Visiting slums to feel good about yourself, having your picture taken with wild animals or poking out others' eyes with your selfie stick:no, stop, ho! Traveling isn't about ticking off bucket lists (been there, done that) to make your Instagram as interesting as possible. Certainly not if this is at the expense of animals, people and the environment. We will do that completely differently in 2018, starting with Earth Day on April 22. Skyscanner tells you more about the possibilities.
What is Earth Day? Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 that takes place around the world. The day aims to make people think about their consumer behavior (and its impact on our planet) and is part of Earth Month, which lasts until the end of May.
5 tips for respectful travel
1. Stop voluntourism
Meaningful travel, giving back to the population:it has become a trend in recent years to combine your holiday with a few weeks of volunteering. Well-intentioned of course, but there is also a dark side to it:many young people mainly do it for the karma points that they collect as soon as they share their snapshots of underprivileged children or critically ill animals with social media.
A comparable term is poverty porn, in which media and companies draw attention to charities by means of stereotype messages, photos, videos or films of malnourished children or horrific natural disasters and in doing so achieve the opposite. For example, the film Slumdog Millionaire unexpectedly became a big hit, which caused ghetto tourism:people wanted to see the Indian slums with their own eyes.
Respectful alternative
Think twice before photographing a child dressed in rags or a woman begging. And if you do want to do it, at least ask permission before you grab your camera. Any professional photographer will tell you that a good relationship between photographer and subject is essential to taking a good photo. If you travel with a travel agency, make sure that they are sustainable tour operators who do not exploit the locals and give something back to the population.
2. Avoid unethical wildlife parks
Have you always dreamed of spotting The Big Five, taking an elephant ride, swimming with dolphins or having your picture taken with a tiger cub? You can still realize that first dream in an ethical way, but please put the last three out of your mind. Animals should live in their own natural and wild environment and are not obliged to walk around with a human on their back or be drugged in such a way that they can be photographed with you.
Do you find it difficult to see whether a wildlife park is taking good care of their animals or not? Alarm bells should ring when you notice that animals are 'trained' to do a clever trick. And although animals in the Netherlands have since been removed from the circus, according to Animals Asia, there are only five countries worldwide where animal performances have been banned completely:Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Malta and Cyprus (other countries only partially banned it). If you also see that animals in safari parks or zoos are kept in (too small) cages or you are encouraged to cuddle and pose with or ride animals:leave as soon as possible.
Respectful alternative
South African safari parks are generally an ethical alternative to wildlife viewing. These animals live in their natural habitat and, in case of illness, are cared for until they are strong enough to survive in the wild. Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Australia ensures a shared future for wildlife and humans and if you do want to see a circus, check out one that doesn't involve animals.
3. Stop taking selfies
A selfie is the love child of the worldwide web:about six thousand selfies are posted on Instagram every minute. Every minute, every day. 55% of all social media selfies come from millennials, followed by Gen X at 24%. Just under 9% of selfies are taken by baby boomers. Travelers taking selfies are actually much worse:you turn your back on a landmark, monument, museum or other interesting subject while you laugh, click and walk away. Not to mention the countless selfie sticks that are used to slap other travelers in the face. Long story short:just stop.
Respectful alternative
Leave your selfie stick at home (or better yet, throw it away), turn around and really take a look at what you've traveled to. Take it in, take a mental picture, enjoy it, and then walk away. Chances are that you see the world a lot differently when you put your narcissism aside and don't let travel revolve around yourself. Try it!
4. Examine cultural etiquette
Visiting protected natural monuments, UNESCO World Heritage cities or other vulnerable sites, it can sometimes mean walking through someone's garden, grounds or street to see the area. Although tourism also generates money for the local economy, it can also be very irritating for local residents to have constantly staring and photographing tourists in front of your house. And especially if those travelers do not adhere to cultural etiquette. In Thailand, for example, it is forbidden to insult the king (accidentally pointing to a photo of the king can already result in a prison sentence). Or, less extreme:in Fiji it is better not to wear sunglasses or hats on your head and in Islamic countries you should keep your shoulders and knees covered.
How do you prepare?
Always try to learn something of the local language wherever you go. For example, learn how to say "thank you," "hello," and "goodbye," or other common words or phrases from the destination you're going to. Always respect other people's privacy just as you value your own privacy (so don't just lurk inside someone's house and certainly don't take a photo unsolicited) and read in advance about tour operators that stimulate sustainable excursions.
5. Think about your motivations for dark tourism
The last term we're going to throw at it is dark tourism:looking up areas, places or sites where something terrible has happened. You will find places like this all over the world:think of Auschwitz, the 9/11 Memorial, the place where Princess Diana was killed and Chernobyl in Japan. Of course:if you want to learn more about the history of a place that interests you, we won't stop you. But don't go there because you feel 'culturally obliged' or because you can then cross the place off your bucket list.
Respectful alternative
Think carefully about your motivations before booking a trip or excursion to a dark tourism site. Do you want to go because it interests you or because you feel you should see it? And what about your behavior:do you then walk around or hang out bored because history or culture doesn't interest you at all, or do you know that you will have your full attention? If so, leave your camera at home right away and take in the (gloomy) history in silence (and with that with respect).
