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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biter families of 4 spend their average domestic vacation dollars on eco-tours, each 2-week vacation we'll put $36,540,000 toward more sustainable travel.
COCKTAIL FACT
The next frontier: the Russian Space Agency's space tourism program is sold out through 2009, despite its $20 million-per-ticket price tag.
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home › tip library › Eco - Adventure Tours
Is nature calling?
The Bite
Then answer. Go on an eco-adventure, a trip that will enrich your vacation memories, the environment and especially the local people. Plus, you'll have a good excuse to get a little wild.The Benefits
- Makes extra-good use of your tourism dough. Have a great experience while supporting sustainability and local economies.
- Getting off the beaten path. Most eco-tours are designed for small groups, which helps if you wanna get down with the locals.
- Not just for campers. With many eco-tours, you have the option of staying at boutique green hotels or even in local homes.
Personally Speaking
Jen's not exactly what you'd call a Disney World devotee; she prefers trips like her Costa Rican eco-adventure. Check out the online photo album from her trip at the Ideal Bite blog.Wanna Try?
- EcoTour Directory - lists over 65 eco-holiday providers.
- G.A.P. Adventures - offers tours for groups of 12 or fewer and encourages carbon offsetting.
- Sierra Club Outings - tour the world with other eco-conscious travelers.
- Sustainable Travel International - a non-profit that helps you book all sorts of eco-adventures, from archaeological digs to yoga tours.
- Relief Riders International - guided horseback rides that let you help the Red Cross and distribute books to kids along the way.
- Responsible Travel - awesome trip packages geared toward UK Biters.
May 23,2007
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Jen, the Eco-Geek
Jen's probably the biggest eco-geek among us. She became a vegetarian at age 11 (one year before I did), lives on what amounts to a farm sanctuary complete with a green barn, and has a green MBA. It surprised none of us to discover this online album from her time consulting for a Costa Rican eco-lodge.
Check it out, and if you have any eco-lodge recommendations, sound off in the comments.
- Toshio...off to plan my next vacation...
Biter Comments...
For Europe an amazing travel company is Un-Tours (www.untours.com). They give all profits to local people, have carbon offset options for the air travel, plus the most wonderful vacations I've evert taken. Reasonable prices too!
How funny. I just taught a lesson to my sixth grade students today on ecotourism. Aren't I timely?
As an alternative to eco-travel to far away places and for the more urban, my husband and I prefer trips to US cities where we can roam car-free. Last September we spent a week in Chicago and took a cab once to dinner. This fall we plan to stay in an historic hotel in downtown St. Louis and see the sites and the famous arch! and take in a Cardinals ball game in the downtown stadium...
Before I clicked on the link I thought to myself, "I wonder if it's Selva Bananito." And it totally was. I stayed there last summer after participating in a sea turtle conservation project further south. Selva Bananito was a beautiful break from the swampier area we had been in earlier and it was amazing how nice it could be and still be environmentally friendly.
I'm looking forward to my next eco-tour. Thanks for the tips!
I'm really sorry you all had "EcoTour Directory" on your list - it's a newer website and not that creative. A much more comprehensive and fun directory can be found on http://www.Worldsurface.com, where travelers can submit photos, stories, find hundreds of sustainable tour operators, and rate the tours they go on. Check it out. In addition, see National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations website for a more strategic approach to travel - and additional resources: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable.
Happy Trails!
I was curious as to whether anyone had advice for traveling with kids. I would love for my first family vacation to be an eco-friendly one. Any suggestions?
I visited the Amazon Rainforest on a field study and stayed at a great ecotourism lodge - Napo Wildlife Center (www.napowildlifecenter.com)in Anangu, Ecuador. NWC was started in partnership with Tropical Nature (www.tropicalnature.org). It is now 100% community owned and helps pay for conservation of 82 square miles of rainforest. Profits go to the Anangu community and are used mostly for education and health care. The facility, people and location are all incredible. Ali - www.dailytomorrow.com
What's the biggest challenge for anyone using alternative fuels? Obviously, where to fill it up! Here's a new service to help drivers who are going green, go the distance.
Earthcomber, a wireless mobile information network, is launching today a free scanning service so travelers can spot alternative fuel at nearly 4,000 locations across the US.
This means that anyone using a mobile phone, PDA, Blackberry, or iPhone can quickly determine at any point on their journey where the closest location is to get refueled.
The list includes the following:
* BioDiesel
* E85 (Ethanol)
* LPG (liquified petroleum gas)
* CNG (compressed natural gas)
* Hydrogen
* Electric (hookups to recharge
electric cars and hybrids)
How to get it: go to http://mobile/earthcomer/com
Earthcomber works with regular computers, BlackBerrys, web-enabled cell phones, iPhones, Palm and Windows Mobile devices.
The alternative fuels are listed under the “Transport” menu.
Earthcomber currently is popular with travelers for finding ATMs, restaurants, local events, churches, shopping, amusements and more. It also is a platform that users share to find special interest locations ranging from Frank Lloyd Wright buildings to movie locations to ghost towns.
Because Earthcomber spots events and personal interests, it can be an easy navigation tool for eco-conscious individuals. It works with or without GPS, allowing people to set their location with an easy on-screen menu.
Cool!electric timer
Regarding Tiffany's post about kids, there's a new eco-resort(Mexico)in the planning stages that focuses on participation and restoration (land, community, etc). They've been working for the last four years to establish a community supported agriculture system for locals, provide material support to a local turtle protection group, and have established a native plant nursery to begin reforestation efforts. Project is called Playa Viva (www.playaviva.com).
Ecotourism is sadly a commonly mis-used phrase. Many places I visit (most are in South America) market themselves as ecolodges when they are clearly not - they just jump on the "ecotourism bandwagon" as a marketing ploy. Those interested in real ecotourism might consider seeing this Ecotourism in South America guide, which lists genuine ecolodges with positive impacts on both the environment and local population.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Stacey | May 23, 2007 at 05:59 AM