THE CONSCIOUS TRAVELER: 9 TIPS TO DO YOUR PART

Sandy beaches with clear blue water, breathtaking mountain views, or an indulgent night on the Las Vegas Strip. We all love to get away from the 9 to 5 to see new and exciting places, experience a different culture, and meet new people. After all, you’ve worked hard for your money and you deserve it right? The answer is YES!

But before you hop on the airplane, I encourage you to consider your travel's impact on the local population and the environment. Conscious Travel is becoming essential for all of us with more and more people traveling every year.

 What exactly does it mean to be a Conscious Traveler, you ask?

“Conscious Travel, or mindful travel, is a commitment to social, economic, and environmental sustainability. It involves being mindful of your actions and decisions in the place and community you visit and considering the impact and consequences of your travel choices. Conscious travel often involves researching the places and people you will visit, and the services you will use.” (Gemini AI)

“Conscious Travel is becoming essential for all of us with more and more people traveling every year.”

In this article, I will share 9 tips I have learned from my travels in South America and Mexico, which I hope will help you be a more mindful traveler on your next vacation.

With dwindling resources all over the world, it is important as guests in the place we are visiting to research and prepare as much as possible before arriving at our destination. We must leave as little of a “footprint” as possible at our destination when we leave, so visitors in the future can enjoy the sites as well.

TIP #1 – DO YOUR RESEARCH

The first thing is to research your destination before traveling. Learn something about the culture, customs, and history of the place you are visiting. I’m fairly certain that there is a Facebook group for just about every tiny corner of the earth, and they can be very helpful in taking the pulse of a country or city.

You can also find destination guidebooks and more specific information in online search engines. You don’t have to be an expert, but you can become familiar with a few things and

plan accordingly.

Tip #2 – GETTING AROUND

As a conscious traveler, walking or public transportation buses should always be our first choice. But choosing a taxi is sometimes the best option, such as a trip to the grocery store or an unfamiliar part of town. Of course for tours, a bus or van is usually a necessity.

One of the tips I practice is keeping screenshots of my frequent destinations from Google Maps on my phone. Take photos of the front of buildings where you are going. This includes where you are staying and places such as medical offices or the grocery store. Not all taxi drivers know the city as well as you might think, and not all have GPS. If you are in a taxi and your phone reception drops out, you can at least show something to the driver to help locate your destination. You don’t want to be sitting on the side of the road in the middle of a city and neither one of you knows how to get where you want to go, especially if there is a language barrier. Just remember to delete photos when they no longer apply. It may seem a little redundant, but that’s the point.

The vast majority of my experience with taxi drivers in Mexico and South America has been wonderful, some of them will even help you learn Spanish!

TIP #3 - LEARN SOME OF THE LANGUAGE

One of the best things you can do is learn the language. You don’t have to be fluent to communicate what you would like to say, it’s easy to learn some key phrases. And don’t be discouraged when you don’t know how to answer! This has been hard for me and I’m still learning. It’s been rough teaching this old dog new tricks, but I’m not giving up.

The point is that a little bit goes a long way and almost everyone is willing to help you. It will enrich your experience!

TIP #4 – PRACTICE SLOW TRAVEL

Being a “slow traveler” means staying in one place for at least a month, and some landlords will give you a lower rate if you commit to staying a little longer.  You can then use local transportation options for tours and day trips from there. Use city buses, collective taxis, or even tuk-tuks (moto-taxis) whenever possible. Again, walking is the best option whenever possible, and you get the benefit of exercise as a bonus.

TIP #5 - BUY LOCAL

Buy Local as much as possible. I cannot stress this enough. Gentrification is a problem in every country, and we can all do our part to put our tourism dollars into the hands of the native population. These are the people who need it the most. Try to get your souvenirs from local small-business owners and not at the airport, where you are not as likely to find locally produced handmade items.

TIP #6 - RENT LOCAL

Many indigenous people are being priced out of the housing market in city centers because of unethical landlords and Airbnb rents at inflated rates. While I’m sure tourists don’t mind the lower prices, they also may not realize the effect on the local population. Regulation is needed because this practice forces much of the local population to seek more affordable housing in the peripheries of the city or even in smaller towns on the outskirts. When this happens, many people are faced with fewer services in general as well as having to pay for round-trip transportation to get to work and back home.

Tip #7 - CONSERVE RESOURCES

Be mindful of the availability of resources in the area and try to leave as little a “footprint” as possible. Water is scarce in many places, and sometimes there are inadequate waste management systems. Try to burden the system as little as possible. Flushing the toilet only once or twice a day and taking showers every other day to save water, and using a filtered water bottle to reduce plastic usage are only some of the ways to be a conscious traveler. Another way to save water is using a bucket to catch the shower water until it gets warm, then use the water from the bucket to clean floors or even heat on the stove and use it for washing dishes.

TIP #8 – EMBRACE MINIMALISM

Don’t expect all the amenities to be there just like in your home country. Look for locally-owned cafés and restaurants instead of businesses owned by big corporations. People in other countries need many of the same things you may be looking for, and you can save money by buying these things locally at your destination. Try to think about what you have to have to survive and start from there. It doesn’t mean living in a tent in the woods, but it helps if you get in the frame of mind to use as little resources as you can. Every little bit helps.

TIP #9 – SUPPORT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Support local charities and food banks when possible. Many tourism businesses owned by larger entities fail to give anything back to the communities where they operate, and all the profits go to a corporate office somewhere else. Indigenous populations are struggling worldwide as wages are low and the cost of living is rising everywhere. Native people and their cultures are the main reason we travel as tourists because we get to see how other people live and learn about their histories and customs.

BONUS TIP

Don’t forget to have fun! Exploring different cultures and meeting new people from other countries is very rewarding. When we as humans travel to places we have never seen before, it broadens our understanding of the world we live in. Travel shows us that while there are many differences in cultures, most people want the same things. For a majority of people, this means the dignity of doing a good day’s work and being able to provide for their families.

There you have it!

I hope these 9 tips and other suggestions will help you in your conscious travels. I know how difficult it can be to adjust your way of life when you are used to things being a certain way. I have had to adjust my thinking and practices a few times while traveling the past 3 years, but sometimes change is good especially if it helps other people and the environment at the same time.

Please let me know of any conscious travel tips you have discovered in your travels that would be helpful to other people. I am still learning myself, and I am always willing to share what I know with others.

Jeffry Miller