How do you really make meaningful changes when you travel? That’s what author Karen Edwards gets to the heart of in her pocket-sized guide, The Responsible Traveller. She shares her insights on how we can be more culturally and environmentally sensitive when we travel.
Karen Edwards has been exploring the deeper meaning of sustainable and responsible travel for several years. In her new book, The Responsible Traveller, she gives examples of how travelers can be more thoughtful towards both people and the environment when they travel.
Because it’s not just about being ‘green.’ While carbon emissions and eco-concerns are high up on the list, responsible travel is also about understanding the impact of tourism on communities, and how we can better respect and support them.
Many books talk about greener travel, but yours addresses social impact too. What motivated you towards that?
“There is a lot of talk a lot around the environmental impact, but there’s much less about the social impact and, simply through my own experiences, that was becoming more prominent in my mind. In reality, the two go hand-in-hand and it’s something we should be thinking about more—I wanted to bring both topics together in this book in an accessible way that people can dip in and out of.”
“Look for tangible qualities and detail in operator or agent’s sustainability policies before you book—you may see they’re doing specific things to help, rather than making generalised greenwashing statements.”
- Karen Edwards
Do you find it difficult to get the message across?
“I think people care and they want to make a difference, but it’s not always obvious how, especially when you’re not a regular traveler. The message is really about proposing ideas on how we can improve the way in which we travel. Sometimes, it might not be an immediate action, but maybe you will read something and it sticks in your mind. Then you’re somewhere and think, “I remember reading about this. Maybe I could do this a bit differently.
There are so many people who are interested in traveling more responsibly but it’s not easy when you perhaps only get one holiday a year as an escape, or you’re taking your family, and you don’t have the time to change habits.
But regular travelers who know they’re part of the system that contributes to both the carbon footprint and social impact typically have seen for themselves how tourism can change a place and have the opportunity to make changes.”
How do you reconcile responsible travel with flying?
“I think the current discussion places a huge pressure on people not to fly. But do we just full-stop flying? Then what? If you have time and/or money, you can plan well and travel slowly [by train, small boat or foot]. But a lot of people can’t do this, and the idea of this book is to give alternatives. We’re saying, if not flying isn’t the answer, which it won’t be for many people, there are other ways to travel better.
Having said that, if you’re a frequent flyer, perhaps fewer long-hauls and more time spent in a place might be the key to a more sustainable way of traveling. The idea is to get people thinking of what is best for them as an individual.”
How we behave when we’re away i.e. social impact—is something we can all do, though. Right?
“Yes. We know tourism has an effect on place, and sometimes that’s negative. But we know tourism can also be positive, and many communities depend on it for income. I don’t think taking it away is the answer—so what’s that middle ground?
Perhaps most important is to see the places we visit as someone’s home. Reading about who’s there and why before we go is a good place to start with this. Take the time to understand what’s happened in that country in the distant and recent past. It will make that experience so much richer because you understand the context for the place, the culture and the way of life.”
From there, we can do is gently keep making a positive mark as consumers. This might be to travel overland if time and funds allow, choose organizations that operate in an ethical way, for example. It’s not always easy to know what the right decision and sometimes, we’ll get it wrong, but choosing the agents and operators who genuinely care about their impact in the way they run things and who are trying to do better is key.
Look for tangible qualities and detail in operator or agent’s sustainability policies before you book—you may see they’re doing specific things to help, rather than making generalised greenwashing statements. I also always suggest people review places after they have visited on Google or other booking apps to say if a place didn’t live up to any claims, so others are aware of greenwashing.”
How can we get a better understanding of the social context of the places we travel to?
“A good starting point is to read about the history of the place you’re traveling to beforehand. I gain so much context from simply doing that research. It’s so important to understand the history, however unpleasant, and what people have been through, whether that’s war, colonisation or something else. When you visit, everything you experience will be through that lens of knowledge and the power of that understanding cannot be underestimated.”
“Before I photograph people, I tend to reverse the situation. Consider if that was taken in our own community, someone would say: ‘Why are you taking that photo?’”
- Karen Edwards
What about responsible travel when it comes to troubled countries?
“It’s not fair that local communities suffer because of a terrible government. But it’s something that takes research and it’s important to take the time to understand the current situation, especially when that situation is forever changing.
Obviously volatile situations should be carefully considered, but if you do choose to visit a troubled country, be conscious of where your money is going. Where possible, spend in a way that benefits local people and doesn’t go to the powers that may be at the root of that trouble. Again, research and understanding is key.”
When we take photos, how do we incorporate these learnings?
“For a start, get permission from whoever you’re photographing. Sometimes, you see something evocative, like a cute kid or a family singing, and you might want to take a photo.
But first ask yourself what are you trying to say with that picture? Is it genuine representation of the region or place? Is it teaching anyone anything? Because there’s also a chance you might be playing into preconceived ideas of what this community should look like.
Before I photograph people, I tend to reverse the situation. Consider if that was taken in our own community, someone would say: ‘Why are you taking that photo?’ Those values shouldn’t be any different elsewhere in the world.”
What about voluntourism? How does that fit into responsible travel?
“Whatever the project, voluntourism should be empowering communities, so people can help themselves—such as projects that teach skills or a trade that can then be grown within a community.
When I was backpacking, I met a lot of travelers teaching in schools and it didn’t occur to me that these were not qualified teachers who had been police-checked and had experience on how to educate young children. It’s great that people want to help but we have to rethink how we give back and do it safely and effectively.
As far as donations go, micro-finance models can work well. I have friends who returned to a place several times and got to know people. Eventually, they were asked if they might donate money for sewing machines because younger girls in the community wanted to start a business. These girls are now selling dresses and earning a living. Obviously, this was down to an established, trusted relationship, but shows that this micro-business funding model is much more tangible—you’re taking the reliance away and introducing empowerment.”
What did researching your book teach you?
“The book came out of making quite a lot of mistakes myself. That’s the key to responsible travel—you’re always learning.
I learned you can help in different ways. If the environmental aspect isn’t something you can address, then focus on social impact. Don’t look at a place as a ‘destination’ just to reap those rewards. Look at it as somewhere that is place of safety and security, a home, to the people there.
I also realized this subject and its solutions are never going to be straightforward. That we won’t get it perfectly right and sometimes it won’t be obvious that you’re making a difference—and that’s fine. Carrying a reusable water bottle and cutting down on single-use plastic won’t going to change the world overnight but it will help to shift the norm. Hopefully those small changes will encourage industry-wide care and development too.”
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Karen Edward’s book The Responsible Traveller: A practical guide to reducing your environmental and social impact, embracing sustainable tourism and travelling the world with a conscience is published by Summersdale. You can follow Karen Edwards on Twitter and Instagram.
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From stories about lemurs and the biodiversity crisis in Madagascar and London's South Asian food heritage to comment pieces on decolonizing and modernizing travel, Meera's bylines appear in publications such as BBC Travel, Lonely Planet, Condé Nast Traveller, Travel Weekly and, of course, Adventure.com. She is a senior editor at Adventure.com and based in London.
