3 keys to eco-travel you won’t hear elsewhere

THREE ECO-TRAVEL KEYS YOU WON’T HEAR ELSEWHERE

You’re here because you care about how your actions impact others. Especially those who are most vulnerable to climate change and other impacts of pollution—future generations, people in developing countries, people with disabilities, low income, social disadvantages, etc. You care. You want to be part of the solution.

There are plenty of people out there who want to exploit your caring nature to their advantage. Yes, there are. And lots of them have slick marketing campaigns designed to appeal to your better nature and fool you into thinking you are doing something to solve the world’s problems when really you are mostly just contributing to corporate profits. This is the world we live in.

So I am here to help you see past the eco-travel hype, go beyond “counting carbons,” and start planning vacations that make a real positive difference. Here are three key practices you will not hear from most companies selling eco-travel because it’s not so good for their bottom line.

Discover Your “Why”

This one might not seem all that controversial. But when I talk with you (especially in a one-on-one call) about discovering your “why,” I really want you to take that question deep and wide. Most travel companies have a preconceived set of ideas about the type of travel you might be interested in and these correspond with their product lines: adventure travel, family travel, tropical destinations, river cruises, etc. I want you to think bigger and dig deeper.

What is the real reason you need to travel? Not just some reason that travel appeals to you. What is it that you really need? You only have a short time on Earth. I will ask you questions that get to the heart of finding the connections you need to make in this lifetime.

Don’t Buy A Product. Build A Relationship

The places you might visit on vacation really are not commodities to be purchased and yet they are too often treated that way. These “destinations” really are part of an ecosystem—in fact, a network of ecosystems within our one megabiome of planet Earth. The places you may visit are living systems and need to be treated with honor and respect, just like anything that is alive.

So, when you are considering where to vacation, it’s really important to approach it like you would any serious relationship. Not just as a consumer trying to get as much value for your money as possible. But as someone who cares about the Earth’s living systems and wants to build relationships that honor and nurture life.

Travel Less

That’s right. One of the best things you can do for the planet is actually to undermine the whole vacation industry by traveling less. So, obviously you won’t normally hear this from travel companies. And you are hearing it from me because I really am a weirdo who cares more about the planet than I do about making money.

Traveling less could mean planning to go places that are closer to home. It could mean using slower transportation that just doesn’t take you as far in the same amount of time. It could mean that you only travel to places very far away when it’s really important, not just on a whim, and not just because you have the money. It could mean that you make some vacations into “staycations” and support your local community.

What Next?

So, there you have it. Three things you are not going to hear from other eco-travel companies, but you will hear it from me. I have been told that I can be very “confronting” and that what I say can be “strong medicine,” so I understand it’s not for everyone. But if you are sick of mainstream marketing and the mass delusions of the global capitalist system, shoot me an email. Let’s talk about how you can plan a vacation that makes a real and worthwhile contribution to healing the planet.