A new travel ethic

Responsible travel is about minimising your impact on a destination and maximising your connection with people and the environment. It's about making a positive contribution so that you can have the most rewarding and inspiring holiday experiences of your life.

Traveling by the responsible travel ethos is one of the most direct and personal ways you can make a difference to some of the biggest issues affecting our world: poverty and peace. So please consume responsibly and travel thoughtfully.

Responsible travel suits life's curious adventurers and enthusiasts.

The Responsible traveller seeks relaxation, fulfilment, discovery, and adventure, valuing authenticity. You can have a fuller holiday experience, which not only benefits you but the people and places you visit.

The 5 Aims of Responsible travel are:

• To protect the environment - its flora, fauna and landscapes
• To respect local cultures - traditions, religions and built heritage
• To benefit local communities - both economically and socially
• To conserve natural resources - from office to destination
• To minimise pollution - through noise, waste disposal and congestion

How does WildCurl support Responsible travel?

We support this ethic in several different ways: by raising awareness through articles and promotions; by encouraging our advertisers and the tourism industry to raise standards; by supporting ethical and green groups or businesses; by using eco friendly promo material; by offering free ads for local and national charities and reduced Ad rates for small or new businesses (see our terms & conditions). The WildCurl team like to live green life styles and try, where possible, to use non-polluting methods to travel, buy our food and products locally, and treat our environment with respect. WildCurl will be launching the WildCurl 'Ethical Awards' to encourage businesses to become more ethical in their approach to business. We encourage visitors to support local businesses, producers and crafts people by visiting local attractions or events and buying locally made gifts.

WildCurl promotes ethical living and endeavours to raise awareness for important social topics such as charity and youth work, while also aiming to promote places that provide suitable accessibility for those with special needs. Each listing is accompanied with icons relating to specific special facilities to make it easier when performing searches. WildCurl recommends the listings shown to the left.

Responsible tips

Here are our hints on how to travel more responsibly:

Transport Options
Could you ride a bike rather than drive? Take a train rather than fly? Plan your route to minimise carbon emissions. Travel by train and public transport where possible, and minimise internal flights.

Offset your Carbon emissions
Look at offsetting your contribution to carbon emissions, so your travels are 'carbon neutral'. Read more about climate care here www.climatecare.org.

Buy Local produce
Buying locally made crafts and produce means your money goes directly to the community.

Respect local cultures & traditions
Local traditions vary enormously around the world and play a large part in rural communities. By showing respect you will be respected and appreciated yourself!

Minimise your impact on fragile places
Take your rubbish home with you if it can't be properly disposed of along the way. Be aware of suggested or legal approach distances and other recommendations for observing wildlife.

Ethical living

Climate change
Climate change is a serious environmental threat, and air travel is the fastest growing contributor to the problem. WildCurl believes that we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming.

When it comes to CO2 we all over-indulge, so to prevent the climate from deteriorating faster, we all need to work towards a low-carbon lifestyle.

Here are our hints and links for a lower carbon lifestyle:

Transport
Walk and cycle more: for info on your local walking and cycling routes visit www.sustrans.org

Drive smartly: consider driving at 60 mph rather than 80 mph on the motorway - you may use 25% less fuel.

Join a car club. There are even rural car clubs starting up, like the South Devon based www.moorcar.co.uk

(Facts from www.climatecare.org)

Home power
8% of electricity consumed at home is from items we aren't using - so don't leave the TV and other electrical items on "standby".

Gadgets: You can now buy various items to reduce your energy use.

Kitchen kit: If you are buying new kitchen appliances, make sure they are "A-rated" as they use less energy.

Green electricity: Switch to a renewable electricity tariff - it needn't cost anything extra but shows your commitment to a renewable future.

Green lighting: energy efficient lamps are now available for most types of fitting. For a wide selection online try Efficient Light.

(Facts from www.climatecare.org)

In the home
Give your home some extra layers, and help keep more of that heat you're paying for. The Energy Saving Trust (www.est.org.uk) provides advice on this. You can also install items such as solar water heaters and micro-wind generators, these can provide for much of your home energy needs.

Food
Buy food grown locally wherever possible - this cuts down on the air miles.
Vegetable box schemes: contact your local council to find the nearest one.
Farmers markets: Visit www.farmersmarkets.net
Eat organic! Organic food is less reliant on fossil fuels for its production. www.soilassociation.org
(Facts from www.climatecare.org)

Campaign
Join the movement to encourage our government and communities to take action for the climate: www.stopclimatechaos.org

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