Make the Right Impact, Family Traveller
Travelling as a family means we can raise global citizens, but scrutiny is paramount, says Holly Tuppen.
How and why we travel is changing. While there’s still a time and place for sun loungers, kids clubs and a G&T at the golden hour, that’s no longer all we crave.
Experiential travel is on the up. We want to get under the skin of cultures, sit side by side with locals, carve out moments that seem unique, and feel insignificant against nature’s awesome canvas. More than ever before, we also want to make a positive impact. Perhaps it’s an attempt to see the good between the cracks of a devastating political landscape, or a means to take control of an increasingly uncertain future. Either way, responsible travel is gaining momentum and it looks like it’s here to stay.
Travel experiences that do good include everything from spending money with local hosts, getting stuck into conservation activities, supporting community projects and volunteering. When done well, the impact is staggering. Tourism is one of the world’s only industries that has a vested interest to protect nature, culture and indigenous communities. It’s arguable that without the economic support of tourism, within 20 years there might be no rhinos |or healthy coral reefs, and many fragile cultures would dissolve into thin air.
Individuals benefit, too. Last year, on a trip to South Africa with the kids, only after stepping foot in Cape Town’s townships on a Uthando tour, did I appreciate the Mother City’s psyche. Under the hot sun in dusty Knysna, talking to young entrepreneurs, old ladies, and a headmistress, I felt an overwhelming sense of hope — the kind of hope that only surfaces after years of adversity, and can be hard to find in the UK.
