Thursday, February 14, 2008

Responsible Travel – The Ins and Outs

When going on vacation, you definitely want to make it the most exciting and invigorating experience, but you also wonder if you can take a trip that enhances conservation? Perhaps, most travelers are not going to clean up the tons of trash that may have accumulated at the foot of Mt. Everest or Mt. Fuji. Then, what’s the next choice?

First, it’s important to make a healthy contribution to the biodiversity, the wilderness and the world. As travelers you must respect the foreign culture and traditions, and encourage greater interaction between the tourist and the host. Finally, you should contribute to the host community in economic terms

Whether traveling for leisure, business or adventure, responsible travel suits everyone. It’s just making a difference to some of the bigger issues affecting our environment. Just because you are on vacation, doesn’t mean that you can’t contribute to making the world a better place!

Many of the choices that people make contribute to global warming. Air travel is a source of carbon dioxide emission. But in our fast paced lives, dare we imagine a life without air planes! So, how do you minimize the impact? Luckily, there is an answer, which lies in reducing the flying hours.

On a holiday, when you need to travel long routes and hours, you can opt for flights with fewer stopovers. For instance, if you are flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok, the best thing to do, in this case, is to take a direct flight. But if it’s not available, you can hop into a flight with maybe one or two layovers. This means fewer take-offs and landings, when the emission levels are the highest.

Responsible travel is also about taking you closer to the local culture and environment. Involve the local people in your travels and win their trust. This has the most enriching advantages of all. That is, you’re an American and you’re going to Bangkok as a responsible tourist.

You’ll agree that a local guide is always the best person to introduce you to the local culture and customs. Then, instead of hiring an expert guide, isn’t it possible to take help from a local person? Exploring Phuket, Chiang Mai or Koh Samui with local guides is more rewarding than blindly following an expert. They are the best people to open your eyes to the lifestyle in those villages nestled along the Mekong River. The up-side for us is that it will bring genuine experiences and a real taste of the foreign culture and for the locals, it generates the much needed income.

By learning from the locals, you get more out of your travels, and give back to the places and cultures you explore. This is possible when you travel in smaller groups, which makes it easier to access the local areas. All responsible travelers will agree that they prefer to be a part of a small group rather than being part of a huge flock.

What's more, it needs to be understood that it’s essential to let some cultural experiences remain private, if required. Never to intrude the secrecy of rituals those are considered sacred and solemn. After all, only respect begets respect.

Furthermore, responsible travel is about rediscovering the true spirit of nature. When you visit parks and nature reserves, you should be resolved to not leave anything beyond, not even our footprints. These places are not to be littered with physical evidence such as plastic or other indestructible waste.

When on vacation, bringing back memories from your vacation such as souvenirs and keepsakes is part of the fun. A responsible traveler will always prefer local products over imported goods. When shopping, take time out to find out where the product is from. This way, one contributes to the local economy and allows it to flourish.

It’s only through experiences that we grow as individuals. It is important to value the diversity of people, cultures and environments, which we explore, thus to conserve our incredible worldwide diversity.

Indian Tour & Travel


The world’s leading travel and Tourism Journal, "Conde Nast Traveler", ranked India amongst top 4 preferred holiday destinations in the world! There are number of factors responsible for the growth of Indian tourism at global level. India is a peaceful country without any political disturbance except for few destinations where a tourist is required to get special permission from local authority to enter into that area. The country has a federal structure with elected Governments in States. There are 28 states and 7 Union Territories administered directly by the Central Government. There is healthy competition of tour packages among all the states to attract the tourists from all over the world for speedy economic growth and employment generation. Not only this Ministry of Tourism and Culture has recently launched a campaign called ‘Incredible India!’ in order to encourage different types of tourism in India.

Types of Indian Tourism
All types of tourism in India projecting India as the ultimate tourist spot. The reason why India has been doing well in all types of tourism is that India is a multilingual, multicultural and multireligious with tremendous geographical diversity, hospitality, uniqueness and charm. The different types of tourism in India are as follows:

Religious or Pilgrimage Tourism
India is famous for its temples and that is the reason that among the different kinds of tourism in India, pilgrimage tourism is increasing most rapidly. Narayan Sarovar, Sudamas Porbandar, Kabirvad Shuklatirth, Kayavarohan, Bhadrakali, Haridwar, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Varanasi, Gangotri and Yamunotri, Rishikesh, Shamlaji, Bodh Gaya, Ajmer, are important pilgrimage destinations which have kept alive the religious sentiments of the people where lakhs of pilgrims from all over the world make their religious tourism every year.

Archaeological Tourism
There are a number of places of archaeological importance which can be broadly classified as Stone Age, Indus Valley, Neolithic-Chalcolithic, Megalithic-Early Historic and Late Historic periods. Famous archaeological sites of the Stone Age are abound in Peninsular India, more prominently at Pallavaram in Tamil Nadu, Hunsgi in Karnataka, Kuliana in Orissa, Didwana in Rajasthan, and Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh. The sites of Neolithic-Chalcolithic Age are Inamgaon, Walki, Navdatoli, Ahar, Balathal, Gilund, Budhihal, Sangankalur, Maski, Brahmagiri, Utnur, Golbai, Pandu-Rajar-Dhibi, Chirand and Burzoham etc. Famous sites of Indus Valley Civilisation are Indus and Ghaggar river valleys, Kutch and Saurashtra, Dholavira, Kalibangan, Lothal, Surkotda and Rakhigari. Famous sites of Megalithic Phase are Brahmagiri, Maski and Rajan Kalur, Bhagimari, Gadabas etc. Excavations at Kosambi, Saranath, Hastinapura, Vaishali, Rajgir and Bodh Gaya, Chandraketugarh, Sisupalgarh etc. have revealed fortified cities dating back to this period. Famous sites of Buddhist Phase are Sanchi, Saranath, Ajanta, Kaneheri, Amravati, Sanati and Lalitgiri. Sites of Jainism Phase are Khandagiri-Udayagiri, Mathura. Some Islamic Archaeological sites are Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Hyderabad, northern Karnataka, Aurangabad, and Bhopal.