Responsible Travel Tips

Carla was chosen as one of TTG's Sustainable Travel Ambassadors and was invited to join other ambassadors on a trip to Crete hosted by Intrepid Travel and Avis Car Rental earlier in the year.

Over the past couple of months, Carla has enjoyed a series of educational online workshops and received expert guidance, helping us take steps within Murray Travel to help build a more responsible tourism industry

Slow down

Stop rushing and take time to explore where you are. This allows less travelling from location to location and allows you to spend time in the culture to explore and see more as well as contribute to the local economy. 

Support local

Eat local and buy local handcrafts at markets or street vendors. This is a great way to make a direct contribution to the local economy and know where your money is going, plus you get great gifts to remind you of your trip!

Take public transport

Hop on a bus or train, hire bicycles to explore off the beaten track, take a walking tour with a local guide and get under the skin of the destination. Alternatively, hire a car (bonus if it’s hybrid or electric!) and stop where you want to on your journey.

Speak to the locals!

Chat with the vendors in the market, your taxi driver, and the bar staff. It’s a great way to learn about where you are and they’re bound to have their own tips of places to visit to make your holiday even better!

HISTORY

Learn a bit about where you’re going, some of the culture and history, and try to learn a couple of handy words like ‘hello’, ‘please’, and ‘thank you’. This is a great way to help you speak with locals or visit the local museums and sites. 

PACKING

Pack at least a canvas bag and a water bottle. We all know how toxic plastic bags are for the environment, take a canvas bag and say no to plastic offered when out shopping. Depending on your hotel there may be resources for fresh water taps which is a great way to avoid buying a lot of plastic water bottles for around the pool or on your journey. Water bottles aren’t quite as convenient depending on water supplies but you can get water sterilisers or bottles with built-in filters.

TOILETRIES

Switch up your toiletries for more eco-friendly options like solid shampoo or conditioner bars, a bamboo toothbrush and decant liquids into smaller bottles. Invest in a reef-friendly sun cream. It’s important to protect our skin from the sun but some chemicals used can harm ocean life and deteriorate coral reefs. Look for an SPF that uses physical UVA and UVB filters like zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Many suncreams now have a symbol on the labels to make it easier.

Animal welfare

Say no to animal cruelty. Have responsible animal interactions – no touching, avoid photo opportunities, and excursions that crowd animals, and opt to see them in their natural habitats.