impact by bringing your own container whenever you're travelling to a place with drinkable tap water.

- Don't encourage begging:  Avoid giving hand-outs to local beggers.  Don't change their cultural landscape, children need to be in school and their parents won't let them go if they can make money chasing tourists on the street.

-Buy Local, eat local:  Reduce the energy required to bring the food to your plate. This is also a great way to see the authentic culture and food of the place you're travelling to.

-Get off the beaten Track:  Take the road most tourists haven't taken.  This is a great way to experience the real culture of where you're visiting. This also puts more money into the local communities and helps not change the local framework as "tourist areas" are built.

-Save energy: When you leave the room turn off the lights. Dress for the weather and save on heating/cooling costs.

Leave the World a better place, help protect the environment and the local culture of any place you visit.  What are other suggestions you have to help travel more sustainably?

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