Ethical Travel - Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet's Annual Travellers' Pulse Survey
This month regular columnist Jen Page broke down some interesting, world wide travel statistics, gathered and published by the guys from Lonely Planet. Here are the highlights of what she found out.
Story Highlights
- The Facts
- How to Travel Sustainably
- How Others Have Been Helping
With more of you travelling than ever before, it is a relief to find out that more and more of us are considering the environment in our travel plans.A worldwide survey by Lonely Planet has shown that travellers are keen to make major changes to the way they make a trip in order to travel sustainably - for example with fewer emissions being emitted.
The Facts
More than 24,500 people were polled from 144 countries. Of these 84 percent said they would try to counteract their emissions in the future. In previous surveys only 31 percent made this promise so now this could mean a huge change to the future of our environment.
A huge 43% of those polled would support:
• Boycotting flying for other less damaging modes of transport.
• Airlines reducing the number of flights.
• Increased flying costs such as a carbon tax.
• The idea of everyone having an annual carbon allowance into which they must fit their travel.
Low-impact travel can range from catching a bus, a train or a ferry. This is usually much better for the environment than flying and it can be a cheaper and more convenient way for you to travel.After all, digging out your passport, getting to the airport, queuing to collect your boarding pass, checking your luggage in and arriving at the airport at least an hour before take off – involves a lot of time and money before you’ve even left the country! Then there’s the flight itself, safety checks and waiting around for baggage on top of your commute from the airport to your final destination. The easiest and most efficient option, could well be to take the bus. An added bonus is you don’t have to remove your shoes and have your bag pawed through before you board!
The annual Travellers’ Pulse survey showed that one of the greatest changes we can expect in the future is a boost in the number of people volunteering abroad. Almost 80 per cent said they would or might volunteer overseas in the future, compared to only 25 percent in the past.
Ninety per cent of those polled are looking into low-impact travel for their next trip. Lonely Planet spokesperson, Tom Hall, is encouraged by the poll.
He said: “The survey reveals that 73% of respondents feel that travel is in their blood, so it’s fantastic to see that travellers are consciously considering their impacts, and are willing to alter their actions to protect the destinations they love. It will be encouraging to watch whether these intended behaviours follow-through.”
How to Travel Sustainably
So how do you go about choosing low-emission travel and sustainable destinations? Sustainable Travel International have a useful link where you simply select your destination and the reason for your trip. When you’ve entered your details it then brings up a list of environmentally-friendly companies - offering you a holiday with the activities you want.
The organisation also has a sustainable travel checklist of things to consider when travelling. These include:
1. Considering the travel provider’s environmental policy. Marketing material can help you get to grips with whether the company supports environmental issues in the areas visited, whether they recycle and cut down on waste and if they provide guidelines on environmental and sustainable tourism for consumers.
2. Think about whether your trip will help conservation efforts in the places you visit. Will your tourism encourage locals to proactively preserve their environment?
3. Respect the environment, and look out for guides or signs to discourage the disturbance of wildlife and habitats.
4. Does the local economy benefit from your trip? Try to stick to accommodation and restaurants which are locally owned. Also when you visit or buy things ask whether the guides, cooks and suppliers are local.
5. Try not to buy imported goods or crafts made from endangered species.
6. Cycle or walk if you can, or opt for public transport.
How Others Have Been Helping
Actress Daryl Hannah has been using Biodiesel for five years - to fuel her 1983 Chevy El Camino. Grassolean Solutions, LLC, an organization that provides sustainable energy information and products, told her about the fuel which burns in a cleaner way and stops us exhausting our fossil fuel reserves.
Ms Hannah and actor Woody Harrelson organised a benefit at the Hard Rock Café in support of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance. The bands that played at the event like O.A.R. also made efforts to stay in green buildings, recycle water bottles and convert their tour buses to biodiesel.
Marc Roberge from O.A.R summed up his thoughts: “If you enjoy Rock and Roll, you enjoy living. If you enjoy living, you better enjoy sustainability.”
Eco-travellers were asked by The Guardian, a UK newspaper, where they would recommend as the top green destinations. El Remanso Wildlife Lodge in Costa Rica, Keveral Farm in Cornwall and Balamku Inn in Mexico were all highly rated.
Others tackle problems related to sustainable travel head on. The campaign group - Stop Stansted Expansion, organised its sixth annual Runway Ramble as a protest to the announcement by BAA that they were putting in a planning application to build a second runway at Stansted Airport. Will Self, novelist, reviewer and columnist, took part.
He said: "For me the right to roam and the responsibility to adopt a more harmonious and sustainable lifestyle are one and the same.”
So why not start travelling the world and now you know how - do it with a conscience?
- Jen Page
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