What Ethical Travel is NOT (The Answer Might Surprise You)

Congratulations! No doubt, you’ve come across this blog post in an effort to become a more eco-friendly or ethical traveler. Having these ambitions alone is a great first step. There are so many practices in our daily lives that we can extrapolate to our travels that will help your travels be greener, respectful to the earth and communities in your destinations. At a high-level these include reducing our carbon emissions, taking public transportation, eating at farm-to-table restaurants - the list goes on. This website is rife with tips for how to go about exploring our planet and leaving no trace. However, when it comes to traveling more ethically, it can be harder to tell where the line is (isn’t this the case with all things ethics?). There are plenty of popular attractions and activities that might make you feel warm and fuzzy, but the effects of your visit may not be beneficial to those environments or communities. Below are five things to avoid if you want to be a more ethical traveler… the last one is the most important!

Posing With Wildlife - One of the most common experiences often confused with “eco travel” is interacting with wildlife. While petting, feeding, or posing with animals in their natural habitat might seem like a way to show love to these cute critters, it’s simply not. The demand for elephant rides has caused elephants to be poached from the wilderness and sold into slave labor to meet tourism demand. Safari operators who put tourist demands above animal welfare will allow crowds of vehicles to descend on a single family of lions just trying to live their life. I wrote about best practices for animal tourism here, but some good rules of thumb are 1) never feed, touch or get too close to animals in the wild unless under supervision from a biologist, ecologist, etc. 2) animal rides are never a good idea and 3) if you want to interact more with animals, go to an animal sanctuary or rehab facility. FYI - volunteers are needed on Kangaroo Island to help suffering koalas after the Australian bushfires.
Visiting an Orphanage - Only five years ago, I can distinctly remember swiping through Tinder profiles featuring dudes posing with groups of orphan children in third world countries. At that point in time it was maybe seen as a badge of honor. Today, we know this is problematic on multiple levels (ahem, no more white saviors please), but even I wasn’t aware until earlier this year of just how damaging orphanage visits can be. Luckily, I sat next to Claire Bennett, author of Learning Service, at this year’s World Tourism Day Forum in DC before I watched her panel presentation on this topic. I caught up with her after the event for an article I wrote for MindBodyGreen.
“Travelers might think that visiting an orphanage is a way to give love to kids that need it,“ says Bennett. “Unfortunately there is a proven link between volunteers demanding “orphan experiences” and children being deliberately trafficked into institutions as glorified tourist attractions.”
In fact, according to Bennett, it is estimated the 80-90% of children who live in orphanages worldwide have a living parent. She says the evidence for orphanage volunteering being exploitative is so strong that it was effectively outlawed in Australia’s Modern Slavery Act.
Staying in An Airbnb or Home Rental - Ok so let me clarify, sometimes staying in an Airbnb over a hotel IS the eco-friendly choice, but we shouldn’t automatically assume it ALWAYS is. One of the best ways to be a sustainable traveler is to to keep your dollars in the local economy. Unfortunately, many Airbnbs and other home rentals are owned by people who don’t actually live in the city, but can afford to buy up tons of property and turn it into Airbnbs - sometimes entire apartment buildings that could otherwise be used to house actual residents of that city. This, then, limits apartment and home availability in the city and drives up rental prices for those who live there. Another issue is that people using houses, entire floors or even buildings as Airbnbs aren’t employing people for things like reception, housekeeping, cooking, etc. the way that hotels do. It’s another missed opportunity to support the local economy. To avoid contributing to this issue, investigate where the owners of your Airbnb actually live. Unclear? Opt for a local hotel that prioritizes sustainability instead.
Spontaneously Giving Money - This one is a tough-y, as I realize it can be very upsetting to see extreme poverty in other countries. Yet being in these situations helps to shine a light on the fact that we are in position of privilege, and have the means to share a bit of what we have in order to help others. That’s a beautiful realization! The best way to follow through is to give intentionally, rather than spontaneously. When faced with this desire to give in another country, use it as an opportunity to ask yourself questions about how giving back can be woven into the fabric of your daily life - rather than a quick, one-day transaction between strangers. Take time to research organizations that align with your values, be it providing for children, rescuing animals, supporting education, empowering women and girls, etc.
Being Perfect - You’ve probably seen some version of the saying on Instagram: We don’t need a few people doing sustainability perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly. As long as you are making some effort toward being a more ethical traveler, you are doing this thing right. I know I don’t always get it right. We learn as we go, and our experiences will help those who come after us. As long as you are trying to travel better, I will applaud your efforts :).