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What is Ecotourism

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The basic idea of Ecotourism is to travel to areas of natural beauty, that are often remote and protected and while in these areas attempt to impact the area in a positive manner, be it with volunteer work or raising awareness of any environmental issues the local animal and human populations face.

It is no secret that travel and tourism as a whole effects the environment. The very second you leave your home to go on a trip or holiday it has some kind of effect. To engage in responsible ecotourism, you should look into ways to cut down on the negative environmental impact of your trip. Even simple steps like making sure to carbon neutralize you modes of travel and use less harmful methods whenever possible. Before you travel, do some research on ways to help out while you are there. For instance if you wanted to go on a kayaking trip, check to see if there is one run by a company at actively takes an interest in looking after the rivers they use. If hiking, take care to walk only on the pathways provided so to now damage the local flora and if possible take part in a project that maintains the walkways.

While staying in the country you are visiting, try to live nearby the area that you intend to spend most of your time to count down on commuting. Try to learn about the customs of the local people, maybe even try to learn a little of the language. You will be surprised how much difference it makes, to be able to say even simple things like hello, nice to meet you etc…

The most important thing other than being aware and courteous to the location and people is to enjoy your trip, really soak out as much as you can.

I have barely scratched the surface of what being an ecotourist involves. But hopefully this has tickled your interest to find out more.

Source: Here

Picture Source: ippei + janine

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Be the Ultimate Green Traveler

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Travel can be at once the greatest, most rewarding thing someone can do, but it can also be very stressful and difficult, depending on a number of factors like health, whether or not you are traveling with young kids, elderly people, other people in general and a countless number of other reasons. A relatively recent addition to the list of travel worries for some is the added consideration of traveling with as low of a carbon footprint as possible. Perhaps we can help alleviate some of that stress with these tips for green traveling.

Before setting off on your adventure, make sure to unplug all unneeded appliances at home. Most electrical goods in the home draw at least some power when not in use, particularly if left on standby mode. There is no reason not to - it is safer, cheaper for you, and better for the environment, so get unplugging!
Unless you are particularly concerned with germs and must absolutely have new towels and bedsheets on your hotel bed everyday, then I suggest speaking to the hotel staff and requesting that the sheets and towels only be changed every few days or so. If you don’t change them daily at home, then there is no need to do so away from home……unless you just enjoy opulence , in which case this may not be the article for you.
The majority of the fuel used by a plane comes when taking off and landing. If possible, book direct flights. For shorter distances consider taking a train rather than flying. There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to both.
When eating out at a restaurant, ask for a dish where the ingredients are produced locally. Not only are you helping the environment, but you are getting to taste the actual local dishes that people eat all the time. There is arguably little point in traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to eat exactly the same food you can get easily at home.