Sustainable Tourism: Can Budget Travel be Responsible?

Welcome to the Plastic Beach… [Photo by Dustan Woodhouse on Unsplash]

Sustainable tourism - isn’t it all yoga at sunrise and staying in $1000-a-night eco-lodges on deserted islands? That’s what we thought…

But when you look a little more closely, you realise that, despite their bad reputation, backpackers and budget travellers practise responsible travel too, even if it isn’t always intentional.

There are two sides to every coin, but in the ‘backpackers vs tourists’ debate, we’d argue that budget travelling can be more sustainable and better for the environment and local people than luxury travel! That doesn’t mean high-end travel can’t also be ethical (just take a look at these luxury eco-hotels), it’s just that it seems to fit naturally with the style of travel associated with backpackers.

So, here are a few ways that you can travel cheaply and responsibly, plus some that may cost a little more money but are worth it! Let us know in the comments if you have any more ideas of how everyone can take part in sustainable tourism – whether you’re on a budget or not.

Eat where the locals eat

This is practically the backpacker mantra; the one thing that singles out the ‘traveller’ from the *gasp* ‘tourist’. You know how it goes: the traveller eats at the street-food vendor with a long queue of locals and the tourist at the over-priced restaurant full of other tourists.

We don’t strictly believe in this traveller vs tourist nonsense, but as well as being significantly cheaper (and arguably tastier), it is more sustainable to eat at a local vendor. Firstly, it is more likely that the vendor is a local that owns the establishment and, therefore, you know the money is going straight into someone’s pocket (rather than abroad). In addition, the ingredients that are being used are likely to be produced locally, rather than imported, and therefore won’t have caused as much environmental damage in order to end up on your plate. We know that eating off a chipped plate at taqueria in Tulum might not scream ecotourism, but, who wants to go to the other side of the planet to eat a full English with Heinz beans, that you can get from your local greasy spoon?

Avoid plastic bottles

Everyone who has ever walked along a beach anywhere in the world knows what a problem plastic bottles are for the environment.

When we were in North America we carried stainless-steel water bottles, so that wherever we were we could fill up from a tap or water fountain and save money by not buying completely unnecessary bottled water. This is something that anyone should do anywhere where the water is safe to drink (America, most of Europe, Australia, etc.) and we both carry reusable bottles and coffee cups back in our native England.

However, what we didn’t do – which is a HUGE regret – is buy a water bottle filter, such as Travel Tap. To be honest, we just didn’t know they existed. The amount of water bottles that we ended up buying during our time in Mexico, Central America and South America (where tap water is not always safe to drink) is horrifying! That’s without even taking into account the amount of money that we spent, because even though bottled water is cheap it really adds up over time. Since returning from our travels in 2017, we’re yet to travel to a country with unsafe tap water to try out the filters, but we have heard only positive reviews from other travellers (whom we looked at with envy as they filled up their filter bottles out of the tap). See a review here from A Social Nomad.

IMAGE 

Sustainable tourism can reduce your carbon footprint, slowing down the effects of climate change.

Shop at the market

When food shopping it’s very easy to find the nearest supermarket and pick-up branded groceries, similar to what you would get in any supermarket at home. And of course, there were many times when we did this, especially if we just wanted a few snacks for the night bus or an evening in the hostel. However, when we wanted to cook a meal, we would always try and find a local food market.

What we love about shopping at the local market is that it’s a cultural experience in itself and gives a real insight to the local cuisine and an opportunity to cook with ingredients that you wouldn’t find at home. For instance, in Mexico we loved cooking with avocados (which cost around 10p) and trying the different varieties in comparison to the standard avocado you find in supermarkets in the UK. The more you shop at markets, the more you get used to the kind of prices that you should be paying – and don’t be afraid to haggle if the price seems too high! Even though you may pay slightly more than the locals, it will still be cheaper than shopping in the supermarket and there won’t be any wasteful packaging (make sure that you carry a canvas bag). In addition, the fruit and veg will have likely been grown in the local area, providing money to local farmers and lessening the carbon footprint.

Travel slowly

Rather than flying to a faraway location for a two-week break, backpackers are much more likely to travel slowly, as it’s generally much kinder on the bank account! As everyone knows, air travel is very bad for the environment, and it would be much better to not fly at all. But having said that, it’s not very realistic and some air travel will be no doubt be required, no matter what trip you make.

After flying from Las Vegas into Mexico City, we managed to travel all the way down the Americas into Patagonia, only taking two flights (both times because we were on a schedule due to meeting family). Mostly travelling by bus saved us a huge amount of money, but also meant that we left a much smaller carbon footprint. What we love about bus travel is how much of a country you can see; you can spend hours just staring out of the window at passing countryside, snatching glimpses of daily life – that is until you realise the bus is weaving down a windy road on the edge of a cliff and then it’s time to shut the curtain and do some reading! Just think of all the diary writing, blogging and reading you can get done. On some of the snazzier bus journeys in Argentina, we even got champagne, food and a ‘cama’ seat – what more could a humble backpacker want?!

 IMAGE

Killing time in Medellin Bus Station, Colombia. You may have to wait a while, but taking the bus rather than flying is much better for the environment.

Stay at guesthouses and locally owned hostels…

(…and not the Hilton/Ramada, etc.)

This one may take a bit of research, but if possible it’s always good to sleep in a locally owned establishment rather than a foreign-owned one. This wasn’t something that we really planned but we often found ourselves in guesthouses. Because we’re a couple, it was often cheaper to stay in guesthouses (usually called hospedajes in South America) rather than hostels. The added advantage was that they were full of characters and, if the lodging included a breakfast, you got a real taste of what the locals would eat.

Speaking only for North and South America, we found that many of the hostels were locally owned, so we could sleep soundly knowing that the money we were spending on accommodation in that country was going to stay in the local area. Even in the USA, we avoided Motel 6 and Holiday Inn unless we really couldn’t help it, not least because you could be in any city in the world but also because, in our experience, you get much less for your money in comparison to independent hotels and hostels.

Pack lightly

Although it may not feel like it when you’re hauling your backpack to the other side of the city to save money, backpackers are much more likely to pack lightly, and there is even a growing number of budget travellers who forgo the giant backpack in favour of hand-luggage only! Just using a carry-on will save you money on low cost airlines, but is also more eco-friendly. The lighter your luggage, the less weight in the aeroplane, meaning the aeroplane will use less fuel transporting you to your destination. Just think of this when you’re contemplating packing another pair of shoes – and your back will thank you for it too!

Where you may have to spend more money

We love a bargain as much as the next backpackers, but sometimes you have to spend a little more money in order to know that you’re being a responsible traveller and not causing any harm to the local people, culture or environment.

Choose tours with ethical standards

Most backpackers are big fans of independent travel, which means avoiding tours at all costs! We do often avoid tours, but there are times when they are the sole or safest way. If you’re following the traditional ‘Gringo Trail’ through Central and South America, you’ll know there is only one break in the Pan-American Highway, and that is from Panama to Colombia. No road has been built through the dense, unexplored jungle of the Darién Gap, which in addition to a whole host of tropical animals and bugs also has the presence of FARC rebels. So, no matter how intrepid you are, there is no land passage from North America to South America.

When we were researching the best way to cross between Panama and Colombia, we realised our only options were to fly or take a boat. We ruled out flying straight away, because it was expensive for the date we needed and we also wanted something a little more adventurous. When we started looking into taking the boat, one operator kept coming up in our searches: San Blas Adventures. After a little research, we realised that their service was unique in the fact that you could actually sleep on the Kuna Yala (San Blas) Islands, which are essentially paradise on earth.

 IMAGE

Yep, paradise on earth… late afternoon in San Blas.

The islands are home to the Kuna people and, over many years, San Blas Adventures has formed a relationship with the communities. The company is committed to being a responsible tour operator, enabling travellers like ourselves to visit the islands and learn about the Kuna communities. Not only this, but the 4 days we spent on the islands were some of the most perfect days of our entire trip! Although it was expensive and much more than we would have usually spent, we felt that the trip was worth it to experience such an incredible place, knowing that we were causing the least possible harm to the environment or the culture of the Kuna people.

Tip porters, guides and staff

As a further point to the above, it is worth bearing in mind that when booking a tour you will need to factor in the price of tipping guides and porters, many of which will rely on the extra money they earn from tips. Make sure you have this money ready, should you be in a remote location (i.e. on the Inca Trail).

Buy local

If possible, when purchasing souvenirs from your trip, source handicrafts that are locally produced and try to ensure that they haven’t been imported from elsewhere. An example of this would be purchasing some local art from a market in London, rather than going into one of the many tacky souvenir shops and buying a mass-produced model telephone box that’s likely imported from China. Of course, buying a hand-made souvenir may be slightly more expensive, but in the end it makes for a more unique memento that you can treasure. You’re also ensuring that an artist or craftsman gets a sale and your souvenir will have a much smaller carbon footprint!

~

These are just a few ideas we had to ensure that we can all to our bit to partake in sustainable travel and ecotourism (and many can be implemented even when we aren’t away travelling). We know there is so much more we can do and we are always looking out for new ways to travel responsibly and live green each and every day.

Let us know any ideas or tips of your own down in the comments!