Here at Platinum Sun, we have a passion for nature. We always do what we can, when we can to protect the planet we live on. We hope you can share this goal with us.

You have probably heard the words ‘Sustainable Tourism’ and ‘Sustainable Travel’ thrown around the Internet these days. It can be difficult to make sense of it all so we have decided to break it down for you.

Sustainable tourism is the act of enriching or maintaining a location we travel to, not destroying it. It can be easy to turn the blind eye and continue with old habits, especially when you are in holiday mode. However, being a sustainable tourist doesn’t have to be hard work at all! In fact, it’s a piece of cake! You will be wondering why you didn’t think about this before.

So what can I do you ask?

It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Simple things go a long way.

Start with the first step of every holiday, packing. When planning your trip you will have an idea of what you want to do so being smart with what you put in your suitcase is key. Planning on visiting some food markets? Packing a few reusable cloth shopping bags is a fab way to reduce single-use plastics, plus they weigh virtually nothing! Other ‘must-have’ sustainable items to throw in your suitcase could be a reusable water bottle and a reusable metal straw. You can even get ones that clip to a key ring these days. If you expect to drink your body weight in mojitos, you may as well save the fishies in the process.

When visiting stunning beaches or nature reserves, challenge yourself and friends to pick up at least 2 pieces of trash. Leave the beach cleaner than when you arrived. When others see your act of goodness, it will hopefully encourage them to do the same.

Enriching a place isn’t always about reducing your plastic use or saving the environment. Sustainable travel is also supporting the economy, the community and the people of the places in which we find ourselves. Buying from the local markets and family-run businesses goes a long way. We all want to have an authentic experience when we adventure to a new place so try living like a local. Talk to locals. Attempt to learn some of their language, it won’t go unappreciated (most of the time). By doing this we are confident you will earn their respect and you may even get some inside tips on secret spots no other tourist would know about. Give it a go, we dare you!

One last tip, again simple but effective.

When you go on trips or excursions and you are given a map or information leaflet, don’t throw it away after. Return them to where you got them from ready for the next person to use. We know this isn’t always easy but it is a great way to save paper.

We hope this article has been useful to you and you will try at least one of our ideas on your next trip.

Happy travels!