Throughout many of my travels, I haven’t thought too much about how my visit impacts the locals. Sure, I realize that my tourist dollars can support villages and families, but I haven’t planned much around how to be an “agent of change,” as we talked about in my ENG 599 class. Just realizing the fact that I can really do something to change the economy and future in the places I travel to is really intriguing. Lately, I’ve been looking up some different eco-tourism tours around the globe. Have you heard of eco-tourism? Wikipedia describes it as “a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotourism) Umm… hello. How have I not thought of doing this before? I’m totally into the great outdoors, and traveling, and combining the two! How perfect is this for me!
I want to experience the places that people may not always see. I’m not usually too excited to visit all the big touristy sites; I’m happy seeing it, but I don’t need to take selfies in front of every landmark.
Random story: Recently in London for the first time, I wanted to check out Big Ben, just to see it. Plus, I was planning on seeing some other spots nearby, so I figured it was an easy enough stop on the underground. When I walked up the steps to street level, there were TONS of people just standing around. I knew it was going to be a popular area, with the London Eye and Parliament and Westminster nearby, but this was insane. I’m not big into crowds of people just milling around, so I decided I’d just walk across the bridge to get a bit away from the people and decide my plan of attack. About three quarters of the way across the bridge, I saw a girl trying to take a picture of herself facing the opposite way. I turned around to see what she was doing… and there it was. Big Ben. I pretty much walked directly underneath it, without noticing a thing. Oops. So, I really am a bit clueless when it comes to the big spots. My boyfriend and I took some pictures in this cute square in Paris before realizing it was the Louvre. We stumbled upon Notre Dame while strolling around, trying to get our bearings around our hotel. We’re not quite the “we need to go see this right now so we are walking straight there” types.
Okay… back to my point. So how have I never thought about ecotourism? In the few minutes I spent searching different ecotourism trips, I have found probably ten that I want to go on (I’ve put some of the links to interesting tours I’ve found below.) I love that you can support small families and organizations who are committed to protecting the earth, rather than those who are spending money trying to continue to expand our impact. Isn’t it part of our job, as travelers, to protect the places that we hold dear? For me, I want to see beautiful landscapes, and I want these landscapes to still be around when our children’s children are traveling the world. I don’t think it’s fair for me to have the funds and ability to travel, and leave the landscape worse for the wear. I’d be much happier knowing my money and time is going to help me gain a better cultural perspective, while leaving those I visit with a sense that other people in the world care about their livelihood, their culture, their villages. With sustainability a hot topic here in the United States and around the world, isn’t it important to support those who are helping keep the earth beautiful? From hiking, to biking, to kayaking, to volunteering at an elephant rehab center; there are trips that will suit any personal wish for your trip.
We listened to Rick Steves talk about Travel as a Political Act on Youtube, and while it’s long, it was really interesting. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXL3IrlslSs) He talked about seeing the world through another’s eyes, about getting different perspectives of the world when you are able to travel. You can see that there are other cultures, other dreams besides the ‘American Dream’. We listened to a TEDtalk by Sheikha Al Mayassa about “Globalizing the local, localizing the global,” where she talked about the cultural awakening in Qatar today, especially led by the women of the country. (http://www.ted.com/talks/sheikha_al_mayassa_globalizing_the_local_localizing_the_global)
The more we travel, the more we learn not only about the world around us, but also about ourselves. We realize our way is not always the best way, and that other cultures can teach us many valuable lessons.
Stay tuned… maybe within the next year I’ll be able to write about my own experiences with ecotourism! If you’ve been on any trips – self led or with a guide, let me know! I want to hear your experiences 🙂
Links to some eco-tourism trips that you should buy me! (Some of these are totally within price range and some of these… well… aren’t. At least not yet! But I can dream, right?)
Laos:
Green Discovery Laos | Outdoor adventure travel and eco-tourism
Costa Rica: http://www.greenwaytours.com//costaricavacation/Costa-Rica-ecotourism.html
Peru: http://elevatedestinations.com/itineraries/amazon-conservation-adventure/
South Africa: http://enkosiniecoexperience.com/SiyafundaBushExperience.htm
Borneo: http://www.nathab.com/asia-adventure-travel/the-natural-wonders-of-borneo/dates-fees/
Norway: http://www.naturetravels.co.uk/ski-touring-norway-husky-arctic-tg9xw1.htm
Keep in mind these are just a tiny, minuscule amount of the cool trips out there! I’m ready to go now now now!
Alyssa Hearts Traveling 
Ecotourism sounds quite interesting. I’ll bet you could create some links to ecotourism sites in your blog that would take a reader directly there so he or she could peruse a while and then return to your blog. Because your topic seems focused on ecotourism, I was a bit lost reading about the trip to France and London. I know it was an example you were using to illustrate a distaste in visiting the “regular” tourist destinations, but I bet the story could be developed into a really funny experience in traveling, a blog in and of itself, an anecdotal object lesson on “mapping” and how travelers map their routes.
I had a similar experience in Rome: Walking out of the subway station, wondering where the Colosseum was – and then looking up. I think collectively we can miss so much simply not by looking up – or just looking.
I tend to be as supportive as I’m financially able when visiting ancient historic sites that have low or no admission costs, offering what I can so that these sites can be preserved for others to enjoy. And ecotourism really does sound like a fantastic idea. I hope you can maintain your blog and share some of your adventures!
Hello Alyssa,
I think you made an interesting point about going to the big places and nearly missing all of the tourist attractions you set out to visit as compared to an eco-tourism trip. Your links to the eco-travel opportunities look intriguing! I have not done much research in regards to this type of traveling, but I can’t help but wonder if it won’t turn out to be a way of still bringing in tourism dollars, but making the visitor feel as if they have contributed in a “green” initiative. I ask out of curiosity and ignorance, really!
Kelly
Alyssa,
I adore that picture. It’s so unassuming, it’s the quintessential travel picture. My favorite pictures are taken when the person it totally acting natural. You and your boyfriend are captured in the relaxed state of enjoying discovery.
Ecotourism sounds like a great step to push off toward. I will be following you to see what you find out.
Rhea
Ecotourism sounds great! I look forward to reading what you discover.