How to Be a Responsible Tourist

Travelling responsibly is about more than easing your conscience. When local communities genuinely welcome you, the experience becomes richer for everyone involved. By following a few sensible guidelines, you can shrink your environmental footprint, help protect natural resources and wildlife, and put money into the pockets of the people who call your destination home.

Tourism places real pressure on the environment. Left unchecked, it can lead to pollution, the degradation of natural habitats and even the extinction of species. The good news is that small, considered choices add up. Here are some practical ideas to keep in mind.

Eat and Drink Locally

Spending your money at local eateries keeps revenue within the community. You also get a window into everyday life, connecting with people through the food they cook and eat.

In South Africa, for instance, small seafood restaurants serve traditional smoked snoek – a delicacy worth seeking out. Your custom helps resident fishermen keep trading in a trade their families may have practised for generations.

The same logic applies to what you drink. Imported beverages are flown or shipped thousands of miles, adding to carbon emissions. Choosing local beers, wines or soft drinks supports nearby breweries and plantations, and keeps your impact smaller. Mexico alone offers a wide range of beers worth trying, many with distinctive aromas and flavours.

“Beyond eating out locally, you can enjoy some truly remarkable food experiences. Chiloé Island is home to the world’s original potato – around 90% of our potatoes trace their origins here, and you’ll find more than 400 varieties served in everything from stews to bread. Visit in February and you might even see hot potato juggling during the Costumbrista Festival.”

Pack with Purpose

If you’d like to support educational programmes while you travel, find out what’s needed most before you zip up your suitcase. Pack for a Purpose is a worthwhile initiative that, among other things, supplies children with the essentials they need to study.

Pens, pencils, erasers, individual pencil sharpeners, solar calculators and protractors are always welcome. Footballs and games such as Scrabble tend to go down well too. Check with your travel specialist beforehand to confirm which items are most needed at your destination.

The same initiative explains how you can help staff working in protected areas, including private reserves and concessions, with their conservation work. Useful items include camping cutlery, duffel bags, mosquito nets, water bottles, mobile phones and solar-powered laptops.

Tip Reasonably

Plan ahead so you can include sensible tips wherever possible. This money goes directly to local people.

Tipping guides, porters, trackers and spotters can be more complicated, so ask your specialist for current guidance. Gorilla tracking in Uganda offers a useful illustration of typical recommendations:

• Guide: US$25 per day per couple for a national park guide
• Ranger: US$15–20 per couple per ranger
• Trackers: US$15–20 per couple per tracker (there are usually two)
• Porters: Their services come highly recommended. Bear in mind that porters do not earn a salary. The minimum recommended tip is US$20 per person per porter.

If the service fell short of what you expected, don’t feel obliged to tip. Things move more slowly in many host countries, so your experience may not run as smoothly as you’d anticipated.

Tipping practices evolve constantly and can lead to awkward moments. Camps and lodges use different systems, so look out for a tipping box or kitty, from which funds are shared fairly among staff.

Cooks, porters, cleaners, guides, spotters, waiters and transfer drivers all contribute to your overall experience. An amount that seems trivial to you may go much further in a host country than you’d imagine, reinforcing the positive impact of tourism.

Use Local Guides

Hiring local guides and porters wherever possible matters for several reasons. The income encourages them to work with the relevant authorities to protect the very things you’ve travelled to see. In return, you gain invaluable insight, advice and a more authentic experience. Always follow local advice when planning activities.

In community-based ecotourism, host communities manage tourism activities directly in the areas where they live. Guides and other residents gain a real stake by taking part in decision-making. Experienced local guides know their terrain best and are usually the most skilled at locating sought-after species safely.

Time spent in the field with local guides and porters often brings personal stories to the surface. Some accounts are daunting, touching on wildlife crime; many guides have witnessed the aftermath of poaching. You may even be guided by someone who once poached but has since changed course. Either way, these stories bring a protected area to life and reveal the depth of their commitment to conservation.

For a talented guide, safeguarding wildlife comes first. If a client wanted a close-up sighting of a particular animal, an experienced guide would still keep a safe distance, minimising disturbance to the animal.

“Porters are superheroes. On my trip to see mountain gorillas in Uganda, they carried my rucksack with water and camera gear, making the whole experience seamless. Many porters are reformed poachers, so using their services is an excellent contribution to local conservation.”

Buy Locally Made Souvenirs

High-quality traditional crafts make excellent gifts. Buying them while you travel supports local businesses and the artisans who handcraft each piece.

There’s no shortage of options: jewellery from Zulu or Maasai makers, traditional instruments such as panpipes or charangos in Bolivia, or the valiha and marovany in Madagascar. You’ll find plenty of shops selling authentic items along the way. The Namibia Craft Centre in central Windhoek, for example, hosts 40 women-owned and community-driven craft enterprises from rural communities. Every product is uniquely Namibian and of excellent quality.

Visit Locally Protected Reserves and Community Conservation Sites

Visiting locally managed sites of biological importance helps conserve them. Entrance and guiding fees contribute to the success of conservation measures and, in turn, to the survival of valuable natural habitats and the wildlife within them.

Small, community-managed sites are often remarkably effective at conservation because they have the backing of resident people. Supporting and enabling visits to such places is a priority worth seeking out.

In Costa Rica, one travel partner volunteered at Palo Verde National Park six months after wildfires destroyed part of the rainforest, helping with reforestation. Their aim is to create a biological corridor so wildlife can move safely between isolated patches of forest. They also donated a surveillance camera to monitor a regular poaching entry point.

Also in Costa Rica, Osa Conservation works from the Talamanca Mountain Range to the Golfo Dulce and Pacific Ocean, alongside a network of communities and international leaders, to protect the country’s southern biodiversity. To date, they have released over 145,000 sea turtle hatchlings and planted more than 530,000 trees, among other achievements.

In Madagascar, Anja Community Reserve is one of the few projects on the island where sustainable protection of nature is entirely managed by resident people. Its achievements earned it the 2012 Equator Prize, a United Nations Environment and Sustainability Award.

“In Latin America, we work with fantastic partners who put sustainability at the forefront of their operations. This is particularly evident in Costa Rica, where the eco-credentials of lodges are always on show and every guide you meet is passionate about creating a positive impact. Our partners on the ground hold the Elite Certificate for Sustainable Tourism, as well as the National Carbon Neutral Mark, with the intention of reporting, reducing and offsetting emissions produced by any itinerary around Costa Rica.”

Use Environmentally Friendly Toiletries

Choose products that won’t harm the environment. Reef-friendly sunscreen is free from octinoxate and oxybenzone, two reef-bleaching chemicals commonly found in sunscreens. Plastic-free exfoliators are more environmentally friendly, as they’re biodegradable and suitable for vegans.

In the shower, use soap bars instead of gels to avoid plastic bottles. Swap single-use cotton wool and wipes for reusable cotton pads or muslin cloths. Organic cotton shower caps are another easy alternative.

Respect Local Cultures

Always ask whether photography is permitted in cultural settings, and ask people for their permission before taking their picture. In some situations, such as certain tribal visits, a charge may apply. Travel specialists can share practical advice on this.

Cultural norms are often specific to the place you’re visiting, and regional variation can be both extensive and subtle. The indigenous San communities of more arid parts of Southern Africa, for example, are open to sharing elements of their traditional life with interested visitors. Showing consideration and genuine interest in local traditions leads to a more rewarding experience for visitors and hosts alike.

In Madagascar, an intricate system of fady (local beliefs) holds sway, and whether tourists are expected to observe them depends on where in the country you are. Your guide will be indispensable for information and guidance on appropriate conduct.

If something feels unfamiliar while you’re abroad, step back and observe. Responsible cultural tourism centres on contemplation and appreciation, which in turn build understanding of other traditions. Acknowledging cultural diversity is an important part of showing respect for cultures that are new to you.

“Exploring Santa Catalina Monastery first-hand was deeply engrossing. You learn about the nuns who live there and their extraordinary lives within the convent walls. Rather than snapping lots of photos, take time to listen to each story and immerse yourself in their world.”

Learn Local Customs

Learn a little of the language and customs of the country you’re visiting. Whether it’s a few phrases of Spanish for Argentina or some Kinyarwanda for Rwanda, making the effort is always polite. You’ll begin to see people in a new light, and you’ll feel more confident venturing outside your comfort zone in rural and remote places.

Basic phrases come in handy on the road, and hosts usually appreciate the effort visibly. In Colombia, for instance, it’s considered rude to speak with your hands in your pockets or to chew with your mouth open, and resting your elbows on the table during a meal is frowned upon.

A good grasp of basic etiquette goes a long way towards avoiding awkward situations, and it lets you connect with local people on a deeper level. Cultural awareness benefits everyone.

Donate to Reputable Initiatives

Avoid giving money or gifts directly to children. Instead, direct your support to a local facility or a reputable organisation working to bring long-term benefits to the community you’re visiting.

Charities such as Money for Madagascar are exemplary. Their projects address extreme poverty, inadequate healthcare, food insecurity and education. From protecting threatened forests to establishing community projects and helping them reach their potential, organisations like this have the wellbeing of both people and the environment at heart.

Other worthwhile causes include Uthando and Travel for Impact, both of which support projects in southern Africa. Thanks to their work, initiatives such as the Isiseko Educare Centre can provide education for 100 of the most vulnerable children in Mfuleni.

The LATA Foundation allocates funds to a variety of initiatives across Latin America, including the Community Baboon Sanctuary (CBS) in Bermudian Landing, Belize, which works to protect the endangered black howler monkey – known locally as the ‘baboon’. With LATA’s support, the CBS Women’s Conservation Group will deliver three practical training workshops to equip local women and young people with tourism and hospitality skills. An upcoming project will create a cultural folklore trail at the CBS site, giving visitors an in-depth understanding of traditional Creole storytelling and its importance in Belizean society.

“During wildlife trips, check with your guide about regulations specific to your target species – the distances boats must keep while whale watching, for example, or whether masks are required during gorilla tracking. To seek nocturnal species, you’ll most likely need a community-managed reserve or private concession where night walks or drives are permitted. Speak quietly and move cautiously wherever possible. Avoid feeding or touching wildlife. Keep strictly to designated trails, roads and viewpoints. Sticking to the mindset of ‘taking only photographs and leaving only footprints’ enhances the positive contribution conscious travel can make to conservation.”

Pay Fair Prices for Goods

Haggling beyond what’s reasonable helps no one and can put local craftspeople or traders at a disadvantage. Aim for an outcome where both parties are happy: neither you nor the seller should settle on an amount far above or below the initial asking price. The trick is to find a middle ground where you both feel you’ve benefited.

If the seller recovers what their product is worth, they can keep trading. Paying fair prices therefore helps keep the local economy turning.

In many Latin American and African countries, bartering or negotiating is commonplace, but research before you set off whether bargaining is expected in your destination. Always carry cash.

Reduce Reliance on Single-Use Plastic

Cut down on single-use plastics by carrying a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic ones. Plastic bottles may end up littering the environment if they aren’t recycled properly, and recycling isn’t as advanced in some countries, so be mindful about what you bring.

In the Galapagos Islands, you’ll see iconic giant tortoises roaming arid landscapes in search of vegetation. Research has shown that they ingest items such as glass and plastic bags. By minimising or eliminating reliance on single-use plastic, visitors reduce pollution and give these unique reptiles – along with their better-known marine relatives – a stronger chance to thrive.

Be Water Aware

Being mindful of water benefits your host country enormously. Take a shower rather than a bath: a bath can hold up to 80 litres, whereas a five-minute shower uses around 40 litres on average.

Opt into towel and sheet reuse schemes where they’re offered. This can significantly reduce a property’s environmental impact by saving water and lowering carbon emissions.

Simple gestures matter too. Not leaving the tap running while you clean your teeth can save up to four gallons over two minutes. Report any dripping taps to hotel or lodge management.

Water wastage has a seriously detrimental effect on ecosystems. Excessive consumption can deplete freshwater sources, affecting biodiversity and disrupting the wider balance of life.

“Many suppliers have commendable sustainability initiatives in place. Chobe Game Lodge, for instance, has Africa’s first fleet of electric vehicles and boats, making them pioneers on that front. Botswana has implemented exemplary policies on recycling and single-use plastic. Water conservation is a priority, and tourist numbers to protected areas are carefully controlled, following a low-volume, low-impact model.”

The Difference You Make

None of these steps is difficult on its own, but together they shift the balance. Spending locally, treading lightly and showing genuine respect for the places and people you visit turns a holiday into something more valuable – for you and for your hosts.