What if we could positively impact the people and places we visit… simply by changing the way we travel?
Responsible Travel: How to Travel Better
Every journey has an impact — on the people you meet, the cultures you experience, and the wild places you explore. Many destinations are fragile ecosystems and other people’s homes. As travelers, we have a responsibility to protect and respect them as if they were our own.
With more than a billion trips taken each year, this impact adds up for better or for worse. Responsible travel means making choices that create positive impacts for the places you visit and the people who live there, so every trip helps, not harms. By traveling responsibly, you can uplift local communities and conserve the planet’s natural and cultural wonders. Each new adventure isn’t just a chance to see the world — it’s an opportunity to make a difference.
10 Simple Ways to Travel Responsibly
Big change starts with small choices. Download our free list of Responsible Travel Tips to discover 10 simple ways to start making every trip count. Each action helps safeguard destinations, support communities, and make your travels more rewarding for everyone.
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Explore Responsible Travel in Action
Discover stories, insights, and practical examples that show what it means to travel responsibly. From ethical wildlife encounters to community-based tourism and overtourism management, these stories show what conscious travel looks like in action.
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Explore Tourism's Impact
Discover how your travels connect to broader sustainability challenges, and what responsible travel looks like in each area. Select an issue to learn more.
Nature & Wildlife
Understand how tourism affects the environment, habitats, and biodiversity.
Climate Change
Explore tourism’s carbon footprint and how the industry can take climate action.
People & Culture
See how travel influences local communities, heritage, and cultural exchange.
Overtourism
Discover how to manage visitor pressure and support more balanced travel.
How Your Travel Choices Add Up
If you…
Eat at local restaurants, stay at local hotels, and book with local guides
Turn off the lights, take shorter showers, and avoid single-use plastics
Pay entrance fees to visit national parks or protected natural areas
Participate in a cooking class, buy handmade crafts, or attend a local festival
Then you…
Support jobs and generate income for local community members
Conserve water and energy resources and keep destinations pristine
Fund the conservation of sensitive environments and native wildlife
Encourage the celebration of local culture and preservation of traditional skills
Start Traveling Responsibly
Calculate Your Footprint
Measure your travel emissions and see how small changes can make a big difference.
Explore Travel Resources
Browse free guides and checklists that make it easy to travel more responsibly.
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Be Part of the Travel Better Movement
Join a global community of travelers and tourism professionals rethinking how we explore the world. Get insider tips, free resources, and stories that inspire responsible travel and real impact.