Dos & Don’ts

1. Sustainable Tourism Alternatives

a) Travel in the Off-Season
b) Stay Outside the City Centre
c) Research Eco-Friendly Services in the Area

 
2. Go Green at Your Hotel:
Ask them not to change your sheets and towels every day. Similarly, turn off air conditioners, heaters, and other electronic gadgets when you go out

 
3. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint:
a) Take direct flights, as having several layovers in your trip increases your carbon footprints.
b) Other options, includes buying organic, local products from grocery stores and farmer’s markets.

4. Say NO to Illegal Trade:
a) Buy from local businesses so you circulate money in the local economy and create jobs for local people.

5. Support Sustainable Options in
Destinations wherever available.

6. Take Care of Heritage Places:

 
a) Don’t graffiti! Do you really need your name emblazoned on the walls or the caves or the sides of the mountain?
b) Do you absolutely have to take that picture of yourself on top of a monument especially when the signs say “NO”?
c) These monuments and artifacts are so old and fragile that they are sensitive to the touch of hands or bags and shoes, not to mention pens and the like.

7. Challenge Yourself to Step Outside Your Comfort Zone:

 
Often, we go on cushy guided tours and retreat to our hotels for meals. Instead, you should:
• Walk around, even if only in the streets closest to your hotel.
• Eat in local restaurants.
• Talk to the locals, even if it’s only with your taxi driver.
• Learn a few words in the local language and use it. You will surely get a smile from the hotel staff and street vendors.
• In other words, challenge yourself. Taking a step beyond your comfort zone each time you take a trip is worthwhile. You will be surprised at the rich treasures stored in your memory.

8. Support Community-Based Initiatives and Tourism

9. Respect the Practices of Local People:

 
a) Be discreet when people are praying in churches, mosques or temples, and if you choose to visit any of these places, wear appropriate clothing. In many countries, they won’t allow people in sleeveless tops and shorts to enter such sites.
b) On top of abiding by the dress code, be sure to respect the silence and the restrictions placed on these sites.
c) If you see a pile of shoes outside the entrance, take your own off too. Don’t be a doofus..think!

10. Use Reusable Bags:

 
a) Using a Tote bag while on the go is a simplest way to promote sustainable tourism. When you do this, you discourage the use of those plastic bags that fly all over many sites and foul up water and waste systems.
b) Please don’t give any gifts like pencils etc… to children or people on the way as it encourages begging instead If you really want to give, there are agencies you can donate to or where you can volunteer some of your time. This will
surely be an experience.