I have been writing about ethical and responsible wildlife tourism for many years now to raise awareness about the many conservation issues involved in the industry and to help travellers avoid unethical and abusive wildlife tourism operators. But it is time to take that next step and not just write about the issues, but to actually help to make a physical change in the industry too. This is why Bemused Backpacker is proud to announce our new service, the Wildlife Tourism Consultation and Audit, in partnership with Global Spirit!
Blog Archives
Responsible Wild Bear Watching In Slovakia.
Bear watching in Slovakia with Adventoura Slovakia is the ultimate responsible wildlife adventure! Slovakia has over 700 wild brown bears roaming free in the mountains and I couldn’t pass up the chance to spot a wild bear on a bear tracking trip. Especially when I heard how the adventure tour company adhered to responsible best practices in wildlife tourism.
Tagged with: Adventoura Slovakia, Adventure Travel, bear, bear spotting, bear tracking, bear watching, Slovakia, travel, travel Slovakia, wildlife tourism, wildlife travel, wildlife watching
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
Gap Years, Overtourism, And How Travel Is Ruining The Destinations We Love.
Travel in general is a very positive thing, both for the traveller and for the destinations they visit, but what happens when the sheer level of tourism threatens the very places travellers love? What happens when overtourism becomes a burden to a destination? And what can travellers do to help solve the problem of overtourism?
Making Positive Tourism Count In Lalibela.
Lalibela is a small town in northern Ethiopia that despite being a significant pilgrimage site for Coptic Christians and a UNESCO world heritage site, has yet to be hit by mass tourism. But as travellers wake up to the beauty of this region and start arriving in larger numbers, the local population are already taking steps to make sure that any future influx of tourism has a balanced, positive impact on the local population.
Bemused Backpacker Is Proud To Announce Our Partnership With Global Spirit.
Bemused Backpacker is proud to announce our new partnership with Global Spirit, the animals in tourism specialists!
Plastic Free Travel, Taking The Single Use Plastic Water Bottle Challenge.
This past month I have taken a plastic free travel challenge with Better Places Travel to reduce the amount of single use plastic water bottles I use when travelling by using refillable water bottles as much as possible, with the ultimate aim of going completely single use plastic bottle free. But it wasn’t as easy as I first thought. Did I succeed?
Tagged with: ban the bottle, Better Places travel, Better Places Travel Water Bottle Challenge, drinking water, drinking water when travelling, Grayl, Grayl water bottle, plastic pollution, responsible travel, single use plastic water bottle, single use plastic water bottle challenge, travel health, travel health and drinking water, water, Water To Go
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
Are Camel Safaris Responsible Or Ethical?
Camel treks and safaris are a popular tourist activity around the world, but is camel riding ethical or responsible? Is Camel trekking harmful to the animals and should travellers and backpackers be riding a camel at all on their gap years? It is time to ask if we can’t find a better, more ethical and responsible camel trekking practice, should we stop riding camels altogether?
Tagged with: are camel rides, are camel rides cruel?, are camel rides ethical?, are camel safaris ethical?, are camel safaris responsible?, camel riding cruelty, camel safari, camel trek, does it hurt camels to ride them, five freedoms, how much weight can a camel carry on its back, how to ride camels responsibly, is camel riding ethical?, is camel riding harmful?, is camel riding humane, is it okay to ride camels, peta camel rides, responsible gap year, responsible tourism, responsible wildlife tourism, wildlife conservation, wildlife exploitation, wildlife exploitation in tourism, wildlife tourism
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
The Benefits Of Local Tourism On Your Gap Year.
Local tourism is more than just the latest buzzword, it is a very real and tangible way of travelling that has a positive impact on not only the wider environment, but also the local people in the destinations we visit. Here are just a few reasons you should stay as local as possible on your travels.
Tagged with: Better Places travel, ethical travel, ethical travel companies, gap year voluntourism, how to make your gap year responsible, how to promote tourism in a small town, how to travel ethically, how to travel responsibly, how to travel sustainably, local tourism, orphanages in Cambodia, responsibilities of tourists, responsible gap year, responsible tourism, responsible tourism best practices, responsible tourist behaviour, responsible travel, responsible travel definition, responsible travel tips, sustainable travel, travel responsibly, volunteering on your gap year, ways to be a responsible tourist, what does local tourism mean, what is local tourism
Posted in Responsible Travel
Posted in Responsible Travel
Is Airbnb Unethical And Irresponsible?
Airbnb is now a staple fixture in any travellers accommodation choices, but is the company really as ethical or responsible as it says it is? Are travellers unwittingly contributing to unsustainable tourism practices by using Airbnb and helping to destroy the places they are visiting? With the company facing such a huge backlash, the question really needs to be asked should travellers be using Airbnb at all?
Tagged with: Airbnb, Airbnb legal challenges, anti tourism, anti tourism Europe, anti tourism marches, anti tourism Spain, is Airbnb ethical?, is Airbnb irresponsible?, mass tourism, overtourism, pros and cons of using Airbnb, should backpackers use Airbnb, should travellers use Airbnb, tourists go home
Posted in Responsible Travel, Travel Talk
Posted in Responsible Travel, Travel Talk
Hi, I'm Michael! I'm a former nurse turned published author and world travelling professional adventurer! I have spent over twenty years travelling over 100 countries and I want to inspire you to do the same! Want to know more about me? Just click here!
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