A TRAVELERS DILEMMA

If you have ever traveled to Thailand, I am sure you are familiar with the popular tourist destination Maya Bay. In 2018 the Thai government decided to close the beach to tourists for an indefinite amount of time. The decision came after environmentalists pointed out the obvious damage to the coral reefs surrounding the bay from too many tourist boats dropping anchors indiscriminately in the area. This is a quintessential example of over-tourism and the negative effects it can have on the environment.

Circumstances like this have urged me to question my own ethics concerning travel. Can I justify my selfish desires to explore and learn about the world when it directly opposes a responsibility we should have for conserving our natural environments? It’s a difficult reality to face and I do not know of a perfect balance or solution to this conundrum. I want to protect the world and it’s natural environments, but I also want to explore and experience them.

So how should we act as tourists and more importantly should we really be tourists at all? Wouldn’t choosing not to travel be the best conservationist approach for the world?  Should we all stay at home and not experience travel as a sacrifice to save our natural environments? Literally just getting up everyday, going to work, consuming food, energy and fuel have a negative effect on the environment. So where exactly is the guilt free line that should not be crossed if you truly consider yourself a conservationist?

LETS END WITH A POSITIVE NOTE

I know the concepts I was just ranting about can be downright depressing, but there are many people coming up with solutions everyday on how we can live our lives more efficiently and leave as little negative impact on the world as possible. If you are interested in how you can lower your carbon footprint and be a more conscientious traveler, go check out the list on worldnomads.com on how you can do just that.