Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the idea of sustainable travel.
It's no secret that I love to travel.
So much knowledge and perspective can be gained by exploring new places and cultures.
But how does our own pleasure and growth compare to the impact that traveling has on the communities we visit?
I've come across a few articles lately that discuss this topic.
I thought this paragraph did a good job of describing one aspect of the impact the tourist industry has on local people and developing communities:
"[T]tourism growth carries costs to the destination and to people living in places that are attractive to tourists. Tourism is a highly consumptive sector, drawing large quantities of electricity and water and generating significant volumes of waste. The sector is also a fairly poor employer, with working conditions characterized by low pay, long hours, gender inequality and a strong dependency on casual (non permanent) labour."
(See the full article here.)
After contemplating this idea for a while, I came across this blog post which simply pointed out that "sustainability" means "the capacity to endure."
The Capacity to Endure! That, to me, is the essence of sustainable travel.
We travel to see beautiful, fascinating, intriguing places...to learn from the culture...revel in the beauty of nature....and stand in awe of the world we live.
But if we take from these places we visit, they will eventually cease to exist.
While traveling, we need to make choices that ensure these places endure for those who wish to travel there in the future and for the people who call them home.
