We’re aware that this may be preaching to the converted, as our travellers tend to be aware of the principles and practices of responsible tourism. However, as one of the main aims of this movement is to protect people, places and our planet for future generations, we also need to pass on this knowledge to our children and grandchildren. So, here are some of our tips for great family holidays, during which we can help young travellers learn about and love responsible travel as much as we do.
Explain the concept of host and guest
This is one of the keys to understanding a more responsible form of tourism. Some children may not have been introduced to the concept of, when we travel to another country, we are the guests of people who live there and so, don’t do unto others and all that. When you do introduce it, it can then help open up more complex subjects such as overtourism, former conflict areas, neocolonialism or, quite simply, how to respect local people’s needs and concerns. When you go to an all-inclusive resort or on a cruise ship for example, it’s trickier for young people to get to grips with those concepts.
Small trips can be responsible too
It’s the small things that can make a difference and there are ways to step away from mass tourism and show young people that travel can be done differently. Even on day or weekend trips. Start planting the seed of swapping theme parks for national parks, supermarket trips for farm shops and markets, swimming pools for wild swimming and zoos for rewilding or wildlife conservation parks.
Build up to a bigger trip
When you feel your children are old enough, taking on a slow and adventurous challenge will stay with them for life. Ideally not scar them! (that’s where we come in, to make sure we find the right one to suit). It may be tricky for them to reject two weeks around a pool in Spain for Asturian adventures in and around the Picos mountains. Or to swap dreams of Easter in Orlando for a centre-based walking holiday in Málaga instead. But it’s definitely worth the try. We have many family-specific tours, but it’s worth checking out our easy/moderate level walking or easy/moderate cycling holidays, to see if they appeal to all family members. We also have some superb family-friendly bike and boat holidays or you might want to combine two adventure holidays into one for the summer school holidays. Bigger adventure, small carbon footprint.
Travel by train for green and great family holidays
When you travel by train, you are open to very different experiences compared with flying or driving. People get on and off, landscapes and stories unfold, you speed up and slow down, you have time to relax and space to reflect. All of that en famille. When you travel by train in Europe, you also get a much greater sense of a country’s geography. In addition, you are shrinking your carbon footprint big time. And, in some cases, such as in Germany, your budget too, where under 14s travel for free. We appreciate that not everyone can travel by train, but if you do it once with your family, you’ll change the way children think about travel forever. Then, when they’re old enough, you can buy them an Interrail/Eurail Pass for Christmas. And meet them along their travels somewhere, with your own. For more information, see our blog on ways to get cheap train tickets, as well as all our other train blogs.
Take a step to somewhere culturally different
Introducing the young people in your life to folk from different traditions, language and lifestyles is the adventure of a lifetime. Yes, you can go to a five-star hotel in Vietnam, or a luxury resort in Morocco, but you can also go cycling and sleeping at homestays in the former, or trekking in the Sahara in the latter. Adventures like these are privately-guided at The Natural Adventure and so, if you think your children are old enough and ready to make the most of a very new culture, don’t hesitate to chat with our adventure specialists. And don’t let food fussiness put you off either. Travelling to new places is one of the best ways to instill a hunger for different foods as well as more adventures in young people.
Talk about the school t-rip-off
This is one where we can really make a difference, and yet it’s one of the slowest forms of tourism to wake up to sustainability. The dreaded school trip. Dreaded because they usually cost a fortune, the peer pressure to go is huge and most of them really don’t teach our kids anything. If only schools could tie in with local conservationists, national parks, walking groups or sustainable tourism providers, rather than mass tourism school trip companies, then things might change. But it’s rare, certainly in the state school system. However, if families start saying no to mass tourism in schools, and show that there are alternatives, schools will start to listen. As for ‘volunteering’ holidays in far flung places, when children get to more senior school years, don’t even start us. Here’s a good article from National Geographic on the subject, citing highly-respected players in the responsible tourism sector.
The school of good snapping
Holidays are a great time to discuss ideas around responsible photography. In everyday lives young people may be snapping pictures every few minutes to share on social media. However, on holiday, it’s an opportunity to teach them to hold back on their photography a bit. In an ideal world, you’d have a digital-free mindful holiday, of course, but that’s a bigger subject, and we recommend the Smartphone-free childhood movement for more details on that. In the meantime, take a look at our blog on responsible photography, share with your children and let’s build an awareness around creating visuals with values.
Tapping into the water issue
If you’re going to a country where water is restricted all year round because of climate or quality, it’s a good time to chat about water. Water access may be something that children take for granted and yet, on holiday, local people are sometimes deprived of water, while visitors get to swim in pools, play golf on green courses or have filtered water on tap. One of the most interesting facts about water for children to learn is that water is a human right. In the words of the UN, “Access to water and sanitation are recognized by the United Nations as human rights – fundamental to everyone’s health, dignity and prosperity.”
Teach your children to ski, sustainably
Downhill is a bit of a downer when it comes to sustainable tourism and so maybe it’s time to seek out a snowy alternative. On cross-country skiing trails it’s all about going slow in the snow, escaping chalet scenes, piste bashers and cable car queues. We have many winter sports adventures here, but the one that’s most suitable for families is our Finnish one. This is a centre-based natural adventure, packed with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and other adventures, all on the doorstep of where you are staying.
Work on your packing lists together
When you pack together, you travel responsibly together. Whether it’s eco-friendly sunscreen, reusable shopping bags, bottles or picnic boxes, getting your packing right is often the first step to teaching your children how to be a more responsible traveller. Another way to do this with your children is to show signs of conscious consumption before you travel and while you’re there. So, for example, you don’t need to restock all your wardrobes or buy a load of single-use plastic products before travelling. We also recommend packing a good old-fashioned map, in addition to using our digital tools, just to open up the world a little for your children.
Remove the language barrier
Without turning your holiday into a language class, encouraging your children to learn and use a few words in the local language is always a good thing. It not only shows respect for local people, but it also helps your young travellers step out of their comfort zone. Good communication is a win win while travelling, and it will always gain a happy response from hosts. There are simple ways to get your young people involved, such as sending them to the bakery for pastries, teaching them how to say, thank you, or have a nice day. For more information, see our blog, Responsible communication while travelling.
Wildlife no-nos
Time has moved on in tourism, thankfully, where holiday itineraries had zoos or marine parks on the top of their lists of family activities. SeaWorld, for example, ended its orca breeding and performance programme in 2016, after a lot of consumer pressure. However, wildlife is still used for entertainment purposes in many parts of the world, such as riding elephants, petting lion cubs or using snakes and monkeys for photographic purposes. The animals are rarely treated well, and are only used to make money. So, as much as your child may think they’re cute, reality may bite a little.
School’s out for the holidays, and we hope that this has been food for thought when it comes to teaching our younger generations about travel that’s a force for good. We will be leaving it in their hands, after all. For more thoughts on responsible tourism, you may enjoy some of our other blogs, such as What gives you the ick in travel?, What we mean by slow travel and Why woke wanderlust is winning at life. For any other information on travelling as a family, please don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists.
