The Great, Green Holiday: Is Your Trip Sustainable or Greenwashed?
It happens. It’s everywhere. It’s problematic. But just how destructive is greenwashing? And what does it mean for you and your travel choices?
Greenwashing is a tricky thing to pinpoint. It’s a specific brand of marketing, expertly created and curated to mask some of the worst environmental sins of the world’s largest corporations.
So, 1) how do we identify it? and 2) can we escape it?
Sustainable Travel Is Hard — So Why Bother?
Being sustainable while travelling is not always easy. From the moment you decide to plan a trip, you’re bombarded with information about ‘the best way’ to make better travel choices — presented in heavily edited, perfectly curated, bite-sized content that makes sustainable travel look simple and sexy. It’s understandable that as a travel-planner trying to be conscientious, you become frustrated, deflated, and feel as though your efforts are useless in comparison to shiny, glitzy media content.
Oh, The Places They’ll Go: How the Wealthy Travel and Who Pays
In the shadow of the recent Bezos nuptials, and as a massive middle finger to the newlyweds and every one of their guests, it felt like the opportune time to write about the travel habits of the rich and famous, and highlight that it is us, their consumers and audiences, that pay the price for their opulent tourism.
What the Fuck Is Conscientious Travel?
I feel guilt when I travel.
I live a privileged existence — not as much as some, but far more than most.
I am white. By birth, I have passports from not one wealthy country but two. I have had access to primary and further education. I earn an alright amount of money and have disposable income. I am cis-het or straight — and am rarely mistaken for anything but that. I have been told that I am pretty. I have a man’s name, and not just any man’s name, the most mediocre-khaki-trousers-wearing-takes-shirtless-selfies-in-the-gym-works-in-sales-white-man’s name, Kyle. All qualities that, on the global social hierarchy, puts me firmly in a position of privilege.
When I travel, the world is, for the most part, my oyster.
Travel by Music - Vol. 5 - France
Two of the greatest pleasures in life are travel and music. As we make our way through a world that, at least at the moment, feels increasingly manic and troubled, more of us are searching for escape routes, with many of us turning to travel – be it for a short city break or a permanent change of scene. Whatever the reason for travel, it can be an experience that sparks joy and wonder.
Travel by Music - Vol. 4 - Japan
Two of the greatest pleasures in life are travel and music. As we make our way through a world that, at least at the moment, feels increasingly manic and troubled, more of us are searching for escape routes, with many of us turning to travel – be it for a short city break or a permanent change of scene. Whatever the reason for travel, it can be an experience that sparks joy and wonder.
Travel by Music - Vol. 3 - Peru
Two of the greatest pleasures in life are travel and music. As we make our way through a world that, at least at the moment, feels increasingly manic and troubled, more of us are searching for escape routes, with many of us turning to travel – be it for a short city break or a permanent change of scene. Whatever the reason for travel, it can be an experience that sparks joy and wonder.
Touring with Death and Danger: Exploring the World through Dark and Morbid Tourism
‘Where do they keep them now?’
It was common enough to get absurd, borderline offensive questions in my line of work as a tour guide in Berlin. But this question asked by a young South Korean woman to one of my colleagues would go down in Berlin tour guide history. Over a decade later, it still comes up when any of us former guides get together and reminisce about the complexities, joys, and difficulties of educating hoards of holidaying tourists about the horrors of Germany’s 20th century activities.
Travel by Music - Vol. 2 - New Zealand
Two of the greatest pleasures in life are travel and music. As we make our way through a world that, at least at the moment, feels increasingly manic and troubled, more of us are searching for escape routes, with many of us turning to travel – be it for a short city break or a permanent change of scene. Whatever the reason for travel, it can be an experience that sparks joy and wonder.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
In a world full of travel and fast-changing trends, it is no wonder the accommodation options presented to tourists seem endless. There is no shortage of sleeping location potential and it ranges from your bog standard classics like hotels, hostels, and Airbnbs (the last one being a bit contentious for more eco-friendly travellers, see alternative here), to the unique, original, mesmerising, and downright bizarre.
Travel by Music - Vol. 1: Scotland
Two of the greatest pleasures in life are travel and music. As we make our way through a world that, at least at the moment, feels increasingly manic and troubled, more of us are searching for escape routes, with many of us turning to travel – be it for a short city break or a permanent change of scene. Whatever the reason for travel, it can be an experience that sparks joy and wonder.
Why Your Travel Choices Matter
It’s easy to get overwhelmed while trying to be both a global traveller and a decent human. We are constantly bombarded with information about the best and worst ways to be sustainable and conscientious. It feels as if we are constantly told that we are horrible people who want the planet to burn if we don’t use this travel website that plants a tree for every trip booked; this travel insurance that is feeding 13 villages in Africa; this shampoo bar that is made of only the finest ethically sourced olive, hemp, lemon-grass, and CBD oils; or this hotel that is single-handedly saving the sea turtles by employing them to run the front desk - the guilt-inducing list is infinite.
Booking Travel in 2025: What Can We Expect?
In the UK, where I’m writing from at the moment, the days are still wet, cold, and very much a daily reminder that we are still in the grips of winter. However, the greyish light turns darker just that little bit later each night and we’re beginning to see the first wee inklings that spring is near. Spring brings with it not just longer days and warmer weather, but also the unofficial start of travel season in Europe which tends to kick into full gear around Easter. So what can you expect when booking your trips this year?
Sustainability Is the New Sexy
It’s Valentine’s Day. Whether you think it’s the most romantic day of the year or a complete joke, it doesn’t change the fact that the number of couples booking steamy weekend getaways increases this time of year. For those who are attempting to be more eco-conscientious and sustainable, a short romantic trip can come with serious eco-guilt. So, how do you enjoy time away with a partner in a way that will cause as little damage to the environment as possible while still being a fun, relaxing break?
I’m Not a Tourist. I’m a Traveller.
Over-tourism: If We’re The Problem, Can We Be The Solution?
Here we go again. It’s the depths of winter and the holiday festivities are behind us. It is freezing cold. It is dark at 4pm. We have 37,000 emails to respond to which we have collectively vowed to ignore. So, we begin to daydream about our next holiday.
But What Does It Mean? Breaking Down Travel Slang for 2024
If you read the first part of the title in the style of that Jennifer Lawrence meme then we can definitely be friends and this is definitely the sustainable travel blog for you. If you have no idea what that means go ahead and look it up, then come back. I think it really sets the right tone so I’ll wait for you here.
7 Eco-Friendly Things to Pack
The travel industry is booming and future growth is projected within the tourism industry, according to a study published by Statista. In a post-Covid world, I think it would be fair to say that we’re all thankful to be travelling again. However, for those of us who are trying to be more eco-friendly this can present a bit of a dilemma.
Eco-Booking: The Future of Travel
Travel is obviously here to stay. Earth, on the other hand, may not be. There is no doubt in my mind that if we, as a species, don’t start to make changes to how we treat our planet, we may not have a planet left to explore. I know it can be overwhelming to sift through a seemingly endless number of travel booking websites, many of which greenwash how sustainable they are, in our attempt to be more conscientious while planning our holidays.
10 Simple Selfie Rules to Not Look Like a Dick
Selfies. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I absolutely loathe them. Almost a decade of guiding tourists around some of the world’s most beautiful, historically important, and sacred places is the reason for my abhorrence; I’m sad to say that I’ve seen the worst of our species in this one little act.