5 minute read
Are you a sustainable traveller?
How your travel choices can make a difference
With Dayana Brooke
Our Editor Rachel recently spoke to The Sustainable Traveller's Founder, Dayana Brooke, about the sustainable travel initiative, how we can all make more sustainable travel choices and what’s next for The Sustainable Traveller.
Based in Sydney, Australia, Dayana has spent 20 years booking worldwide travel for all kinds of clientele. Concerned about the impact that the industry was having on our planet and knowing that something had to change, Dayana started The Sustainable Traveller.
The Sustainable Traveller is a platform to encourage travellers and travel advisors to think about travel differently. Aiming to empower people to make choices that will have a positive impact on the environment and the communities of the places we travel to, The Sustainable Traveller organises and recommends wonderful travel experiences with accommodation and tour providers with a sustainable focus. “Travellers don’t realise the ripple effect that their stay has.” says Dayana, on making choices and travel swaps that improve the impact we have when we travel.
We asked Dayana for some of her top tips for planning a trip, and she shared with us some of the actions we can take to reduce our impact, like swapping planes for trains, and things to look out for when booking your next trip!
What to consider when planning your next trip
Which organisations you travel with and how
• Do your research before booking your flights, accommodation, or tour operators to see if these organisations have sustainability initiatives in place.
• If you need to fly, always choose direct or non-stop flight options instead of taking 3-4 flights to get to your destination – a direct flight has less carbon emissions.
• If you’re not in a rush, consider travelling to your destination by car, bus or train instead of a flight. In destinations like Europe, the train networks are quick and accessible, so ditch the short one-hour flight for a train ride instead.
Where you travel to and when
• If you need to take multiple flights, plus a couple of boat rides just to get to one destination, your carbon footprint will end up being very high. Consider whether there is a similar destination you could travel to with minimal forms of transport.
• Big crowds can have a big impact on the environment, and many local communities that rely heavily on tourism can struggle to get by in the low season. That’s why choosing to travel in the low season is a smart choice to reduce your impact and support local communities.
How long you stay in a destination
• Always try to stay a minimum of two to three nights at one accommodation. A one-night stay at a hotel, for example, uses so much energy and water resources from cleaning your room, sheets, towels, etc. We’re seeing many hotels reduce the amount of times they change the sheets or towels in hotel rooms to reduce energy and water consumption.
• The longer you stay, the more likely you are to make a direct contribution to the community of the place you’ve travelled to. Dining in local restaurants, doing activities from local operators and staying in locally-run hotels will ensure the money you spend goes to that community.
• As an added bonus, the longer you stay in a destination, the more you will learn about the place and its people, and the more you’ll share with your friends, family and peers when you come home.
What experiences you choose to do
• Avoid experiences which include the use or display of caged animals, or experiences such as elephant rides. Too many animals are treated unethically through these experiences.
• If you’re going on a cruise, make sure the on-shore experiences available are locally run so that the local community can benefit from your visit.
What’s next for The Sustainable Traveller
Dayana has plenty of exciting new initiatives in the mix which will enable The Sustainable Traveller’s values and ethos to be shared further to industry and individual travellers.
This includes providing training and accreditation to travel advisors to plan sustainable itineraries for their clients, supporting travel suppliers to develop sustainability strategies, and developing online courses for travellers who are planning their own trips and want to make sustainable choices.
Remember, it’s about intent
Becoming a sustainable traveller is a journey – you don’t have to get it perfect right away. If you have the intent to do better and to re-evaluate your travel choices, you’re already halfway there. Making small adjustments like taking your re-usable water bottle and avoiding single-use plastics or making sure you’re spending your money with locally-run businesses can make all the difference in the long-run.
Dayana is an inspiring advocate for sustainable travel. If you’d like to hear more about her journey to starting The Sustainable Traveller, take a listen to our World Tourism Day podcast episode with Dayana as our special guest.
Want to know more about how you can make sustainable travel choices? The Sustainable Traveller’s online course for travellers is now available at thesustainabletraveller.com
