Work Travel Volunteer

Environment - minimal impact to the natural environment or actively protecting and promoting conservation issues.

Social/Cultural - using local workers wherever possible, respecting traditions and religions and utilizing local accommodation, restaurants or services.

Economic - money going directly back into the local community or being used to further promote ethical travel, fair wages to local staff.

Find out more about ethical travel holidays . 

Some more detailed thoughts....

Flying

1) Do you 100% have to fly to your destination? Imagine you're starting a tour in Beijing. Are you going to have a better time rushing to the airport, getting crammed onto a plane, breathing in everyone's germs for 10 hours before being thrown out like bewildered rabbits into the stark differences of Beijing? Or.... travelling by train through Europe to Moscow, taking in the sights of the Red Square and sampling a few vodkas before boarding the great Trans Siberian and Mongolian line for six days of the Ural mountains, the Gobi desert, more vodka and many friends. And no, it doesn't have to be more expensive either. If you're organised and book in advance and live like a local, you may even find it cheaper than burning your money on airport taxes and duty free perfume.

2) Not convinced? Think it will cost too much or maybe you just don't have the luxury of time? If you have to travel by plane (and yes, we too have done) think about donating some money to a charity such as http://www.carbonneutral.com/ or http://www.climatecare.org/ who "offset" your carbon dioxide emissions through planting trees or providing more energy efficient stoves or light sources to developing countries.

3) At all times, try to use public transport rather than taxis to get around, car share or best of all, cycle or walk.

4) If you're really concerned about the problems of global warming, start reading up and campaigning for the protection of forests around the world. If deforestation wasn't occurring on such a massive and destructive scale, the earth could cope with an increase in carbon dioxide levels from aeroplanes.

Before you go

1) If you want to travel with a tour, research details about them first - do they employ local people, are they paid fairly and trained correctly, and are they committed to mimimising damage to the environment? If so, how? How big are the group sizes?

2) Learn some basic phrases. Apart from the usual, we found "We have flat tyre", "I'm sorry I don't have any sweets" and "the food was delicious" went a long way in Africa. Even if the country you visit speaks your native language, attempting a few words in your host country will enrich your experience. We've had numerous people thank us for trying to speak their language, laughing when we get something wrong, and generally wanting to talk to us more - it all adds for a far more interesting trip.

At your destination

1) Visit local markets, restaurants, shops and small scale tourist projects where the money goes directly back to the local people.

2) If you go trekking, make sure you know how well your porter is treated.

3) Please don't give gifts or sweets to children. It may give you the "feel-good" factor, but what happens when you forget about them and move on? Tourists who do this create a destructive cycle - encouraging begging and "helplessness". Don't forget, your culture rules may also be different from others. We've witnessed one child obtaining some pens from a well meaning tourist, only to be beaten by other children desperate to get hold of the goods. If you have to do this, give medical supplies to a hospital or pens to a school instead.

4) Take with you something curious - an inflatable globe, photographs of your family from home, a harmonica, a magnifying glass. If children do start begging, play or teach them instead.

5) Find out as much as you can about your destination. What are the local customs and greetings, is there a particular "code of conduct" or style of dress you should respect such as covering your knees and shoulders.

6) Ask people first before taking their photograph.

7) We hope this goes without saying, but please take your litter away with you and dispose of it safely. Many developing countries are considerably better than the UK at recycling. Nothing goes to waste. You can even get money back on glass bottles in countries like Kenya by returning them to where you bought them from.

8) Be respectful of your environment. Stick to marked tracks when walking, don't touch or take coral if snorkeling or diving and don't pick native flowers.

9) Never buy anything from an endangered animal or species. The list includes turtle soup or turtle shell, including tortoiseshell hairgrips, rhino horn, ornaments made from ivory, whale soup, tiger skin, shells, coral gifts and butterflies. It is also illegal.

10) Please don't support festivals or shows that use performing animals that are ill-treated or should be in the wild.

11) If you're on safari or viewing wild animals and you're altering their natural behaviour, you're too close.

12) Learn the art of bartering. Your seller will more than double the value he wants for the goods. You must then go lower than what you realistically want to pay. This gives room for the ball to pass backwards and forwards between both parties before settling on a price agreeable to both. Please remember though that haggling over a kwacha or two may mean nothing to you but may make the difference of a family eating or not that night so don't go overboard.

13) If you are out camping minimilise your impact by following these camping tips

When you get home

1) Spread the word! Talk to others about what they can do to take a "green" holiday. If nothing else, it can be a useful dinner-party conversation or limit those awkward silences with someone you don't know very well!

2) Join a charity that supports ethical travel such as Tourism Concern