The Thoughtful Traveller

Conserving environments and cultures takes a united front

 

The Thoughtful Traveller booklet
Conserving environments and cultures requires a united front with our industry partners, travellers, guides and staff.

In 2000 our parent company, World Expeditions, developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018 The Thoughtful Traveller booklet was launched, which is an easy-to-read document that empowers travellers with suggestions about how they can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when they travel.

On 14 March 2018, we gathered a panel of experts in our Sydney office to address responsible travel topics including: ethical voluntourism, working conditions for porters in Nepal, voluntourism and why travellers should think twice before visiting an orphanage overseas. Following a question and answer style format, the panellists took questions from the audience, as well as from a survey we ran to collect questions from those who couldn’t make the Sydney event, to help educate, inform and highlight the importance of travelling responsibly. Responsible Travel has always been at the forefront of World Expeditions' travel philosophy since we began walking holidays back in 1975. If you're passionate about matters such as conserving the environment, animal welfare or preserving the culture of local communities you should watch this important discussion. ____________________ The panellists: Environmental sustainability | Tom Schroder, South Pole: Do travellers have a role to play in slowing down the impact of Global Warming? Child- safe tourism | Leigh Mathews, ReThink Orphanages: Why do well-meaning Australian travellers need to think twice about supporting or visiting an orphanage? Animal friendly tourism | Ben Pearson, World Animal Protection: Why should travellers protect the welfare of vulnerable animals used in the tourism industry? Equity and rights for overseas tourism staff | Tim Macartney-Snape, two-time Mount Everest summiteer: Whether your aiming for the summit of Mount Everest or simply Everest Base Camp, it is all made possible because of mountain porters. How can travellers ensure that mountain porters’ working conditions are suitable? Voluntourism | Sue Badyari, World Expeditions: When is voluntourism mutually beneficial to travellers and the host community and when does it do more damage. Is there a future for this kind of tourism. Litter minimisation and management | Lisa Vitaris, 10 Pieces: Can we harness the collective power of travellers via a simple litter collection campaign to change the littering mentality of developing nations? Travel as a catalyst for peace | Gail Parsonage, International Institute for Peace through Tourism: Can travellers be ambassadors for global peace?

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