Being a traveller – Six general principles

Preparing in advance

Prepare for your trip by learning about the culture, history and customs of the people.

Try to learn some of the language of the place you are to visit, such as basic greetings and ‘thank you’.
 

Choosing the right tour operator

If possible, stay with local people or in modest accommodation which does not require the expensive resource-consuming style of international hotels.

Make sure the tour operator runs an environmentally sound business which supports small-scale projects.

Employ local guides whenever possible.

Select tour groups that design tours with the input of the community.
 

Respecting local customs, cultures and lifestyles

Treat local people the way you would like to be treated by tourists in your home community.

Respect and try to fit in with local customs.

Be sensitive to the intrusion of photographing people and places.

Accept that other people have different, not wrong or inferior, ways of living.

Avoid relationships, especially sexual ones, that are not based on equality of respect.

Respect the rights of people, especially when you are in the powerful position of being relatively wealthy.

Do not dress in ways which might offend local beliefs, especially in places of religious or spiritual significance.
 

Considering the impact of your presence

Drink and eat local food so that more of the expenditure stays in the country.

Get around on foot or by bicycle or local transport rather than tourist coach.

Think about the impact of tourism on the places and people you visit.

Avoid off-road tours which could damage soil and other aspects of the natural environment.

Don’t litter.

Be careful that in bargaining you are not exploiting the poverty and need of sellers.

Avoid buying products that come from or are made from protected species.

Try to conserve limited (non-renewable) resources like firewood or water.
 

Presenting yourself realistically

Share information with local people about the social, environmental and economic realities that you face in your own country; do not glamorise Western culture.

Talk to local people about their country and their views of tourists.
 

Continuing the experience when you return home

Join environmental groups and support human rights organisations, in your home country.

Once home, tell your friends about the everyday life of the people you met as well as the tourist images.