7 Sustainable Travel Tips to Practice Regenerative Tourism on Your Next Trip
12/12/2024
The concept of regenerative tourism, or making the areas you visit better as you travel, is nothing new. But as the term has gained traction in recent years, it can leave travelers excited but unsure of how to best practice sustainable travel as they move through the world. Here are seven sustainable travel tips to get you inspired for regenerative travel on your next trip.
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7 Sustainable Travel Tips To Give Back to the Place You Visit
#1: Make your packing list regenerative
Regenerative tourism builds on a base of sustainability. Choose your packing items intentionally, stick to reusables for water bottles and cutlery, and opt for responsibly sourced clothing items when you can. Buying used gear can be a great way to save money and support sustainability at the same time. You don’t have to wait to travel to live a regenerative lifestyle.
#2: Get to know your destination
This is one of our best sustainable travel tips — before you lock your front door behind you, start diving into your destination. Go beyond where the nearest supermarket is to your hotel and really learn about the culture and indigenous groups that call your destination home. A good place to start is Native Land Digital, an interactive map that can help you identify the homelands of indigenous tribes as you journey around the world.
#3: Shop local for souvenirs and dining
Your money has power in small frequently-toured communities. It may be quicker and easier to grab a bite at a big chain when you’re on the go, but as a tourist, you can do more with your dollars. Seek out locally owned eateries, and browse shops on the local main street rather than in strip malls.
#4: Take the initiative with tours
Seek out tour opportunities that do more than just introduce visitors to a place. Maybe you take a Sun Tour in Glacier National Park and learn more about native culture in the area while supporting a business owned by Ed and his wife Toni, who are members of the Blackfeet and Assiniboine Sioux tribes. Or in Kauai, you might tour with Makana Charters and Tours, a native Hawaiian–owned business.
#5: Engage in citizen science
If you are interested in the natural world, your observations have the power to help scientists gather data. Apps and websites like eBird, iNaturalist, GLOBE Observer, and Project Noah let you get involved, no matter where in the world you are.
Sites like Zooniverse could help you learn about an area before you even visit, depending on which projects you contribute to. When you log data through one of these citizen science apps or websites, you can help researchers understand migration movements, ecology, changes, and behavior in ways that can have a big impact.
#6: Seek out voluntourism opportunities
This might mean signing up for a volunteer day with a local trails association when your travels take you backpacking in Yellowstone, or you might sign up for a beach cleanup in Kauai. Just be sure to do your due diligence and research when you look into opportunities to help out on your travels.
#7: Book lodging with intention
Your accommodation can be one of the biggest costs of your trip. That’s why it pays to find a place to stay that centers on the same values you’re embracing in your travels. Let your money do the most it can. Look for a lodging option that prioritizes regenerative tourism as well, and you can do good in more ways than one.
Starry Night Lodging places regenerative at the forefront of its properties in Butte, Glacier Country, Yellowstone, and Kauai. Find a place to stay, and travel with intention.
