You’re faced with the choice of hiring a guide, or entering a national park on your own. Or maybe it’s the difference between buying handicrafts at a village store, or back in town where you don’t have to lug it so far back to your hotel. Then there’s the haggling at the market over the equivalent of 50 cents U.S.—does that mean more to you, or the merchant?

As with many financial issues, each dollar you spend on travel is a vote. You can vote for large corporations, or you can spend your travel dollars to support local nonprofit programs and businesses at your destination.

What difference does it make? When you stay in the walled compound of an all-inclusive resort chain, few of your dollars stay in the local economy. And the only locals you meet are often forced to follow corporate standards in how they interact with you. Stay down the street at a family-run guesthouse, and you’ll get a much better view of real life in your destination. Plus, the money you spend will go directly to the local people.

This is the concept behind a growing trend towards ethical travel, also known as responsible tourism. Some people assert that it is impossible to travel responsibly. To them, the use of resources for a luxury like pleasure travel is inherently irresponsible. However, others believe that travel broadens minds and facilitates understanding between cultures. Sustainabletourism.org states it simply: “tourism can benefit destinations by providing better livelihoods for residents, preserving the natural environment, and celebrating local culture. Tourism can even restore cherished cultural traditions and landscapes and enhance the quality of life in economically disadvantaged communities.”

ONLINE COMMUNITIES AND COALITIONS
Ethicaltraveler.com Ethical Traveler is a coalition that seeks to unite the voices (and pocketbooks) of travelers to promote a better world. Yes, it’s a grandiose goal, but made simpler through specific steps. Formed in 2002, the group’s first action was to support a tourism boycott of Nepal. For over 50 years, Nepal had allowed Tibetan refugees to pass through Nepal on their way to Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama in India. Suddenly, in mid-2003 Nepal began forcibly deporting the refugees back to China, where they were sure to face persecution. Ethical Traveler, working with human rights groups worldwide, led a boycott of tourism to Nepal until this violation of international law was stopped. Within a few weeks, the pressure on Nepal’s government resulted in a change of policy, and the boycott was called off. Ethical Traveler currently offers letter writing campaigns to stop overfishing in the Galapagos, and to protect the sacred footpath around Tibet’s Mount Kailash.

Tourismconcern.org.uk This British charity promotes “fair trade tourism,” which seeks to share more of the benefits of tourism with the local people of a given destination. They work closely with people from over 40 countries who are linked by a common thread of having created their own locally run tours or lodgings. Tourism Concern has also been campaigning on human rights and tourism for several years. Their current campaign is “Trekking wrongs: porters’ rights,” which highlights the terrible conditions porters who accompany trekkers endure in mountain environments—carrying huge loads for very low pay in sub-zero conditions and without proper clothing, equipment, or even overnight shelter in Nepal, Peru, and on Mount Kilimanjaro.

MINIMIZING THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF TRAVEL
Futureforests.com Environmentalists estimate that 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide are produced for each person carried on a long-haul jet flight. That’s a noticeable contribution to the greenhouse effect. Future Forests helps travelers offset the negative environmental effects of flying. They promote the concept of carbon-neutral travel. For $40, they will either plant five trees in your name, or supply 5 energy saving lightbulbs to a small community in the developing world.

RAISING MONEY FOR GOOD (Travel-related) CAUSES
Travel writer Rolf Potts (author of Vagabonding) is part of Drivearoundtheworld.com, a Landrover-funded team of which is, you guessed it, driving around the world. Not just for fun, but to raise money for research on Parkinson’s disease.

Cabbie Brad Newsham Backpack Nation (Backpacknation.org) proves that you don’t need a big corporate sponsor for good deeds. Deeply affected by the events of September 11, Brad devoted himself to “transforming the world’s two to three million roaming backpackers into a global force for good.” To date, he has raised almost $20,000 towards this goal. The plan is to send travelers from the developed world to serve as roving ambassadors to poorer countries. From May 1-15, 2004, Brad will be accepting 1500 word stories of kindness between individuals who met through travel. Six winners will receive $1000 grants. Brad particularly encourages submissions from travelers aged 25 or younger.

A similar effort is 100friends.com, which is a small, informal, grassroots project dedicated to helping people in developing nations. Marc Gold collects the donations (a little as $1 and as much as $500) from approximately 100 people and then takes all the money overseas to distribute as directly and intelligently as possible.

FINDING RESPONSIBLE VACATIONS
Planeta.com Developed in 1994 as a reporter’s notebook (a forerunner of today’s ‘blog’), the Planeta website specializes in environmental and tourism reporting, particularly at the intersection called ecotourism. Their World Travel Directory features local tour operators and nature guides who would otherwise be difficult to find.

Responsibletravel.com Backed By Anita Roddick (founder of The Body Shop), this site features pre-screened vacations that maximize the benefits of tourism to local communities, while minimizing any negative social or environmental impacts.

tourismconcern.org.uk/resources/resource-books.html Tourism Concern publishes the “Good Alternative Travel Guide,” a book listing exiting holidays for responsible travelers.

Traveling ethically is really about achieving harmony with the local environment, culture, and economy. Most people who travel with this mindset find that they have a more rewarding and meaningful trip. How far will this trend go? As Responsibletravel.com says “One day soon we hope that responsible will become to travel what organic is to food—a well known consumer favorite that is better for people and for the planet.”

Michael McColl is the Director of Communications for Ethicaltraveler.com, and the author of “The Worldwide Guide to Cheap Airfares”.