How you can make a difference
If the flap of a butterfly’s wings can affect the world, think what impact your choices can have on the planet. We each hold the power to make a difference.
Making a difference
© GQMarks
Before you go
Your holiday decisions -- where you go, how often you travel, the hotels or lodges you stay in, even the season you travel in – can make a huge difference to individual destinations as well as the wider global environment.
© JAAguilar,Shutterstock
Choosing your destination
Most holidays are so much more enjoyable and authentic when the place you’re visiting has only a few other travellers. We all love that feeling of discovering that little piece of paradise that no-one else has found or seeing an incredible experience without hordes of other onlookers.
‘Overtourism’ is no fun for us as travellers and also stresses the people who live there as well as the resources and infrastructure of the destination.
Get away from the crowds by:
- considering lesser-known destinations where you’ll get a really authentic travel experience.
- travelling in less busy months which will have fewer people and better prices.
© ©Shutterstock
Holidays helping wildlife & habitats
The world would be a much poorer place without the diverse animals and plants we live with. We’ve already lost so much but the rate of loss of habitat and wildlife is now just frightening.
Tourism – the positive and sustainable kind – is one of the ways in which we can bring funds to protect and conserve the world’s biodiversity.
Visit gorillas and chimps in Africa to give them a chance of survival. Visit forests to enjoy their beauty and revel in the wildlife they protect and to stop them being logged for profit.
Your holiday really can give value to nature and thereby help conserve it.
© Nomad
Kind places to stay
Feel good about choosing accommodation that really benefits the wildlife, people or habitats of the place you’re visiting.
We work with a lot of people who go the extra mile to ensure that, as well as you having the very best time when you stay with them, they support their staff, local communities, environments or wildlife.
Talk to us about some of the property ‘good guys’ such as Tara & David Guthrie who run lodges in Tanzania which help fund human-wildlife conflict projects, or Lapa Rios ecolodge in Costa Rica which helps support its local community with jobs and food purchases as well as education, or Nomad Tanzania who run the remote Greystoke Mahale which helps fund chimp protection.
© Desert&Delta
Considerate travel
We are travellers. We love to travel. However, we also know we need to find ways to travel in more environmentally friendly ways. Until our planes are fuelled more sustainably, we can all consider each flight we take a little more carefully.
The COVID pandemic showed us that face-to-face business meetings are not always necessary and staycations for short weekends away are now viewed as a worthwhile alternative to getting on a plane.
If we use our flights more meaningfully and thoughtfully – perhaps travelling a little less but maybe for a little longer – we can still travel to enjoy the world but have less negative impact.
When you are there
We know that Tribes travellers are a caring lot. The respect each of us shows to the people, wildlife, resources and environments of the destinations that we travel to really can bring positive benefits.
© MLP
Respecting people
When you travel, you are visiting someone else’s home. A good guest offers respect and courtesy.
- Respect codes of behaviour and dress.
- Celebrate our differences respectfully.
- Support the local economy.
- Bargain fairly.
- Take time to engage.
- Ask before taking photos.
- Respect their home environment (don’t litter).
Caring about animals
Tribes chooses not to promote harmful animal-related activities such as:
- Walking with lions leads to ‘canned’ hunting.
- Riding elephants causes fear in training and stress.
- Performing animals means captivity and often abuse.
- Wild animal selfies encourages poaching and cruelty.
- Swimming with dolphins stresses the animals.
- Visiting aquaria & most zoos.
These and other issues are discussed in more detail in our articles.
Leaving only footprints
Let’s not add to environmental problems if it can be avoided.
- Leave packaging at home
- Leave no rubbish and bury toilet waste.
- Noise and light can be pollution too.
- Reduce plastic usage – water bottles in particular
- Take care not to damage trees, plants or leave lit campfires.
- Avoid driving or walking on sensitive areas.
- Leave wildlife undisturbed.
- Don’t get too close to reefs – even sand smothers coral.
Using resources carefully
We need to take care of our natural resources. Water is the most obvious resource we need to consider, especially in arid places.
- Take (short) showers rather than baths.
- Choose biodegradable toiletries to protect water sources.
- Use your bedding & towels for longer.
- Turn off lights.
- Refill your water bottle.
- Beware of buying products of rare species, shells, hardwoods …
