You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for February 2011

Ethical Holidays.

February 28, 2011 By

An ethical holiday could be a holiday that involves keeping your travel pollution down to an absolute minimum. It could involve a holiday where the main focus will be helping out with conservation. One thing that is constant throughout ethical holidays is the fact that monies paid for the holiday will go directly to the community you are visiting. It is important when booking an ethical holiday to find out exactly how much money will go to the host. It would be awful to find out at a later date only a small percentage when into the local area when you initially thought it was more.

 An ethical holiday will encourage you to respect and preserve the culture/place you are visiting. When you think of some of the resorts you may have visited throughout the years they (to a degree) are like home from home. Of course we all like things to be convenient but what a treat to be able to embrace another culture, if only for a short while. I think most would agree that there is more room for people looking at their next holiday from an ethical viewpoint rather than a ‘how great is my hotel??’ viewpoint.

Before anybody goes on an ethical holiday there is a certain degree of research that needs doing. Find out what the local specialties are (foods, textiles…) and try to support them while you are there. Find out the best way to reduce your travel pollution en route to your destination and while you are there. How you behave while on your holiday is immensely important too. Be respectful around locals (dress, begging, bargaining…) and remember the attitude you bring to the destination will ultimately add to the atmosphere.

Filed Under: Eco Tourism, Eco Travel, Transport, Travel Tagged With: , ,

A big factor surrounding responsible travel….biofuel.

February 23, 2011 By

Biofuels may be the reason a holiday would be more ethical, the travel aspect would be more responsible but what is biofuel? Biofuel would either be biodiesel and bioethanol and they are mostly used to run vehicles. There are others but these are the main two types. Biodiesel is mainly made from oils and sometimes fats. The oils used are vegetable based, while the fats that can be used are sourced from animals. If recycled greases are available these can also be used. Biodiesel is the most common biofuel used in Europe. Bioethanol is made mainly made from starch and sugar crops. Bioethanol can be used on its own as a fuel or can be used as an additive to other fuel to minimize carbon emissions.

 At the moment biofuels account for around two per cent of the worlds transport fuels. The amount of money that has been dedicated to developing the production of biofuels over the past five years or so has reached billions. It is a cause worth spending on and the governments realize the impact it could have on saving the environment, now they must convince the world wide population of the importance too.

Filed Under: Eco Tourism, Eco Travel, Transport, Travel Tagged With: , ,

Eco Travel and our carbon footprint.

February 21, 2011 By

Of all of the decisions we make to reduce our carbon footprints as individuals how we travel could potentially be one of the most significant. Air travel is especially harmful to our environment making up roughly ten per cent of our carbon footprint worldwide. If travelling to Europe why not travel via the Eurail Global or InterRail, this would produce less than a quarter of emissions compared to the same journey by plane. For travelling to some destinations flying by plane will be unavoidable so when you do have to fly make the more responsible decisions. For example, during a flight it is the taking off and landing that create the most carbon dioxide emissions so do try to take a direct flight. If you have to change it will mean your carbon footprint increasing quite a bit.

 Although travelling on a water vessel does create far less carbon dioxide emissions than flying it does still need assessing and areas for improvement identified. There are many ideas in the pipeline with most travel companies under pressure to become more ‘green’. There is a Scandinavian company developing a new concept that goes by the name of ‘Orcelle’, this would be a mode of water transport that only omits water vapor and steam. Some industry experts have heavily criticized the design, saying it will never work. Companies who run and/or own large shipping companies are being made aware of the savings that can be made (in carbon) just by ‘slow steaming’. This method is simply moving at a slower speed and in turn using the fuel that is burnt in a more efficient way, there are special techniques that have to be followed but it is believed to be fairly effective. There are other technical adjustments that can be made to lower the rate at which a vessel will burn fuel; these are being adopted by shipping companies.

 For on the road vehicles, there have been big changes. If you are using a private motor vehicle, bus or coach there is the opportunity (depending on the vehicle) to use ‘green fuel’ such as bio-diesel. Vehicles that run on electricity instead of fuel are also an option. When travelling with companies look for companies that are actively involved in being ‘green’. A good example of this would be the ‘Big Green Coach’ company.

Filed Under: Eco Tourism, Eco Travel, Transport, Travel Tagged With: , ,

Eco Travel – Responsible Holidaying.

February 17, 2011 By

The idea of eco travel is based around the idea of making the right and responsible decisions. Eco travel goes against the grain in terms of mass tourism and look to make holidays a far more low impact affair. An eco travel holiday would have a huge emphasize on appreciating natural habitats and preserving them for generations to come. Usually the financial gain made from the visitors to the area would go to a conservation organization which would be working directly within the area. Eco travel boosts the local area where the tourism takes place. When booking an eco travel holiday you can be assured the money you pay for your holiday will be injected straight back into the local area.

 A true eco holiday will not have a destination that involves huge hotels with a mass of facilities. These holidays are about appreciating the local culture, not bringing all your conveniences and luxuries with you. Being ‘green’ is a hot topic right now; therefore some companies are marketing their holidays as being ‘green’ when in fact they are not. Companies sometimes label their holidays green just because the surrounding area of their luxury hotel is very naturally beautiful. This is not a green holiday but it can be quite easy to fool people into believing it is. Ask yourself, how a huge resort which is pumping lots of harmful gases could be a part of eco travelling – it is not. Be particularly careful of holidays in jungle resorts, they often claim to offer green holidays so be sure to check the facts.

Filed Under: Eco Tourism, Eco Travel, Transport, Travel Tagged With: , ,

How do people travel?

February 14, 2011 By

Travelling can simply be a human walking although if it is a fairly short distance it is not considered travelling as such. Travel is usually assisted by a man made vehicle which (depending on what it is) can move quite quickly. The four most common modes of transport are water transport (ferries, hover crafts), trains, cars or aero planes. These modes each depend on their environment and are directly affected by the elements. If weather becomes extreme there is a likelihood they will be unable to function. Each of these modes of transport runs on fuel, such as petrol along with other components. Modes of transport along with household appliances have come under scrutiny due to their emissions of carbon dioxide gases and the harmful effect this has on the environment. That said it will come as no surprise that there are now ‘green’ modes of transport are popping up everywhere and we are being encouraged to use them wherever we can.

 The electric car is a more common sight on our roads now. Local authorities have even installed chargers for these cars on streets making it easier for people to own one. Eco scooters are now more widely available as well. For the journeys more further afield some ships and other modes of water transport have devices on them that responsibly recycle waste water instead of pumping it into the sea. This waste water could contain harmful chemicals from cleaning fluids so disposing of these in the right way is an important step forward. Smaller vessels now come in a range that is run on solar energy, a good option for the more ethically minded traveler. Airlines are constantly looking at ways to cut their emissions. They realize their customers are becoming more aware of reducing their carbon footprint and will look to airlines to see where they are making changes.

Filed Under: Eco Tourism, Eco Travel, Transport, Travel Tagged With: , ,

What is travel? Why travel?

February 11, 2011 By

The word ‘travel’ can be applied to most human beings throughout their lives. People who are almost always moving around are known as ‘travelers’. So why can we apply this word to so many of the population? It is in our curious natures and minds to want to go and see new things and experience different sensations. Travelling will bring us to pastures new and this may be a hundred miles or a thousand miles away, either way there will something different in that location and it may capture our minds. There are very many other reasons why somebody would want to travel. Relaxation is probably one of main reasons people want to travel. People look forward to time away from their hectic lives and are generally willing to travel far away usually to a place known for its tranquility. 

 People can also travel due to their job. This could be a business meeting, although there is less demand for this now due to things such as conference calls, live video links and the internet. People have always, and always will travel to visit family/friends who do not live in their locality. Other reasons people travel are things like to carry out research (charity or medical), migration or regular commuting.

Some people dedicate a period of their lives to travelling. This often involves a round trip which will see the person go out and visit several different places and return to their home. This kind of travelling can be quite lengthily and will usually involve the person who is travelling wanting to gain experiences of other cultures and beliefs. The places on the round trip would almost certainly involve monuments and landmarks.

Filed Under: Eco Tourism, Eco Travel, Travel Tagged With: , ,