Green Holidays

.

Hello, and thanks for joining us again here at Green Holidays And Adventures Blog Carnival.

We have some very different articles for your this month, including on the road tips for cutting down your impact, to a school competition and on to a delightful eco resort in the south-west of England!

Handy tips:
So, beginning with Myscha Theriault covers some of the ways your choice of toiletries and accessories on the road can really lessen your impact and save you time and money to - so enjoy Going Green on the Road for these tips.

Then a rather analytical Brian Maxwell covers some great points for all you people out there who don’t know where to get started with the whole ‘eco friendly’ lifestyle.  Take a moment to read his pensive article on The Green Movement’s impact on Environmental Problems and go from there.

Local Trips:
Joshua offers up a selection of ideas on how to keep to kids entertained and close to nature at the same time - and all close to home!  Read his Tips for Learning during Summertime to get started.

And if you already have some great ideas for getting those kids out and about and enjoying themselves, then take a look at 00FF00’s article - which is a competition. Basically, you enter your ideas on how to Get Kids Outdoors and you could win a part of the £500 of prizes and an eco friendly computer for your chosen UK school.

Other Hols:
Cherie Ve Ard offers up a perfect example of how people can live on less and offer reason why a lot of people don’t!  Check out Excuses #5: Environmental Impact for a peek at how they do it.

Erika however, just offers a great idea on really getting into the heart of the earth on a low impact green holiday beneath the ground!  Here’s Going Caving in Mexico.

And finally Tamara gives us a short interview with the owners of an eco resort in the UK’s West Country - a very picturesque region where I often take vacations myself.  So read Eco-speak with Trevenna’s Jonathan Rowe to learn more about it.

Thanks again for your time and thanks to all those who offered their articles.

Planning Your Volunteering Green Holidays needs to start somewhere - and these 5 tips should help:

Many people these days are planning to take a longer-then-usual break from work.  There are so many opportunities out there for all sorts of people and all sorts of activities!  There is surely something for everyone and some are just a few weeks long to fit into even the tightest schedule!

Before jumping in to a great adventure however, make sure that you have got yourself covered for some simple things, and make sure that you are going with the best possible company.

It’s easy to just want to get up and go when the travel bug hits you - but you want to make sure that everything is as green as you would like it before you pay a dime!

1) Length of time:
It is better for the environment and the communities you are going to support if you take a longer than average time out there. 

Flying to Asia for 2 weeks - which includes a few days to yourself - means that there is hardly any time for you to make a difference.  It also shoots up your carbon emissions.

However, 2 months in your chosen location can give you time to experience their culture and actually get to know all the people involved while you are there.  It also shows that you and you chosen company mean business - rather than in and out with no real lasting effects in their lives.

2) Company Experience:
Make sure the company you are travelling with has years and years of experience in their locations and in the travel industry. There are many new companies popping up - but can they deliver the goods or are they jumping (late) onto the ethical bandwagon??

Not only will experienced companies be able to prove that their packages are excellent and their community work long lasting - but it also shows you that they mean business and know how to do these things. 

For an example of how not to book your gap vacation, read on…. I recently went to an organised talk where a ‘travel guru’ was talking about her company - and she said that last year she couldn’t find anyone offering advice about gap travellers - so she set one up herself! 

If she was looking for help last year - what on earth would make you trust here for advice just 12 months later?  What type of advice could she really offer you about travelling, volunteering, teaching and living abroad if she has barely done it herself???

If this is your ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ and you are taking time of work or leaving your job - please don’t risk it.  Make sure you put yourself in the hands or a real and proven expert - even if you have to pay that bit extra!

3) Company Ethics:
There are many companies out there offering these fantastic vacations - but where does all the money go and who are they helping?

Check with your short-list of companies what projects they support and where your ‘fee’ is going.  Some companies charge a lot of money for your trip and pocket a large proportion of the money in admin.  Others will clearly advertise that a contribution goes to a charity working locally or to community projects for the long term.

Some trip organisers send huge numbers of volunteers to the same places - not so fair on the other communities and a bit to overwhelming on that one.  Better companies will share out the visitors and limit the impact of it’s travellers.  You are there to help the local people, not socialise with dozens of other travellers from your home country!

Also, make sure that they have a clear responsible travel policy and are a member or at least 1 ethical travel association - the more the better, really.  If you want to be sure you are travelling responsibly with them and that they have considered all their green alternatives for their trips - then don’t book if they can’t answer your questions politely and with answers you are happy with.

4) A Job Well Done:
Ideally, the travel company will make sure that you are suited to the trip you are booking!

By this I mean that they will check your experiences and your aims and will try to send you to the right location in terms of your skills and their needs.  It’s ok to choose your destination - but if your skills are better suited to another project on a different continent than a good volunteer firm will let you know.

You might have your heart set on the Andes - but if they are in desperate need of your skills in the Himalayas they may well see if they can twist your arm a bit.  They would never force you to go somewhere you don’t want to go - but if you are in this for the experience and to help others, then it is certainly worth considering your options.

5) What’s Left Behind:
If you are taking a longer break for your volunteering (a month or more) - make sure that what you leave behind is still in order while you are away.

Cancel or put a hold on magazines and subscriptions so endless amounts of mail don’t sit in your mailbox.  Not only will this show that you are away - it also means that you will have too much to read on your return and possibly waste these resources.  Check dates on all foodstuffs so that nothing is wasted and nothing goes out of date while you are away.

Set up online accounts for everything you can (so you can check it all wherever on the globe you are) and this also allows you to cancel paper billing for most accounts - you can check it all on the Internet - saving endless amounts of paper and postage!  You can even pay bills online though your bank account without having to go home or send the neighbor around!

Make sure that your appliances and electrical goods are unplugged - not on standby!  Buy a timer for your lights if you are leaving the house empty - or consider renting it out to friends for the duration to fund your trip and protect your home - and pets if you have any.  Check your fire alarm batteries and any alarm systems to make sure they are in perfect working order before you leave.

Check your mortgage and insurance papers to make sure you are covered if you are not living there - and make sure that you travel insurance covers the full time you are away - some annual policies only cover 3 months in total over any 1 year!

And Finally:
Enjoy yourself and have the time of your life - coming back a more experienced and more relaxed person!

Why not start being a responsible traveller before you even book anything?

Making plans and asking questions is all about being sure that you are happy with the green credentials of your chosen destination and the companies that you use to get there. It’s great to sign up on your green holidays with a reputable company who have taken everything into account for you - but if you want to travel more independently, then there are many things for you to consider before even checking your vaccinations are up to date!

Where Are You Going?
Travelling to a specific place or travelling through a region or country are 2 completely different things. Make sure you know which is more important to you as the impact of your journey to these destinations can be very important. Why charge straight from the airport or train station to the one place everyone else goes when you may be able weave your way through villages and get a feel for the country rather than tick off boxes.

If you are flexible about your travel plans, then you can plan to avoid excessive carbon emissions and to limit your impact on certain sensitive areas. Draw up a rough guide of your route and see what’s on the way and what should really be avoided.

For example, you can get to South East Asia on the Trans Siberian Railway rather than fly (and would be a fantastic experience) but it could add a month onto your journey - have you got the time? Or should you fly to a destination in South East Asia and spend that month there volunteering and helping the community?

Avoiding Green Wash:
I found a great company which does fantastic tours of a local mountain range for some large wildlife. They use local accommodation along the way but that’s about it for responsible travel. There is no mention of where the local hotels source their food and drink, or how they power their environment. There is also no mention of whether funds from the trips go into funding local communities or conservation projects - yet the name of the company could lead you believe otherwise: Eco Travel.

Ask these few questions before stumping up the cash to make sure it’s actions are as ‘green’ as it’s company name!!!

1) Have they got a ‘written’ policy regarding responsible tourism? If not, then they probably don’t take it seriously enough, and without anything in writing - guests can’t say whether they are achieving anything with it.

2) Can they supply you with details on the local area, and volunteer projects to support local communities or wildlife. Even if you don’t want to take part yourself - their knowledge of these things can assure you of their ‘green’ intentions, and shows that they are in touch with activities in their locality.

3) Do they use resources - both people and commodities - from within a specific radius of their location. You can’t put a measure on this as it all depends on where they are. I mean, if they are in a mountainous region I’m not sure there would be much ‘local’ food to sustain tourists and staff might be in short supply! If they were in a fertile valley however, then everything should be from much closer - including employees.

4) What are their green credentials and what do past customers think or say about them? Are they affiliated with any local, national or international tourism companies that you can check on, like the World Land Trust or an International Charity Body? Do they have a page on their website for people to comment on, or can you find it on Trip Advisor?

Take Only What You Need:
When planning your trip, take into account the length of the stay and the location you are visiting. Do you really need so many toiletries to go and save Rhino’s in Africa? Do you need to buy loads of new products to take with you up Mount Everest?

If you are only going for a short trip, then you can take all that you need, knowing that you will be bringing it all back with you (as you won’t be leaving all your plastic bottles and used toiletries there). But if you are travelling for a month or more, then you will need to consider buying things from your destination and possibly disposing of it there too.

Make sure that you reduce you reliance on non-essential consumer goods like anti-frizz hair conditioner and anti-wrinkle face cream when planning for long-term stays. Make sure you know what you can reuse on your journey rather than leaving your destination to sort it out. Obviously you won’t be able to bring home all your rubbish from a long trip, so make sure you know the best way to deal with it and what to avoid in the first place.

Don’t just take time to research your location, search your own rucksack!