We are passionate about travel and would like to share our enthusiasm for foreign countries and cultures with you.
For us, a trip only feels good if we go on it with a clear conscience or return from a vacation destination with a clear conscience.
We believe that contemporary tourism should not only be fun for the traveler but also beneficial for the hosts.
Here we have a few tips and suggestions for you on how to make the most of your trip.
Sustainable travel: What is it anyway?
The term sustainability is very flexible and there are many different definitions.
In principle, however, everything we do is sustainable if we do not cause any negative consequences for the future.
This applies to the environment as well as to the economy and society. Everything should be passed on to future generations in such a way that they can live at least as well as we do.
When we travel, this means that neither the environment nor the culture at our destination should be harmed by our visit.
Sustainable travel does not destroy, sustainable travel promotes. It protects the environment, conserves resources, supports the local economy and strengthens the local culture.
Nevertheless, our own goals are fulfilled and in the end everyone involved benefits from sustainable travel.
OUR TIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL BEFORE YOU SET OFF!
Avoid the airplane as often as possible
Airplanes are the number one polluters on vacation. So avoid them whenever possible.
You can save yourself domestic flights. Even trips to neighboring countries are often possible by bus and train.
There is even plenty to discover. You can get particularly close to the locals and see authentic regions off the beaten tourist track.
Find out more about the destination
Brief information on the do's and don'ts of the country will prevent you from putting your foot in your mouth and give you access to the country and its people.
In Thailand, for example, you take off your shoes before entering a house or store.
Children in Asia are generally not stroked on the head, in Myanmar you only give things to your counterpart with your right hand, as the left is considered unclean.
These are really just a few things we would like to mention and can be completely different even within a country.
What we don't consider bad in Germany or in other travel countries may be an offense in other countries.
Therefore, please inform yourself about the do's and don'ts.
Pack smart: Take only the essentials and reduce your luggage
The best way to travel sustainably is with little luggage. Heavy pieces of luggage cause higher fuel costs and take away some of your flexibility.
With light luggage, you can use a bicycle cab.
But if you are traveling with two heavy suitcases, you need a motorized ride. Have you ever noticed that large rucksacks take up an unnecessary amount of space on the bus, which is often overcrowded anyway?
We don't think this is fair to the locals in particular. They are dependent on the cheap buses and often travel for hours on them. Time and again we see pregnant women, young mothers with a baby in their arms, old people and sick people stumbling over the bulky luggage of backpackers
Small owner-managed accommodation instead of mass tourism
Prefer small, owner-managed accommodation.
This is not only more personal, but the money also goes where it should - to the locals.
OUR TIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL DURING THE TRIP!
Discover the real flair of the country - Eat local
When we travel, we want to get to know the country and its people. Of course, this also includes the country's traditional cuisine.
Unfortunately, we can never understand why tourists can't do without their schnitzel with chips or pizza for three weeks while on vacation. It doesn't have to be Argentinian beef fillet on vacation in Thailand either!
Therefore: Prefer regional dishes, if possible from organic and small-scale farming.
Don't waste food
The Galle comes up for us when we see the packed plates in all-inclusive hotels, which are sucked on listlessly and the food is played with as if it were sand to build sandcastles with. Feast until the rinds burst? Gladly, but with respect and understanding!
Take a small spoonful of the dish on your plate, try it, if it tastes good, go for seconds.
The right choice of clothes for every occasion
When choosing your clothes, try to find out what is customary in the place you are visiting. This will help enormously with your cultural encounters.
Do you like to show off your muckies? Gladly on the beach. Tank tops have no place in temples.
Save water!
Hand on heart. At home, you use your towels for several days, don't wash your bed linen every day and turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
Why not do the same when traveling?
If you ever see a dripping tap, go and turn it off.
Don't look away - show moral courage!
Support the fight against sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children by reporting any observations or even just a bad feeling to www.nicht-wegsehen.net.
Souvenir? Open your eyes!
Don't buy any vacation souvenirs made from endangered animal and plant species and don't even think about taking protected cultural assets out of the country.
Firstly, these things are super uncool, and secondly, you are committing a crime, which in the worst case can be punished with imprisonment in your vacation destination.
Please support local handicrafts, because in this way traditions are maintained and preserved and you support the local economy. Also important: Please pay fair prices - handicraft is valuable.
Mindful interaction with nature and the environment
Do you like the flower? Please don't pick it, because others want to admire it too, and it is part of an ecosystem and contributes to biodiversity. Apart from that, who knows if the delicate little flower is perhaps even poisonous?
Avoid animal shows, animal farms, photo attractions with animals
A snake around my neck, a parrot on my head, a little monkey on my shoulder, elephant rides, photos with "tame" tigers, dolphins in a large bathtub... I feel sick!
Please avoid animal shows, dolphinariums and other tourist attractions where animals are involved. All animals are wild animals and are forced to be close to humans, sometimes with nasty torture methods. It is not natural for an elephant to transport a group of people through the area, nor is it natural to approach tigers and come out alive.
Look out for environmental labels and a clear statement
Sustainable travel is promoted in many places.
For example, there are seals of approval that indicate sustainable tourism. The Blue Flag is a label for sustainability on beaches, while TourCert and Viabono recognize sustainable companies.
In addition, many hotels, restaurants and tour operators are also committed to sustainable travel without a certificate.
Such providers often advertise with a meaningful slogan. They make a clear statement about water consumption, waste management or the origin of resources.
But be careful: promises are not always fulfilled. Just look out for contradictions in the offer.
For example, a supposedly environmentally friendly hotel near the beach with a pool is anything but sustainable.
Nor does a pizzeria with a delivery service make any contribution to reducing waste.
Pay attention to your behavior
Are you aware that as a traveler you have a strong influence on the locals? Just as you get to know a new culture on vacation, you present your own origins to the locals. So show yourself from your best side. Be a role model and explain why you are committed to sustainability. There is a lack of education in many places. Many people simply don't know why plastic waste destroys the environment. But don't make the mistake of being an arrogant know-it-all. Instead, question your own behavior and be prepared to learn from each other.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL AFTER THE TRIP!
Maintain contacts
Try to keep the contacts you've made in the long term instead of living according to the motto "out of sight out of mind".
We've met real friends on our travels, friendships have developed which we maintain just as much as those of our friends 200 meters away.
We write to each other regularly and even meet up from time to time while traveling through foreign countries.
Traveling connects us!
