Celebrations at a Monastery Festival in Tibet
The oft-repeated advice when it comes to
Adventure Travel is:
a memory of an excursion’, to being a truly
meaningful partnership with people and the
environment.
Take nothing but photographs…
leave nothing but footprints
Part of the ecotourism montra cautions you
to ‘leave nothing behind’--but you can still…
Whether the journey is to Kathmandu or
Kitimat, Montreal or Machu Picchu, Truro or
Tibet, there is so much more you can get out of
travel.
1) Take a photo—and when your local subject
asks for a copy in the mail, actually do it! This
may be the only photo they have of themselves.
It is a truism that in general, in life, you get ‘out’
what you put ‘in’. The eco-sustainable-naturetourism mantra about taking nothing and
leaving nothing sounds so deliciously
motherhoody, and as a primer for litterbugs,
exotic souvenir seekers, and people who tend
like to bring their inconsiderate attitude toward
nature wherever they go, this is good, sound
advice.
The other half of the truth that is missing relates
to all the other things you can leave behind and
take with you when you travel. The list of
ideas—that follows—are ways to add value to
your travel experience in a world that yearns for
the cooperation and understanding of travellers
in order to sustain it for future generations. As
well, these ideas will enhance your own travel
experiences and convert them from being ‘just
2) Enjoy a conversation—share stories and
ideas, thoughts, and laughs about mutual
struggles with the language. Learn how people
think in another country, and what is important
to them. When asking a young porter on a trip
to Nepal years ago, what his dream in life would
be, he said, “To eat dahl bat (lentil beans and
rice), everyday and to lead tours in the
mountains.” A headman in a village in northern
Thailand related that his dream was to be able
to cultivate all three fields every year, instead of
having to leave one bare to regenerate the soil.
Take an interest in the people you meet.
3) Smile. In the song Wooden Ships, Crosby,
Stills, Nash and Young sang, “You smile at me
and I will understand…cuz that is something
everybody everywhere does in the same
language”. Remember this when you are