How To Avoid 'Localwashing' While On Vacation

This guest blog is by Irene Lane, founder & president of Greenloons.com.

Have you noticed how companies of all sizes are touting their local credentials these days? Whether you are shopping at your local supermarket or deciding on your next vacation destination, advertisements are replete with images of locally sourced fresh food or locally guided unique vacation services. 

And why not? “Buy local” and “local first” campaigns are speaking to our fundamental values to help our local communities before purchasing goods and services provided by large conglomerates.  However, in an effort to align with our ideals, some corporate localwashing has also surfaced within the ecotourism industry since the eco-traveler is one that seeks an authentic connection with people and nature.  Examples of localwashing by ecotourism businesses include ones that:

• emphasize local guides and services only to be foreign owned and managed
• do not purchase any local items such as produce, raw building materials, crafts or furniture but advertise as authentically local cultural experiences

Rather than agonizing over online reviews, guide books and definitions of local-sourced and sustainable tourism; instead use these five planning tips that will help quickly evaluate the local merits of your vacation:

1. Look for legitimate eco-certification labels
2. Choose travel suppliers that support local communities in multiple ways
3. Support tourism providers that specifically offer locally produced items:
4. Choose activities that emphasize environmental awareness
5. Search for opportunities to immerse yourself in local cultural traditions

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GO NOW: 8 Great Mexico Adventures

Tell people you’re headed to Mexico and you’ll likely be warned to be careful, to reconsider, or even encouraged not to go at all. However, after living and working in Mexico for the past five months, I am happy to report that the country remains a warm, welcoming, and, with the exception of a few cartel hotspots, a safe place to visit. 

But don’t just take my word for it. Follow the lead of more than 600 travel professionals (myself included), representing some 50 countries, who gathered recently (October 16-20, 2011) in San Cristobal de las Casas, a quaint colonial-era mountain town in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, for the industry’s most important annual event, the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit*.

In place of fear-inspiring headlines, greeting us in Chiapas and across the country, were hospitable locals, colorful colonial-era cities, culturally-rich indigenous communities, lush tropical rainforests, cloud-cloaked mountain ranges, deep river canyons, cattle-dotted ranch lands, and pristine coastal plains.

For those ready to journey beyond the headlines and discover the real Mexico, here are eight hand-picked adventures from trusted adventure outfitters.

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SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL: Top 10 Emerging Eco Destinations

Family Eco-Vacation Trailblazer Greenloons Identifies Top 10 Emerging Destinations for Green and Sustainable Travel 

Planning a planet-friendly vacation isn’t always easy for those who love to travel to exotic and inspirational places, but wish to do so in an environmentally and culturally responsible manner.

Enter eco-conscious, Irene Lane, founder of Greenloons, a business dedicated to helping travelers source the green vacation of their dreams. 

“Traveling sustainably in new destinations, says Lane, “helps raise living standards and can create environmental reverence by emphasizing conservation education and advocating sustainable activities that lessen degradation.”

To help get you off the sometimes beaten green path, here are Lane’s suggestions for the Top 10 Emerging Destinations for Green and Sustainable Travel:

1.  Jordan’s eco-lodges combine local heritage and educational experiences while exploring a mix of modernity, ancient wonders and nature. Think horse or camel safaris, Bedouins, the endangered Arabia oryx, Petra, the Dead Sea and trekking through Dana Nature Reserve. Jordan Family Adventure

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Destination Brazil: South American Savannah Safari

This just in from one of my favorite adventurers, Ged Caddick, the intrepid founder of Terra Incognita ECOTOURS…

photo courtesy Terra Incognita EcoTours
“What a surprise……who would have expected WILD Jaguars…..we just returned from our inaugural trip to the Pantanal in Brazil and we were all blown away by the incredible, visible wildlife!  Designed by Patricia Medici, a local biologist and Chair of the IUCN Tapir Specialist Group, this tour truly has the feel of an African Safari, as you participate in Game drives, horseback rides and boat tours, the wildlife just keeps surprising you.

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New Zealand Eco-Tour: A Chance to Make A Difference

Exclusive Access to New Zealand’s Wildlife and Culture and the Chance to Make a Difference

Fiordland Crested Penguin, South Island, New ZealandTerra Incognita Ecotours, an adventure travel company that specializes in wildlife-focused ecotours that give travelers the chance to “make a difference” while vacationing is offering a new ecotour of New Zealand for 2010. This unique adventure takes visitors to both the North and South Islands of New Zealand for an up-close and personal exploration of the incredible wildlife, scenery, and culture of the region.

Travelers will experience things like newly-hatched penguins, the flightless kiwi, keas and kakapo, spectacular marine life, Maori culture, high altitude sheep farming, majestic fjords, seals, dolphins, rainforest, glaciers, and so much more. Travelers also have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the local community as Terra Incognita Ecotours donates part of the booking fee to the Tiritiri Matangi Conservation Project, a program that involves protecting indigenous plants and animals on a small island off the coast of New Zealand.

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GREEN SKIING IN SWITZERLAND

Baobab Expeditions Offers Eco-Friendly Skiing at the Whitepod Resort in Switzerland

Baobab Expeditions, the company that turns travelers into explorers, is offering a great adventure ski trip combined with sustainable tourism at the Whitepod Resort in the Swiss Alps, where a unique concept to limit the impact of ski-vacationers on nature is in full force. 

Fifteen luxury pods (domed tents) are pitched on wooden platforms in an altitude of over 5,000 feet, next to seven km of challenging ski slopes for the exclusive use of Whitepod guests.  The pods are naturally insulated to retain heat.  In addition, each has its own wood burning stove along with organic luxury bedding on king size beds and en-suite bathroom.  Easy chairs are set in front of porthole-style windows to capture spectacular views of the Alps which may also be enjoyed from the pod’s terrace.  Everything has been carefully thought out to create a luxurious and comfortable environment while protecting the pristine mountains.

Using pods minimizes daily water and electricity consumption; reduces waste production; favors the use of renewable resources and increases awareness of environment preservation.

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Celebrate the Holidays with a Giving Vacation in Costa Rica This Year

Costa Rica’s number one volunteer tour operator, Tropical Adventures, organizes a series of special projects over the holidays that allow guests to both enjoy fun activities and contribute to the local youth and adults. It offers two nine-day adventures that combine volunteering with fun activities. The first on Dec. 19-27, 2009 includes guests hosting holiday parties at a beach town, a retirement home and an indigenous community. It also features a rafting trip on the Pacuare River, a waterfall tour into Panama and a canopy zip line experience.

The second trip, Dec. 26, 2009 - Jan. 3, 2010 involves four days running a summer camp for kids. It will be summer in Costa Rica and the children will be out of school. The camp will offer arts and crafts, sports and games, environmental education and lunch. The waterfall and zip line excursions are also included.

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Adventure Travel for Families in Panama

Austin-Lehman Adventures Makes Panama

 Accessible to Active Families on Three New Departures

New for 2009 on Austin-Lehman Adventures’ (ALA) list of iconic destinations for families is a 9 day / 8 night Panama Family: Reef & Rainforest Adventure with three departures scheduled in spring and summer breaks beginning in April.

The per person (double) rate is $3,498 (single supplement $780), with children ages 7 and up at $3,148 for first child and $2,798 for each additional child. Departures are Apr. 11-19; June 27-July 5 and July 11-19.

While trekking through a rainforest or flying overhead the canopy in an aerial tram, guests have the opportunity to see monkeys, toucans and elusive wild boars, hike to the top of Volcano Baru with views of the Caribbean and Pacific from the summit and explore the engineering feat that is the Panama Canal.  There are also cultural and scientific visits to a coffee plantation, butterfly farm, ancient ruins and more.

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