what is conscious travel?
and why you should embrace it
INTRO TO SLOW travel
At its core, slow travel is a rejection of the destructive model of traditional tourism that tends to extract from communities rather than making a positive contribution to them. Instead, it encourages you to fully immerse yourself in experiences, emphasizing connection - to local people, to culture, and to nature.
Rather than racing from one tourist attraction to the next, slow travel is based on the idea that a trip is meant to be rejuvenating, educational, and impactful. There is no “6 cities in 7 days” tour of Europe worth attempting and the goal of slow travel is to experience the world in a way that is truly meaningful, less stressful, more respectful of local communities, and easier on the environment.
Slow travel is part of the larger slow living trend steadily gaining popularity as people battle against the glorification of busyness and try to maintain their mental health in societies always pushing them to do more, faster. Recognizing the harm caused by perpetual time poverty, a growing countercultural movement that values rest, balance, and intentionality is gaining ground and I’m here for it. The idea is to to dial down the chaos of constant notifications, traffic, and other woes associated with modern life by unplugging and paying attention.
“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”
why conscious travel is the ultimate goal
Beyond slowing down to internalize our journeys instead of buzzing through destinations in a photo-snapping whirlwind, I believe we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the communities we’re entering and the people who call them home.
Traveling is a privilege and with it comes a responsibility to lift up marginalized voices and to help preserve the historical and natural wonders we’ve traveled to see. We need to contribute to rather than merely extract from the places we visit. I see conscious travel as a necessary extension of the slow travel movement - one that incorporates mindfulness and ethical decision-making.
15 ways to travel consciously
Tourism is one of the world’s most powerful economic forces and can drive the way countries treat their citizens, Indigenous people, oceans, wildlife, waterways, and forests. This means that travelers, as a community, have a potentially enormous influence. Here’s how to use that influence for good:
1.
Avoid superficial “country counting” and value the depth of your experience and connection over social media validation.
2.
Educate yourself about and respect local customs and culture.
Learn about the history of places you’re visiting and what challenges people face socially, politically, and environmentally.
3.
Learn at least a conversational amount of the local language and (American readers) don’t expect people to speak English everywhere you go.
I often recommend Duolingo, an app that gamifies language learning. I was surprised how much Italian I was able to learn over the course of a month with minimal daily effort.
4.
Support local communities by “voting” for local businesses with your tourism dollars.
Try to avoid chain restaurants and hotels when possible - book excursions with family-owned operations rather than large tour companies, shop in local markets, buy from local artisans, etc. Consider touring local art studios, farms, or wineries. Book guided hikes, yoga sessions, fishing trips, photography classes, or cooking classes with people in the community.
Airbnb Experiences are a great starting point for ideas.
5.
Avoid ocean cruises - there is just no part of cruising that is ethical.
Large cruises are every travel negative rolled into one giant floating city: staff mistreatment, pollution of sea and air, land grabbing, and corporate profits at the expense of local economies.
Even in port, most tours are controlled by the cruise line and offloading thousands of tourists onto small islands or into historic cities is not necessarily welcome, as Venice and Dubrovnik have told the world.
6.
Rethink all-inclusive resorts for the same reason: your money goes to a (typically foreign) corporation rather than local businesses. These resorts generally extract more local resources than they give back to the local economy, wages are usually exploitatively low, beaches are privatized for the enjoyment of a privileged few, and you’re not really getting an authentic experience.
Are they all that way? No, but most are and the ones that are not make a point to demonstrate that.
7.
Prioritize animal welfare over photo ops. Skip the elephant rides. Don’t ride the donkeys in Santorini. Think critically about every interaction that involves an animal and recognize exploitation for what it is. Don’t assume that booking through a well-known travel agency means that an excursion is ethical - the overwhelming majority are not.
In situations where “rescued” animals are used for an interaction, understand that this incentivizes smugglers to remove more from the wild.
If animals are being fed to lure them into viewing range, consider how this disrupts the natural ecosystem. If a tour operator promises you an interaction, avoid.
World Nomads created a helpful guide on what avoid, how to assess tour operations, and what questions to ask.
8.
Steer clear of exotic foods (and souvenirs) that involve endangered species or animal cruelty.
Researchers estimate that 100 million sharks are killed every year for shark-fin soup. Fishermen grab the shark, slice off its fins, and throw the animal (still alive) back into the water where it sinks helplessly to the ocean floor.
Never eat: sea turtle (any species), sea turtle eggs, tiger or other big cats, elephant, bushmeat (usually chimpanzee and gorilla), pangolin, Chinook salmon, whale (often actually dolphin), caribou, puffin, unagi eel, or maguro tuna. This list isn’t all-inclusive - do your homework.
9.
Acknowledge and honor Indigenous people and understand the role that colonialism has played in oppressing people, contributing to climate change, creating poverty, and destroying Indigenous lands around the world.
This map that shows you which Indigenous lands you're living on (or traveling to) was incredibly eye-opening. Here’s another specific to the US and Canada.
10.
Do not take photos with black, brown, poor, or disadvantaged people for your own social gain. I wish this didn’t need to be specified, but there’s a reason organizations like No White Saviors exist. People aren’t photo props.
11.
Consider the preservation efforts undertaken so that you can enjoy a hike, a park, or some undisturbed part of the planet and think about how you might contribute to these efforts.
You might be able to help by voting, donating, educating, or volunteering.
12.
Strive to reduce the environmental impact of your travels.
Limit air travel when you can and choose trains, bikes, and walking tours when possible. Use public transportation. Patron eco-friendly hotels and establishments with sustainability initiatives beyond asking you not to request new towels.
Ensure that you have what you need to avoid being wasteful while you travel (reusable water bottle, bags, utensils, etc.)
13.
Pay people fairly.
Tip in destinations where that’s appropriate. Learn whether it’s appropriate/appreciated or insulting.
Don’t barter with someone to get a “steal” in an economy where $3 USD is a BFD. Haggling for a taxi or rug is expected in many cultures; but it’s not a bargain if either person feels exploited or diminished.
14.
Be respectful of and advocate for service staff you encounter while traveling.
Figure out why hospitality staff at a South Pacific hotel are on strike. Ask the manager of the fancy resort why every single person in a position of power at his hotel is white on an island that’s 75% Polynesian.
15.
Consider volunteering your time and talents through a reputable agency with an established history in the local area.
Listen to what the community needs, don’t assume you can come in and miraculously fix historical challenges, and think about what happens after you leave. Assess your own motivations for doing so and avoid the problematic “savior” mindset.
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
