How to Travel Respectfully on an International Backpacking Trip

Your presence and actions in a foreign country will have ramifications for the local culture, environment, and social and economic relations. You may not be able to anticipate all these ramifications, but you can take steps to minimize your impact.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Foreign Language Phrase Books
• Local Guidebooks
• Two-way Foreign Language Dictionaries

1. Choose a travel operator who has a demonstrated interest in cultural sensitivity and environmental preservation. Contact the Center for Responsible Tourism or the Ecotourism Society for guidance in choosing a socially responsible travel company.

2. Cultivate an attitude of humility and interest in local culture. Your view of the world has logic and merits of its own, but the culture you visit has an equally comprehensible perspective you can learn from.

3. Read your local guidebook and take the time to observe people to learn local customs and act with respect.

4. Aim to talk and interact with locals, even if you do not speak the language. Learn key phrases in the local dialect, and use these whenever possible.

5. Interact with people as people first, before trying to take photographs. Ask permission first before taking photos of people, and never take a photo if someone specifically requests that you do not.

6. Refrain from offering to buy items used within people's homes, even if these are offered to you. Don't buy sacred items or family heirlooms.

7. Reflect daily on your experiences, using a journal or talking with other travelers. Remember that the wealth of experience you are gaining in your travels may be at the cost of others.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid making promises to anyone that you are uncertain you can keep, even for something as seemingly simple as a date for tea or mailing a photograph.