Responsible living: conscious travel is an enriching experience
Every traveller can confirm that travelling is a mind-broadening experience. Discovering new cultures, meeting interesting people, experiencing new scents, colours, and flavours. What if your journey could be an even richer experience by making conscious and responsible choices? Let us guide you through the world of conscious travel.
Responsible travel
Even though travelling is a beautiful pursuit, it’s also increasingly surrounded by uncomfortable feelings, since it impacts our environment. Making more responsible choices often feels like certain things are no longer allowed, including flying. To us, responsible travel isn’t about what is no longer possible. Rather, it’s about the choices that make your journey even more beautiful and, at the same time, are good for the world around us.
These choices go beyond protecting nature and the climate. It also involves being good to the people you encounter while travelling. You don't just travel to take; you can also give back a lot to the people and places you visit.
But how do you travel responsibly? Let’s discuss some of the possibilities.
An ode to the train
How romantic is it to watch the landscapes glide by while listening to your favourite music and daydreaming out the window? You see so much more through the window of a train than through the window of a plane. Your journey begins as soon as the train leaves the station. And if you pass by a charming town or village, why not just get off at the next stop?
Although a flight holiday often starts out stressful - check-in, passport control, security check - a train journey is a lot more relaxing. Besides, with the train, you don't have to be there hours in advance and you often get off in the middle of the city centre, which means that within Europe, the train is often faster than the plane.
Exploring with a camper
For the same distance, a camper isn’t more climate friendly than the plane. However, we still see travelling by camper as a responsible choice. Because with a camper, you often stay closer to home. And because it’s easier to visit places off the beaten path with a camper. Places where your presence – and of course your expenditure – can have a positive impact on people.
Opt for responsible travel destinations
Many places around the world are heavily visited by tourists. Tourism can be good for social and economic development, but in these places, the environment and people often suffer from the hordes of travellers.
By choosing destinations away from the masses, you can truly contribute to the places you visit. Places where you feel welcomed as a tourist. The undiscovered spots.
How about the mountains of Montenegro or the countryside of Albania? Or the historic city of Torun in Poland? Perhaps a road trip through the Baltic States? An original way to choose an unexpected destination is by printing a map of Europe and finding some darts…
Responsible travel at SUITSUIT
For our collection shoots and social media content, we regularly travel. We often choose locations off the beaten path. We also choose small-scale B&B’s instead of large hotel chains, and by doing so, we support local entrepreneurs. And we visit small, authentic restaurants and shops. What does such an authentic journey look like? Discover it in our travel guides. For example, take a look at Puglia and Southeast England.
Furthermore, when we go on excursions or tours, we prefer to book them with a female entrepreneur, to support her. This aligns perfectly with our purpose: empowering women through travel. For example, in Namibia, we took a batik workshop at Penduka Village, a place that offers opportunities to female entrepreneurs. And for our travel guides, we often ask female locals to guide us.
As you can see, responsible travel can truly change your perspective on your trip. And that only enhances the special experiences that travelling brings us.