When it comes to being a sustainable traveler, I’m sure a lot of buzzwords and images come to mind. If you just Google “how to travel more sustainably,” you’ll see a lot of similar advice. Offset your carbon footprint. Only buy from sustainable (and often very expensive) brands. Bring your own straw. Pack solid shampoo bars. All of this is great advice, but as the old saying goes, these tips often miss the forest for the trees.
To me, sustainable travel should also focus on a destination’s local community and ensuring that its people, culture and environment feel supported by visitors - not exploited. With that in mind, here are some of my best tips for being a more sustainable traveler on your next trip.
1. Always Shop Local.
We all love a good souvenir when we travel! That’s why it’s so important to seek out local businesses and artists to find truly unique goods. Sure, I love a good magnet as much as the next person, but so many destinations are full of skilled artisans who spend decades mastering their craft. I like to call them the Makers. From a fashion house in Houston that upcycles fabric waste into one of a kind pieces to a Vietnamese refugee in Louisville who’s spent forty years creating the most intricate pottery designs, I’ve met so many incredible Makers in my travels. When I buy a souvenir now, I not only remember my trip but I remember the person and the story behind it.
If you’re unsure where to start researching local shops, I’d look around using keywords like “Made in” or “Collective.” In Limerick, Ireland, MADE in Limerick is a co-op of goods made by local craftspeople while Noir Collective AVL in Asheville is a boutique shop and art gallery full of work from local artists. This is also a great time to pick your travel agent’s brain - after all they’re going to be experts on your destination and will probably have a few recommendations right away.
2. Opt for Mom and Pop Restaurants
I know there’s a temptation in reaching for somewhere familiar when in a completely new place, but I strongly recommend opting for what I like to call “mom and pop restaurants” before you succumb to coffee at Starbucks or a Big Mac at McDonald’s. These types of restaurants are family or independently-owned and are often a huge part of the local neighborhood. When I visited Thành Mỹ Restaurant in Orange County, I not only had fantastic Vietnamese food, I learned how this place has been a steadfast hub for the Vietnamese-American community for over four decades.
Mom and pop shops may not always be the fanciest or have lists of awards hanging up on their walls, but you can guarantee good food and an even better atmosphere. Not only are you supporting a local business, you’re getting that authentic experience we all want when we visit somewhere new.
My trick for finding the best mom and pops? Look at strip malls! Seriously, as strip malls fell out of favor, real estate became affordable for mom and pop restaurants especially those featuring first generation American citizens looking to serve their food from home.
3. Choose Activities that Focus on Celebrating a Destination's Culture and History
Part of traveling sustainably is supporting a destination’s local culture. I like to make a point of learning more about a place’s history whenever going somewhere new. Whether that’s doing a walking tour or visiting a museum, it makes the whole experience more memorable.
Not to mention, these days people have the tools to share stories and histories that may have been sidelined in the past. For example, instead of taking you around American Revolution landmarks in Boston, Live Like a Local takes you to the neighborhood of Roxbury which was once the epicenter of Black culture in the 1900s. Meanwhile Sealaska Heritage in Juneau is able to share traditions and history of the Southeast Alaska Native people going back 10,000 years.
These kinds of tours and experiences allow us to learn more about what makes somewhere so unique and keeps the stories of a destination alive.
4. Visit Places that Incorporate Nearby Nature
I am always a fan of getting outdoors when traveling - even in bad weather. We focus on not using plastic straws or minimizing our waste to protect the environment, but I find it’s equally important to actually get out and enjoy it too. You can do this in a multitude of ways. The easiest way, of course, is to strap on some sneakers and go for a walk in a town’s nearest nature reserve or park. However, there are so many other ways you can enjoy nature. In Big Sky, I tried my hand at fly fishing with Gallatin River Guides. There, in snowy weather mind you, I discovered the way fly fishing can be even more meditative than joining a yoga class.
For those who truly are not interested in physical exertion as a way of enjoying the outdoors, I recommend looking into businesses that find ways of incorporating nature. While in Ireland, I discovered the peaceful Burren Perfumery. All their scents are directly inspired by The Burren and everything is made, bottled, and packaged right in their shop. It’s a way to stop and smell the flowers without breaking a sweat.
5. Invest in Proper Gear so You're not Scrambling to Buy out of Necessity
Here’s a way to practice sustainability before you even book your tickets. Always choose to invest in quality gear. This doesn’t necessarily mean buying the most expensive version of something, but it does mean you’ll have to do a little digging for reviews. Think about it. Let’s say you buy some cute but cheaply made shoes for your trip. There’s a very good chance they wind up breaking or hurting your feet while you’re trying to sightsee. If they do break, you now have to scramble to find new shoes. This might not be the worst case scenario in bigger cities but in smaller towns and villages? Good luck!
Investing in quality gear also cuts down on waste. Instead of having to buy a new suitcase every few years because the zipper keeps breaking or a wheel pops off, if you get a good, solid suitcase from the get go, you’re likely to have it for decades. Less waste and less stress when trying to navigate new destinations always sounds like a win to me.
6. Always be Respectful.
When I say be respectful, I mean this in two ways.
The first is just basic manners. Saying please and thank you. Being patient with restaurants, hotels, or shops that may be busy. Holding the door for someone coming in behind you. Cleaning up after yourself. Using headphones when listening to something on your phone. Practicing active listening. Remembering to tip when appropriate. You know, the basic things your parents teach you as a kid.
The second is respecting local culture. Sometimes this isn’t something you may agree with but it’s not your place as a guest to start a debate. It’s always good to brush up on any unspoken rules you may not be aware of before traveling to a new destination. Again, if you have a travel agent they’ll already know and inform you before you’ve even realized the potential faux pas.
7. Always use Local Guides with Proper Credentials.
For my last tip on sustainable travel, I strongly recommend using local tour guides who have proper credentials. Being a guide may seem simple, but truly good guides spend a lot of time training and refreshing their skills behind the scenes. They take their roles as cultural ambassadors seriously and will get all the proper training, permits, and licensing they need to ensure they represent their town to the best of their ability. When I was in Belfast, my guide, Billy Scott, was a Blue Badge tourist guide and a member of both The Institute of Tourist Guiding and the Northern Ireland Tourist Guides Association. You could tell he put in years of both training and experience to be one of the top guides in the city!
And there you have it - some unexpected ways to be a more sustainable traveler. Just remember - the most important goal of traveling consciously is supporting local communities both in the choices we make and the way we act while visiting.
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