Also when you travel it is important to limit your impact on the planet as much as possible. Below we give some eco tips that can help you travel in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. For these tips we also used fair tourism and ASEC (Asociación Ecuatoriana de Ecoturismo). Because even though it's not always easy when you're traveling, there are still a lot of little things you can do. It is these little things that help to reduce our impact on the planet. Of course our climate travel also helps!
Accommodation and restaurants
- Go Local! has already made the first move by choosing locally run accommodations of good quality. These accommodations are smaller scale, less touristy, use local products and materials and exude the local atmosphere. You will also be much more in touch with the locals.
- If you're not in the room, turn off the lights.
- Our destinations have dry periods. Adjust your water consumption here.
- More and more hotels offer their guests the opportunity to use towels and bedding for several days. Get involved and save many litres of soap and water!
- Use your own soap/shampoo as much as possible. This is in 'bulk packaging' and the touched soap you leave behind disappears in the trash.
- Leave your waste where it belongs and if there is separate waste make use of it!
- Try to turn the plastic bags off the shops. Reducing waste is not really popular in this part of the world, but the more travellers make this concept clear the sooner it also catches on here.
- Refill your water bottle as much as possible instead of buying a new bottle each time. Only about 10% of all plastic bottles are reused. Many soft drinks can also be found in small glass bottles, preferring this. For water it is always attractive to fill it either with the large 20 liter containers of hotel/restaurant or buy yourself a 5 liter bottle ($1.10) and fill your own small bottle.
- Avoid as much disposable material as plastic razorblades or day contact lenses
- Use as many rechargeable batteries (110v) as possible or alternatives such as solar or wind-up flashlight. For chemical waste there is no separate waste stream here and therefore better to take things like batteries back home.
Natural parks
- Always try to visit vulnerable nature reserves with a local guide. This guide can tell you all about the special flora and fauna that the area is rich and about the do's and don't's in the nature reserve.
- Never leave the paths: you don't trample the vulnerable nature and don't disturb the animals.
- Beware of fire in nature reserves (campfires are not forbidden).
- Why don't you go to a little less well-known nature park? There are no hordes of tourists, you can enjoy nature undisturbed and you relieve the busy tourist routes.
- Don't just buy souvenirs. There are a number of souvenirs forbidden to enter, such as shells and coral, hides, stuffed animals, etc. These souvenirs are forbidden and you can receive a hefty fine at customs.
- Leave insects and the flora and fauna where it grows so everyone can enjoy them.
- Keep walking on the trails as much as possible and don't start creating a new path yourself. Many paths are closed to livestock by fences. Close it again after passing.
- Avoid souvenirs made from the local fauna, such as the very cute boxes decorated with butterflies, spiders and insects. These are, mostly, caught in large numbers in the Amazon and not specially soaked as the sellers have come to believe.
- If there are no toilets, make sure you leave your stool at least 20cm deep and 50 metres from a water source.
- During snorkeling, the chance of burning is huge use than a t-shirt rather than extra sunscreen.
Go Local
Go Local! has included in his program a number of locations where you stay at the people's home. This way you will really get in touch with the locals, learn how they live and go home with unique experiences and special memories that will keep you going for the long time.
- Treat the locals with respect. Who wants to be treated purely as a tourist attraction and beautiful picture picture?
- Get to know and respect the local customs. Realize that other people have different time concepts and thought patterns.
- Be open to the opinion and way of thinking of the people you meet. You can learn from each other.
- Before you take a picture of someone, always ask permission in advance. If someone doesn't want to take a picture, respect it!
- Make as many local releases as possible during your vacation. By eating in local restaurants and buying local products/souvenirs, you have a unique holiday experience, as well as supporting the local economy.
- Try to make as much contact with the locals as possible. They like talking to you about where you come from, and you can learn how they live again. This way you get to know each other's culture, and you really feel like you're traveling!
- Instead of looking for that 'paradise on earth', think of it as an enrichment of your life to enter another world and be able to see it.
Your expenses
- Public transport, rather than private transport, is already a very good choice for transport, even if you decide to use taxis during your trip and the like it is always good to see if this is not possible together.
- Buy your daily items, such as snacks or drinks at local shops instead of in the hotel lobby or the big supermarkets.
- People tend to eat and drink things they know on holiday. Don't drink coca-cola (from glass bottle), but treat yourself to fresh fruit juices that are widely available in many tropical countries. These drinks are not only better, you also support the local industry with them.
- Avoid eating endangered species. For example, lobster is often caught undersized, and Spondylus shellfish is caught excessively and are endangered. Buy and eat locally sourced food, this is always better than food shipped from a far away which uses a lot more energy.
- Never give money to beggars: begging is often caused by tourism: because tourists started to give money to the locals, this became the way to make money. Children also often ask for money, pens or sweets. Because tourists give it to them, they no longer go to school, but they hang out on the streets begging. If you want to donate money or stuff, do so in a collective way, for example with the projects you visit.. A donation to a conservation project or a village you visit can also contribute to conservation and/or poverty reduction.
In addition to these comments/tips, we would like to let you know that enjoyment is the most important thing. Enjoy your adventure with respect for everyone.
Go Local! Travel