3. Holidaying

The ethical fun just keeps on coming. Don't leave your desire to spend constructively behind at the airport: ethical holidays are related to ethical shopping - and treating the environment the way we'd like it to treat us. Actually, it's related to most sensible and considerate ways of being, not least enjoying and respecting lifestyles which are very different from our daily ones. Which, as is often pointed out, can be a major reason for holidaying in the first place. The following points are taken from the websites of organisations such as Tourism Concern and Responsible Travel.

  • Read up on the countries you plan to visit - the welcome will be warmer if you take an interest and speak even a few words of the local language
  • Think small when booking a holiday - for example bed and breakfasts, village houses and locally owned accommodation benefit local families as well as providing you with a much more interesting and memorable experience
  • Ask to see your tour operator's responsible travel policy
  • buying local - eg drinking local beers and juices rather than imported brands. Going out to local restaurants - avoiding fully packaged tours
  • Bikinis and nipple studs - great for Club Med or our back gardens. But wearing the appropriate volume and type of dress is essential whether you want to avoid getting stoned (as in having stones thrown at you rather than anything hallucinogenic) in very religious areas or simply want to avoid upsetting people. Packing light clothes which cover arms and legs will ensure you can into all the temples, mausoleums and other places you've travelled a long way to visit.
  • Use local transport - including bikes. Better, friendlier, more interesting and greener! Oh - and cheaper.
  • Don't overdo the bargaining! A tiny amount of your cash could perhaps feed the trader's family for a week.
  • Be laid-back about time. Many parts of the world don't want to, or can't afford to run by manic Western timescales
  • Use water sparingly - it is precious in many countries and the local people may not have sufficient clean water
  • It would be quirky at best to have someone barge into your office or kitchen and start taking photos of you. So we travellers need to be very sensitive about snapping away at local people. (Especially now that digital cameras make it so easy to take just as many photos as we feel like.)
  • Find out where the locals go when they have time off. Visit the main sites but get off the tourist trail too. But when in protected natural sites (eg the rainforest!), don't wander off the footpaths.