Merging Into Life: Sustainable Tourism Tips

[00:03:52] Claire: I’ll be completely honest, it was 2019. I had an awful year in 2018, really bad year. And at the end of the year, it was New Year’s Eve, and I was just there, I sat there thinking I need to make a change next year. So I was like, where is the longest I can travel without flying? Like, where’s the furthest point from the UK that I could get back to without flying. And I could have potentially gone further than Bali. I could’ve potentially gone farther in Indonesia or even to Australia. Maybe even New Zealand although that would have been difficult. But it was the easiest place where I knew I could get back definitely, if that makes sense, so yeah so I decided to just do it. I had five months free.

[00:04:35] Kim: How did traveling or moving overland change the way that you experience people in places along the way?

[00:04:43] Claire: I made the decision as well to not get local SIM cards when I traveled, and I only relied on Wi-Fi. But that meant that I relied on people so much more. It meant I spoke to people so many more, and it meant that I met so many people and had so many organic conversations with people. I traveled through a lot of places in Thailand that see a lot of tourists, but then the journey meant that stopped in some places that really don’t get many tourists at all. I come to these places that a few years prior I had no idea existed, and it was just amazing to just be there and then be able to sort of in a way like slot into whatever was going on there and yeah it just really opened up my eyes to a lot of the world really.

[00:05:29] Kim: It sounds too that you’re really connecting with people rather than just going to a destination and seeing what there is to see and visiting tourist hotspots.

[00:05:38] Claire: That’s what I try to do. And to me that is a big part of traveling sustainably as well, is going somewhere and not just going somewhere and seeing things, going somewhere and thinking what can I learn from people here? What lessons can I take from this country that will, I will then be able to take back and implement in my life even things like learning about history and stuff. I was in Mongolia and I met an amazing woman on the train, and she just sat down and told me of the full Mongolian history from start to finish. It was fascinating. Learning more and sort of spreading more stories and stuff can really help just build a better world, I think.

[00:06:16] Kim: You’ve written and spoken a lot about the issues of overtourism and places that are just completely overwhelmed by too many visitors. What are some ways that travelers can reduce their impact on some of these popular destinations?

[00:06:34] Claire: So there’s big problems in Europe at the moment with people going to the same destinations time and time again. For example, Barcelona, a lot of places in Spain, and there’s been huge protests against tourists, or against overtourism at least, in these cities. If tourism was to completely stop in these places then that’s not good either, so it is about finding the balance. But I would say in the peak summer months, it’s a good idea to avoid the very busy places, the very over touristy places. I think definitely visiting off season is a big way that you can combat overtourism, but also going to different places as well. If you do really want to see Barcelona, for example, maybe actually staying in Girona, which is about 45 minutes north another lovely Catalan city but doesn’t see half as many tourists and then maybe just going to Barcelona for a day. Another big thing is where you stay so local hotels obviously will always be the best place to stay locally around businesses, but usually Barcelona as an example again, they have big problems with Airbnbs there, so they have a lot of landlords renting flats out a short term let and this is hiking the prices up for local people and that is a big thing that people are protesting about as well. I’d just say visit out of season, visit less touristy places, stay in, use local businesses when eating and doing other things.

[00:08:06] Kim: I think that you’re also a really great example of this, because you visited Sri Lanka at a time when tourism was really vital to their recovery. What was that like?

[00:08:15] Claire: The most welcoming country. It’s such a special place and I really, really recommend anyone to visit. So Sri Lanka has been through a really tough few decades, but they are very positive about the future and they have a lot in place now and they’re really hoping their tourism industry is something that they’re hoping to rebuild. That’s one of their main focuses. Yeah, it was an incredible, incredible place and, yeah, I found everyone so generous and so welcoming, and there are places in Sri Lanka that are getting quite touristy, and they are trying to not go the same way as a lot of places in Thailand have gone where it’s very over touristy. They’re trying to sort of have a bit more of a sustainable tourism development.

[00:09:08] Kim: I love that. So you were known for your overland travel. And when you did go to Sri Lanka, you did have to fly there. So how do you approach these sort of trade-offs where the most responsible choice might not be the most obvious one?

[00:09:26] Claire: So, like I say, Sri Lanka is really wanting to welcome tourists at the moment. They’re really focusing on tourism and they have a lot of tourist businesses. There are a lot of opportunities to use local suppliers that can really benefit the country. Sri Lanka as an island in the Indian Ocean, there is a very complicated way of getting there through India, but that would take a very long time. So I’d say probably 99.99 percent of people are flying there. When you factor in places that do really want to welcome tourists and tourism can really help the countries, I would say that flying there is a trade off, especially if what you’re going to be doing in the country is going to be very sustainable and helpful. I would never say I don’t fly, but what I try and do is I will fly somewhere and then I will only travel over land. So I very rarely take domestic flights or flights that are easy to take. It’s about focusing on what you’re doing while you’re there at the same time I think.

[00:10:29] Kim: The best way to explore our national parks is to book with AAA Travel for a guided tour. Experience these natural wonders without the stress of planning or worrying about logistics. The guided tour, you enjoy expert knowledge, access to hidden gems, and no need to worry about directions, parking or permits. Plus, tour guides are trained in safety protocols and are the best way to visit our national treasures while minimizing environmental impact. Our tour experts help reduce the strain on natural resources and ensure that the parks remain healthy and vibrant for future generations. Visit AAA.com/TravelAdvisor to start your adventure today.

[00:11:11] Kim: I wanted to switch gears a bit and talk about hotels and travel companies, because I think there are a lot of hotels that market themselves as eco-friendly, but not all of them are necessarily doing the work. So what are some signs that a hotel is doing the work? And I know that people talk about this term of greenwashing.

[00:11:33] Claire: Yeah, absolutely. So greenwashing is when somewhere like a brand or a company, it can be any company in any industry, says it’s sustainable, but doesn’t really show receipts. So they’ll maybe do be doing one or two things, but not really enough to actually be classed as sustainable. So it’s If you’re going to a hotel and they have that little, like a lot of places have a little sign in the bathroom now saying, we care about the planet, leave your towels here and we won’t replace them every day. And I always see that and I think, why are people replacing their towels every day? I mean, just to mention Sri Lanka again, I went to one of the hotels that we stayed at, it was called Jetwing, and it’s a Sri Lankan-owned hotel brand. And I’ve never seen a hotel so sustainable in my life. They took us on a tour around the complex, and they had solar panels, they had their own garden where they grew their own vegetables and herbs and things which they use a lot in their cooking. They had a water purification station where they then bottled glass bottles to be used instead of plastic bottles in the rooms. They took us around this tour, and they showed us all of this amazing stuff and I was like, wow, this is a genuinely sustainable hotel. I wouldn’t say it necessarily has to be just, it has to that that much because that was a really good example, but if somewhere is saying they’re sustainable and then they’re providing plastic cups for water, then it’s kind of like, are you really? So they’ll probably have a section on their website where they actually give you proper facts and figures, a proper breakdown of things that they’re doing. If they’re really committed to sustainability, then they will have these figures, and they will be able to show them. So yeah, I’d say it’s just about doing a little bit of digging and seeing what you can find.

[00:13:26] Kim: And I know that you’ve also had meaningful experiences in home stays and working with local guides.

[00:13:32] Claire: Yeah, so something I’ve started doing a lot in the last few years, and it is also when I’ve had a bit more money to be able to spend more money on these things, so I do recognize that people who are just starting out traveling might not be able to have this as an extra expense. But what I’ve really loved starting doing is hiring local guides. So whenever I go to a city, I usually hire a guide now. And that’s great because they’re nearly always local businesses. Often it will be the guide on will be running their own company. So the income will go directly to them. And it gives me so much information. It really teaches me about somewhere. But you know, it directly gives them an income and supports the local economy. So yeah, I am pretty passionate about hiring local guides, and I always find it just gives me such a great perspective of the place. But yeah, homestays as well, my partner and I love homestay. And we wish there was sort of a better way to access them, because sometimes you can find them on on various pages, and sometimes people can set you up but found them harder to find, but whenever I can find, them they are amazing and you can get some really great ones where you can have dinner with people.

[00:14:48] Kim: Yeah, I love that. Do you have any other tips of ways that travelers can ensure that their money is going back into the local economy?

[00:14:58] Claire: So there is economic leakage, I think is the correct term, is when the money that you spend actually goes more to people outside the country than people inside the country. So again, it’s back to those local businesses. This brand Jetwing Hotels in Sri Lanka, they are completely Sri Lankan owned business. And at the moment they just operate in Sri Lanka. Basically always a good idea I think to find out who the owner and the CEO of a company is. And I’m not saying never use foreign-owned companies, because we all do, but also looking at things like how many locals they employ. That’s a big one. So if it’s a big hotel and they provide a lot of local job opportunities, then that can be beneficial as well. But definitely, if there’s a chance to go with a local company, then definitely it’s always a good idea to choose that. And food-wise, it’s easier obviously to find locally owned restaurants and things and they’re always, I mean this is usually the tastiest food anyway and the most authentic. I think that’s also part of the reason why a lot of people don’t try to be a bit more sustainable, because a lot of people think it is all, or nothing and it’s really not.

[00:16:12] Kim: What would be your advice for any person, any traveler who’s new to all of this? What is one small change that they can make to travel more sustainably, but that maybe won’t be as overwhelming or won’t make them feel guilty?

[00:16:26] Claire: Try and go for a local hotel or any hotel that employs local people instead. I’d say that’s a good thing to start with. Talking about eco travel, so the more environmental side of sustainable travel, I would also say that a good way to start would be to just look at trains a bit more. If you want to go from Paris to Nice, let’s say, you can do that in a few hours by train and the French trains are really good. So I’d say that’s a good thing as well to look at is just look at some other options for getting places rather than automatically going for a flight.

[00:17:05] Kim: The best things that I love about using the trains in Europe specifically is that if you’re going from an airport to an airport, you have to figure out, okay, now I might need to take a bus to get from the airport to the city center. But what I love about traveling by train in Europe is that most of the train centers are right downtown or they’re in a central location, and so you’re going from a central location in one city in one country to another central location. So you’ve said that your golden rule while traveling is leave it better than you found it. Can you give us some real world examples of what that looks like during a trip?

[00:17:42] Claire: A very visual example would be, if I go to a beach and I see some rubbish on the beach, I try and pick it up and I try to do like a mini beach clean. So that’s a very visual example. But also just trying to meet people and trying to have as pleasant conversations. Like I said to you earlier, when I travel Bali to London, just experiencing the kindness of people towards me and I just want to kind of give as much of that kindness back to people as well.

[00:18:12] Kim: So for anybody who is new and say they’re planning their next trip right now, and they want to apply some of these principles, where do you recommend they start? If you have any helpful resources or tools or tips or anything like that.

[00:18:28] Claire: Absolutely. So if you want to start looking at how you can travel without flying a bit more, then I really recommend The Man in Seat Sixty-One. So this is a website that focuses largely on trains, but he’s also expanded a bit to cover buses and ferries now. And he has some great guides that you can, that tell you how to get from A to B without flying, and they’re very honest and very factual. Somewhere it’s going to take a long time, he’ll tell you. So that’s a great resource, definitely. The social sustainability kind of things, I’d say the best experience you’re going to get is just booking somewhere, getting out somewhere and asking local people for advice. And I don’t necessarily mean, you know, I don’t necessarily mean just asking random people that you walk across on the street, but booking a hotel and going down to the reception and saying what advice do you recommend, what local places can you recommend, is there anywhere that you think is too busy? That kind of thing. Or a great resource that I think is very underused is tourist information offices. So I love a tourist information office, and you can go in and there’s usually really helpful people there and it is literally their job to tell you about it, and you could say I’m trying to use more local businesses where do you recommend, and honestly they are everywhere I’ve been. There’s been a mind of information, and usually they will be English-speaking, and they’ve usually got maps and things. So yeah, that’s definitely my, I would say, my first port of call in some way particular.

[00:20:10] Kim: I just want to throw this out there for anyone who might be thinking about this. And thinking how they can begin to incorporate traveling sustainably. And this is something I’m thinking about as well, because I want to start really thinking, being active about it in my own travels is I know we talked a lot about Europe and the UK and train travel there, but North America also has a lot of really great trains and a lot of ways to get around by train. In the US, we have it. I know Canada also has some really great trains and Mexico as well. So Claire, yeah, everything that you’ve said has been amazing. And I know that I’m walking away with a lot of knowledge. Where can we find you?

[00:20:48] Claire: So I post the most on YouTube, and that is my main focus at the moment is I post a lot of overland videos. So I do a few like overland challenges and things like that including very long ferry journeys, very long sleeper train journeys but I also do post about sustainable travel and responsible travel learning about cultures, learning about communities. And I’m just finishing my Sri Lanka series at the moment, and that focuses a lot on that as well. So my YouTube is Claire’s Footsteps. And then I am also on Instagram and TikTok, which are both @Claire’s Footsteps and I’m also on Clairesfootsteps.com. So I’m across the spectrum.

[00:21:27] Kim: That is so awesome. Well, Claire, thank you so much. I feel like I’ve learned a lot. I’m sure everyone who’s listening has also learned a lot as well. This has been very helpful. Thank you so much. A huge thank you to Claire for reminding us that sustainable travel doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It’s about doing what you can, learning along the way, and staying mindful of how we move through the world. This episode wraps up the travel series for season two, and I just want to say how grateful I am that you joined me on this journey in exploring how to bring more adventure, connection, and sustainability into the way we travel. If this episode sparked any thoughts or inspired you in some way, please consider leaving a review or sharing it with a fellow traveler. We’ll see you next time on Merging Into Life. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of AAA Northeast, AAA, and or its affiliates.