Exploring the outdoors is a much-loved activity that can ignite your passion for adventure. In addition, it can broaden your mind, which helps you see unique and beautiful sights out there.
With that said, the travel industry is a behemoth, and its impact on the great outdoors is plenty. But as an avid traveler, you have the responsibility to preserve the places you visit so that other visitors can enjoy them.
Here are ten ways to do it:
Pack Light
When you’re exploring the outdoors, what you bring with you is critical. After all, you don’t want to fatigue yourself too quickly every time you hit the road and move. That’s why you should pack light.
Packing light ensures that you have more mobility while exploring. At the same time, packing light is another way for you to be eco-friendly. That’s because it makes planes more energy-efficient.
Of course, packing light is challenging if you don’t know the essentials, but over time, you’ll come to realize which items are non-negotiable.
Stick to the Trails
Sticking to the trails is a critical part of traveling and exploring the outdoors. The tracks are there for a reason. Sometimes, the ways aren’t even that obvious, but you’ll see that there’s still a makeshift trail.
Sticking to the path is best because it ensures that you don’t come across local wildlife and don’t cross their boundary or territory. Moreover, only use your trekking poles to keep your balance and clear your path. But keep the stones unturned.
Avoid Bottled Water
Even in the deepest parts of the outdoors, sometimes, you’ll find plastic bottles of water there. As a responsible traveler, you should know how much these plastic bottles damage the environment.
You already know that these are common pollutants you see in the outdoors, so why contribute more to them?
Instead of using plastic bottles, use reusable ones instead. They’re more eco-friendly, and you can refill them at any time. Some reusable bottles also can keep the temperature of the liquid that you store in them for a long time.
As a traveler, reusable water containers are a no-brainer, so make sure that you don’t ever buy plastic bottled water if you want to be responsible.
Minimize Campfire Impacts
If you’re careless with where you set up camp and place a campfire, you can be unknowingly doing significant damage, especially in a wooded area. Luckily, you don’t always have to start a campfire to get heat and fire going.
Nowadays, there are plenty of modern camping tools, like a lightweight stove, that provide convenience.
If you’re setting up your tent in a designated camping spot, stick to those areas. These spots usually also have prominent places to start a fire, so you should remember to use those spots.
Another way to be responsible over your campfire is to ensure that you put them out thoroughly after use.
Respect Wildlife
One of the biggest draws of going outdoors is getting the chance to see wild animals in their natural habitat. But, of course, this doesn’t mean that it gives you the right to get all up and personal with the wildlife.
If you value your safety, make sure to provide these animals with a wide berth, no matter how cute or exciting.
You should also make sure that you don’t feed them anything, especially human food. By providing them food, you’re altering their natural behavior and preferences, and you can even damage their health.
If you’re traveling with your pet or fur babies, make sure that you keep them close to you so that nothing dangerous happens to you both.
Leave No Trace
As a responsible traveler, even if there are no signs or rules that tell you so, you already know that you leave no trace wherever you go. So, aside from the footprints that you leave behind and the pictures you take, it would be best if you didn’t alter or change the environment you’re exploring.
You want your presence to have as minimal an impact as possible.
What this rule means is that you shouldn’t be taking home rocks that you find with you. Likewise, you shouldn’t carve your name on a tree or rock to show other explorers that you’ve been here and so on.
Also, don’t pick flowers as much as possible. Picking up an animal to bring with you or somewhere else is also a no-no. That’s because you are taking them away from their natural habitat.
Follow the Rules
Exploring the outdoors as a responsible traveler often involves following unspoken rules. For example, don’t intrude on private property or take photos of wild animals, especially with flash.
These are a few of the rules that you should keep in mind when traveling. Doing so ensures your safety and that you are not disturbing the wildlife.
Buy Local Items
Instead of buying products from large corporations, why not buy from a local small business? Doing so helps out the community and ensures that you help the locals in some way.
Aside from that, local items can be more unique and memorable than commercial products to bring home with you.
Give Back
If you want to do more each time you travel, why not try volunteering for a local organization during the short time that you’re there? You have plenty of options, some of which help with the conservation and protection of the place you’re exploring.
Watch Your Waste
When talking about watching your waste, it’s more than just throwing your trash correctly. It also means that you should watch where you leave your food waste, your bodily waste, and even your pet’s waste.
Ensure that you know the proper way to dispose of these when you’re in the middle of the great outdoors so as not to cause problems.
Conclusion
Being a responsible traveler isn’t complicated. What’s important is that you are conscious of your actions and empathize with the environment and the wildlife.
So, the next time you travel, make sure that you follow the advice above to enjoy the great outdoors for a long, long time.
Photos:
Florida Guidebook on Unsplash
Jeffrey Keenan on Unsplash
