Responsible Luxury Travel Plans
Easy Sustainable Tourism can be Part of Leisure Vacations
Luxury leisure travel and ecotourism are not mutually exclusive. The tourism industry is catching up to consumer demands for more sustainable, yet comfortable, vacations.
It's hard out there for an environmentally aware luxury traveler. Armed with the desire, and the means, to travel in style - yet also armed with the knowledge that disproportionate amounts of nonrenewable natural resources are used for the leisure of luxury travel - can lead to an uncomfortable feeling of guilt. And who needs guilt when taking a well-earned vacation? After all, leisure travel and luxury vacations are all about pampering and relaxation, not cognitive dissonance.
Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy luxury vacations in distant destinations without leaving the large carbon footprint typical of leisure travel.
- Carbon offset programs offset client's emissions by funding renewable energy programs. The carbon dioxide emitted by airplane travel, for example, is measured per person (for each consumer), and funds are proportionally given to supporting wind power and other clean, renewable energy resources. Sustainable Travel International offers just such a carbon offset program, and several luxury hotel and adventure travel companies have already signed up.
- The Fairmont luxury hotel chain is quietly leading the way for all hotels and resorts to provide more environmentally friendly vacations. The Fairmont Green Partnership Guide aids understanding how to run more energy efficient luxury hotels. High end leisure travel buffs can stay at any Fairmont resort, and know that the luxury amenities are paired with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmentally responsible, green travel ideas.
- The Sierra Club offers many, many volunteer and eco travel vacations around the world. This is one nonprofit organization that really walks the walk, so to speak. Ecotourism sponsored by The Sierra Club can be a luxury vacation as well: From a birding vacation in the Redwoods area of Marin County California, to a walking tour of historic Dordogne Valley, France, there is time for luxury and leisure in quite a few of The Sierra Club's conservation minded green travel plans.
- A trip to a tropical destination can be in and of itself a treat - and a luxury. Not all eco travel and sustainable tourism involves sleeping in tents on the cold, wet dirt. Environmentally responsible resorts can offer many of the leisure activities and upscale amenities of their more generic cousins - and often with the option of cultural immersion that makes vacations truly memorable. The Cotton Tree Lodge in Belize is one such example. It's a full service resort in the rain forest, with fresh organic, locally grown offerings on the menu, private cabanas, ecotourism activities, and a mutually beneficial relationship with the nearby indigenous Kekchi Mayans.
- Alaska is obviously less tropical, but for many people just as remote. Alaska has a growing sustainable tourism industry, with the same luxury amenities that leisure travel vacations offer anywhere. In Alaska, ecotourism trips take people to the wide open spaces that are increasingly rare elsewhere in the United States. The outdoor activities make use of the natural environment of fjords and glaciers, with soft adventure, whale watching, fly fishing, and more in the warmer summer months. Alaska's Inside Passage resorts offer a wide variety of experiences for Alaska vacations.
For sustainable tourism to have a positive effect, there's no need to sacrifice luxury in responsible leisure travel. A few minor changes in vacation plans, and travelers are already helping make the Earth a healthier place.
Related, on Suite 101:
Fairmont - A Leader in Sustainable Tourism
A Resort for Eco Travel in Belize
Luxury Eco Travel Destinations
St. John Eco-travel and Ecotourism
Alaska - Inside Passage Resorts
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