Complete Holiday Guide

Whether you’re looking for relaxation and recovery or for exploration and adventure, holidays should be stress free.  But as we become increasingly aware of our impact on the world around us, the affect that our holidays have on the environment and local community can be a source of grave concern.  Many communities thrive on tourism, but many are destroyed by it, and valuable natural and social resources can be irrepairably damaged by clumsy projects looking just at the next foreign dollar.

This is where ecotourism comes in, also known as responsible travel.  By sourcing your holidays from trustworthy suppliers of ecotourism, you can relax and enjoy your holiday with the assurance that you are benefiting the area that you are visiting, and making local lives better.  Many ecotourism firms will donate proceeds to local or international charities and organisations dedicated to preserving the treatures you are seeing.

One supplier that has had great success in this area is ResponsibleTravel.com, who have somehow managed to show that ecotourism doesn’t have to be costly  - it can be cheap.  They list and aggregate a large number of eco-friendly responsible tours and trips from around the world - ranging from Amazon adventures to carbon-footprint-saving domestic trips.  Whether you’re looking for a beach holiday or an extreme cultural experience, you’ll almost definitely find what you need.

Another similar company is Intrepid Travel, who aim to provide genuine adventure off the beaten track.  Their holidays all use local accomodation and transport, and the Intrepid Foundation supports regional development and aid projects.

So before you book your next trip, have a think about your impact on the local community.  And if you decide that you can relax all the better knowing that you are doing good rather than harm, try some ecotourism!