As part of tourism you – as a traveller – can have a significant effect by making your travel decisions more responsibly, e.g. considering environmental, social and economical effects of your travel, choosing your destination deliberately or using a responsible tour operator.
1. Be prepared for your travel
Choose your destination deliberately and get an idea about the country – about its culture and the typical circumstances – before you start. If you have some preliminary information and you know for what to be prepared, you will have a better chance to enjoy your holiday (instead of getting disappointed).
Note: if you book with us we provide you with the most important information you need to know. You can also find lots of information on our website regarding your destination.
2. Travel in small groups
Always travel in small groups (14 people at the maximum). Not only because small travel groups really make a difference and you can enjoy your holiday more. Big groups are also many times troubling local people or wildlife and mean intrusion to their life.
3. Respect the local culture
Every country has its culture, sometimes with very different local habits and customs. East African culture can also be very different from that of yours. Travelling is a great opportunity to discover it. However to make your holiday more enjoyable – and to minimise the effect of your travel on the local culture – you should respect local people’s customs and habits. On the other hand, you should accept their different behaviour and different way of thinking.
For example, as a sign of your respect, dress in a proper way (particularly in villages and rural places). Moreover, please do not photograph local people without asking their consent. On the other hand, you can always use your hand (always the right one!) for eating even in (local) restaurants. Or – as part of the local culture – you enjoy a nice and always sweet Kenyan (white) tea at any time.
4. Reduce the environmental impact of your visit
Save water, reduce waste, do not waste energy. These are the easiest ways of reducing the environmental impact of your visit.
However you can also take part in protecting and preserving nature and biodiversity or reducing CO2 emissions. There are lots of possibilities and the good news is that you can start with very easy and little steps.
5. Support local economy
Once you are in Kenya stay in local accommodations, eat in local restaurants and buy local goods (instead of imported ones). Whenever you can, go for shopping to local markets and artisans. This way you can ensure that your money directly supports local people instead of increasing the well-being of “outsiders”.
6. Give back
Once you are here – or even after back home – you can support the local community in many ways. You can bring gifts to the families you visit or people you meet. (However please always ask your driver-guide/tour leader before giving anything to anyone.) You can also support local initiatives by your money or even by your (volunteer) work. If you wish to support a local initiative or help local communities, please contact us.
7. Help to spread the word
Share your experiences and memories with friends, colleagues and family and promote responsible travel concept. Tell people that you travelled responsibly and teach them about the importance of responsible travel.
If you want to learn more about responsible tourism and what we do, please visit our Responsible Travel Company page.