Dearest Gentle Reader (hahahaha),
At Adventures By, we believe in looking after our planet and all the things living in it as much as we can when we travel. Sustainable Travel is something that our travel specialist, Emma, is particularly interested in. This year, Emma was lucky enough to be selected as one of TTG Media’s 2024 Sustainable Travel Ambassadors! This means she’s taking part in a year-long programme to educate herself about sustainable travel, and in turn, help our clients to make more informed choices about responsible travel too.
Emma recently visited the Dominican Republic with Iberostar hotels, in order to see all of the initiatives they have introduced to help support local environments and communities. Below, Emma shares her favourite experience from the trip, and has written some top travel tips to help you to travel more sustainably.
“It’s so hard to pick just 1 sustainability highlight from my recent trip. There are so many initiatives happening at Iberostar, from zero single-use plastics, targeting zero waste to landfill by 2025, the responsible sourcing of seafood…but I think my favourite in the Dominican Republic was definitely the Coral Lab. Coral around the world is in danger from rising sea temperatures, and sadly almost all species are affected. Reefs in the Caribbean also have the additional threat of a deadly disease which is currently sweeping ocean. The Lab is a scientific research centre, with the aim of studying local corals, finding those that have better resilience to warmer sea temperatures and planting them back in to the reef. One of the coral species in the lab is a Pillar coral. Unfortunately, nearly 95% of this species have been decimated by stony coral tissue loss disease, making it one of the rarest living things on our planet. It was a very humbling experience, and really highlighted the fragility of the reef ecosystem. Guests staying at any of the Iberostar hotels in Punta Cana can visit the lab and speak to the very knowledgeable staff anytime. Top Tip: Visit around lunchtime to witness the corals being fed!”
Sustainable travel encompasses many aspects of our travel experience. In most cases, there are some conscious choices we can make to make our journeys more sustainable, and leave a more positive impact on the world we are exploring. So here are my top tips for how you can be a more sustainable traveller!
Where to stay?
Almost everywhere you plan to travel to, you’ll be faced with the decision of which accommodation to stay in. Certain features might be non-negotiable for you. For example, beach lovers may want accommodation directly on the sand, others might require children’s facilities. You could add to your requirements a property that has eliminated single use plastics, or supports a local women’s collective. Maybe they source all of the food for their restaurant locally? Chances are these properties also have other sustainable initiatives in place too! Look out for Earth Check certifications – having a silver or gold award shows a real commitment to sustainability. Eco-tourism is increasingly popular (yay!) for both travellers and accommodation providers, so options are increasing all the time.
When talking to us about your holiday, we’ll always try and highlight a more sustainable choice – and they aren’t always more expensive! Ask us about identifying greener accommodations.
Local travel experiences!
What will you do on your holiday? Perhaps you’ll visit a water park, or go on a boat trip. Great choices; but we recommend checking out all the options for your destination. Consider a cultural tour led by the local community! It is great a great way to better understand the place you are visiting, and meeting the people that live there, whilst helping them to earn a living through tourism. We love to find these unique experiences for our clients!
Travel light (er)!
Larger luggage means higher fuel consumption on your chosen transport method! So, our top sustainable travel packing tip is try to pack only what you need, or even a little less and treat yourself to a few new pieces from local sellers when you arrive at your destination. That way you’ll be supporting the local community too!
Gifts for local communities
Increasingly we are aware of how fortunate we are to have so much, when others in the world have so little. Gifts of colouring pens, shoes and various other things have become quite commonplace for us to give when we travel. This level of awareness is admirable, however, increasingly these gifts are not reaching those who truly need them most. We suggest finding a local charity or foundation, that will work to ensure that your donations (in whatever form) reach those most in need.
Animal Welfare
There isn’t a destination in the world that this topic doesn’t apply to! We believe that animals and wildlife should be seen and respected in their natural habitats. Try to avoid attractions which are exploiting or stressful for animals, for example animal parks with captive Dolphins or Orcas, or elephant parks offering rides or opportunities to bathe the elephants. Some nature reserves and wildlife parks do fabulous work in protecting endangered species, or looking after animals who wouldn’t survive in the wild. Seek our those who only have the best interests of the animal at heart. You can ask yourself a couple of questions to ascertain whether an experience meets high animal welfare standards. For Example: Is everything I’m planning to do or see for the benefit of the animal, or is it just for my entertainment? Seeing dolphins in the wild is an amazing experience…chasing them on a noisy boat to get a closer look or staying with them for longer is stressful for the animal. You can find our animal welfare policy HERE.
Be prepared!
This is a really simple thing that we can all make the choice to do. You may not have been able to find a hotel that has eliminated single-use plastics in your chosen destination (yet!), but that doesn’t mean you have to use them! Take a reuseable cup, water bottle and straw with you.
Speak up!
Getting everyone on board with helping the planet will take a cultural change in the expectations we have. And we’re certainly getting there! But if you can’t find any recycling bins in your hotel – ask. Not happy about the plastic straws? Tell management! The more of us that demand these types of facilities, the more that there will be.
Holiday essentials
Suncream is at the top of many a packing list. If you’re going to be swimming in the ocean and using suncream, choose a brand that is reef safe. This is more widely available than you may think, with household names like Nivea and Bondi Sands having excellent credentials on reef safety. Reef ecosystems are facing huge challenges in terms of rising sea temperatures and new diseases affecting large swathes of our oceans – they don’t need us adding to their problems with suffocating suncreams.
Recommend!
Have you visited an eco-friendly destination or property that really impressed you in terms of sustainability? That’s great, please spread the word! We love to know about these places so that we can recommend them to others. As your travel agent, we also try to choose suppliers that care about sustainable travel too!
