Sustainable tourism

For decades, the used clothing that wealthy countries’ citizens cast off every week found ready buyers abroad. What Goodwill, Salvation Army, and the like couldn’t sell in their stores or give to the homeless, they would ship abroad by the ton for the items to sell in local markets. Some would become scraps, destined for …

There’s a travel term you’re going to be hearing a lot of in the coming year: “overtourism.” I know this because I’ve been hearing it a lot at tourism conferences over the past year and the intensity is increasing. The term is coming up more and more in the news, especially in Europe. In short, …

I have been writing about eco-friendly travel since back when I was doing magazine stories pre-internet. All along on this blog I’ve done regular rants on the evils of single-use plastic water bottles that mostly end up in our waterways. So I was thrilled to finally go to a travel conference this month where water …

I’m one of those old farts who traveled to Vang Vieng when you could count your fellow arrivals on two hands and when you could get a bungalow right on the beach on Ko Tao or Ko Chang in Thailand for $4 a night double. So I know what it’s like to feel that pang …