Sustainable Travel tips

Responsible Travel has published its first major impact report, as it rolls out a carbon labelling initiative to its 479 industry partners.

As we step into the promising dawn of 2024, the world is poised for a transformative journey in the realm of global travel. The travel industry, having weathered the storms of the past, is set to soar to new heights, embracing innovation, sustainability, and a redefined sense of exploration. Revolutionizing Technology: The advent of cutting-edge technologies is reshaping the way we travel. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are becoming integral tools for immersive travel experiences, allowing individuals to virtually explore destinations before making a commitment. Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) is enhancing personalized travel recommendations, making every journey tailor-made for the individual preferences of the traveler.

As the world continues its journey towards recovery from the challenges posed by the global pandemic, the year 2023 has emerged as a pivotal moment for the tourism industry. Characterized by resilience, adaptation, and a collective determination to rediscover the joys of travel, this year has witnessed a series of noteworthy highlights in global tourism.

Trip.com Group released its annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report for the fourth consecutive year, highlighting its sustainability practices across the business. ey findings in the report reveal the preference for low-carbon products across Trip.com Group. In the past year, more than 16 million Trip.com Group customers opted for low-carbon travel options.

The latest Sustainable Travel Index for 2023, released by Euromonitor International, highlights Sweden as the epitome of sustainable travel within Europe. Notably, a staggering 19 out of the top 20 positions on this index are firmly held by nations belonging to the European Union and the Schengen Area, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com, citing Euromonitor—an independent provider of strategic market research.

Due to fears of environmental damage caused by tourists, the popular Thai island, Koh Tachai, will close indefinitely on October 15. All marine national parks are closed in Thailand during monsoon season, from mid May to mid October, which means Koh Tachai is no longer allowing tourists. The island is in the Similan National Park and is a popular spot for both Thai and foreign tourists, especially divers.

Plenty of travelers prefer to just pay the listed price of the item and be done with it, but bargaining a price down is expected in many cultures—especially at flea markets and bazaars, where vendors often inflate prices and expect potential buyers to argue them down.

We’re proud to align with the new policies of our sister sites TripAdvisor and Viator, and to no longer report on tourism experiences where travelers come into physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species, including but not limited to elephant rides, “swim with” programs where tourists touch or ride on dolphins, and the petting of captive wild or endangered species.

Jet lag—the grogginess, dehydration, and general discomfort that follows a long-haul flight, has always seemed unavoidable. Especially now, as airlines pack even more passengers into dry, pressurized cabins and decrease their average seat size. Right?

The travel industry obviously doesn’t like true solo travelers much: Almost all tours and cruises are priced on a “per person, double occupancy” basis, and most hotels charge the same rate for either one or two people. If, as a singles traveler, you just want to avoid a stiff single supplement, the industry often promises to find someone to share with you so you can, in effect, travel at the couples price. But if you really want to travel solo, your options are limited.

Each year, the World Tourism Organization (a specialized agency of the United Nations) sponsors a day to highlight tourism around the world. September 27th marks World Tourism Day 2017. The agency designated this year’s as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development to raise awareness for social, economic, and environmental progress with travel. Now more than ever, you should be thinking more about these values as you make your travel plans. Here’s why.

For many Americans, “global warming” has become a charged term. It’s splashed across headlines and the subject of dinner table arguments: There’s a clear divide both here and abroad about climate change. But one Central American destination is decades past asking questions about global warming, and is leading the way in sustainable travel and ecotourism.

There it was: A stone monolith perched high above the jungle, its rock face and sculptures weathered by many centuries. An image of Sigiriya’s peculiar limestone plateau first ignited my need to visit Sri Lanka.

Looking for little ways to be a more sustainable traveler in 2018? You might want to take a look at your go-to hotel’s bathroom soap.

Last year when Italy’s Cinque Terre decided to limit the amount of tourists that visit each year, overtourism once again came to the forefront of many people’s travel plans. While other popular landmarks and cities also had tourist caps or were exploring crowd-limiting options, iconic Cinque Terre’s cap has gained a lot of attention, and is part of a rising trend.

Without warning, Chef Patrick flicked his wrist and chocolate sauce flew across the table. As I and the other restaurant patrons jumped to cover the tops of our wine glasses, the chef smiled and began to throw together (literally) the night’s dessert on a white canvas, like an Italian Jackson Pollock. He sprinkled coffee cake and sunflower seed crumbs, then gently added lemon curd and cheesecake. For the finale, he slammed fist-sized tiramisu balls down on the table, sending chocolate debris flying across the canvas.

We all know that air travel isn’t great for the environment, but a new study has found that tourism is four times worse for the environment than previously thought. The alarming research conducted by University of Sydney researchers and published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that the tourism industry (including direct sources like flights and indirect sources such as souvenir manufacturing) is responsible for eight percent of global greenhouse emissions, which is four times higher than scientists had previously estimated.

The U.S. National Park Service recently proposed doubling entry fees at the 17 most-popular parks, and one park is now considering creating a reservations system for visitors, the Associated Press reports.

It has long been a centerpiece of Uber and Lyft’s self-promotion that the proliferation of such ridesharing services was a boon to the country’s most congested cities. The idea was that by giving people an alternative to firing up their own cars for every trip, no matter how long or how short, the net amount of city traffic would be reduced.

The last of Allegiant Air’s aging fleet of MD-80 planes took its final flight this week, hopefully putting an end to years of safety and reliability concerns swirling around the carrier’s use of an outdated aircraft. Early MD-80 models debuted about 40 years ago, and have been since retired by most other airlines.

Though I pride myself on being an independent traveler—I was in the United States Peace Corps in Paraguay for two years, have been to six continents, and spent multiple years reviewing hotels across the U.S. and around the world, by myself— India is one country that I’ve never considered visiting as a solo traveler.