A start….

     About a year ago in an effort to combine the skill set of vacation planning with my passions of conscientious living, I started on a journey of learning about sustainable travel, also referred to as responsible or ethical travel, and the process of incorporating these ideals and practices into my travel business, but the implementation of this in a mass market travel world has proven to be both challenging and disheartening. Is it possible to create an authentic sustainable travel business from the supplier list I have at my disposal? What would that look like? I cannot answer that question, but today, I realized that I don’t have to answer it today…. or even tomorrow. I will commit to learning about this ever-changing subject and implement sustainable practices into my business as they feel right. 

     I have recently been learning about the disposable plastic problem as it relates to tourism. In areas that invite tourism, there is a 40% increase of disposable plastic waste when tourism is highest. It is estimated that 4.8 million tons of plastic waste is produced by tourists each year. Understanding that almost ALL plastic that has every been created is still in existence and that only about 9% of all plastic is actually recycled, my first step in incorporating sustainable practices will be to educate clients and offer alternative solutions. I am also currently researching reusable water bottles to gift clients as well as various, practical ways of “cleaning” water in regions where tap water may not be considered safe to drink.   

 Photo courtesy of  The Oceanic Society.