Respecting Nature When Travelling

As with anywhere here at home, nature should be greatly respected when you travel. Not only out of respect for the local wildlife & community, but so future tourists can enjoy it too! Here are a few tips to help you properly respect the natural beauty of your travel destinations.

Leave only footprints 

Many countries in this world don’t have the reliable waste amenities we have here in the UK; regular rubbish collection, recycling facilities and liberally distributed trash cans. You may even find yourself in a jungle, a reserve or up a mountain at some point on our adventure. Despite what you might see others doing, always carry a bag with you to gather up and dispose of your rubbish responsibly – even one compartment on a backpack will do. Smokers can carry a cigarette ash pouch with them – it extinguishes butts and conceals any bad smells inside until you’re able to safely dispose of them. Wherever you go, make sure you don’t leave anything but footprints behind, as the saying goes!

Be Plastic Aware 

Some countries are making huge strides in the prevention of plastic waste – Kenya, Nepal and Morroco have all implemented single use plastic bans. Of course, many places have yet to take such action. As you would in the UK, do your best to avoid buying single use plastics when getting drinks and snacks, and make sure you’re not accepting any plastic bags if you’re able to carry your items. Even recyclable plastics aren’t properly dealt with by most countries, including the UK, so it’s best to avoid them entirely if you can.

 Toilet Paper & Sanitary Products 

In many countries, people tend to use water instead of tissue paper to finish up after visiting the toilet (think bidet). This means sewage pipes aren’t built to handle huge amounts of paper and other things being flushed down them. Using paper or flushing sanitary products where the facilities are not built for it can cause blockages and unsanitary overflows. Do as the locals do so you don’t end up causing a spill and potentially spreading disease on that special place you’re visiting.

Travellers who menstruate should take care to dispose of pads/tampons correctly. You may need to carry used products with you until you find a suitable place to throw them away – some small disposable bags will come in handy. You could also get get familiar with reusables like the Mooncup in advance of travel to save on carrying & disposing of sanitary products.

Careful With Chemicals 

We don’t tend to worry about the products we use when washing our hands or taking a shower but these products can be very toxic to plants and animal life. Eco-friendly alternatives will ensure your not polluting whilst enjoying the great outdoors. Take an biodegradable all-over wash on your travels to keep everything clean without damaging local environments.

There is one unavoidable use of chemicals you should definitely not cut corners with, however – repellents and insecticides. These can protect you from many diseases spread by mosquitoes & biting insects, just make sure you store them carefully and avoid over-use. 

Choose Wildlife Experiences Carefully 

All over the world nature is being exploited for the benefit of tourism, be that overpopulation in the Galapagos, frozen sewage building up on Everest or illegal ‘human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands. Before you pay for a nature & wildlife experience do your research to ensure it’s ethical and a benefit to the planet’s flora and fauna. Everywhere you go, you will find organisations doing excellent work that benefits the local wildlife. Visiting them supports their efforts. In some places, tourism has decimated local wildlife and tourism is now banned – respect these bans while the local wildlife can recover. Be part of the solution, not the problem.