Dear Friend,
I love the expression “Travel lightly.” It can mean anything from small suitcases to low emissions to quietly taking in your surroundings. It is a useful idea, a phrase we can take deeper with every trip and reinterpret in each new destination.
As thoughtful people, we realize our travel has impact, from the carbon emissions of flights to the ways our presence can subtly change the small communities, natural wonders, and green spaces we travel to see.
I like to think
of ways to minimize my negative impact, and to approach it not from a place of guilt but rather a place of openness and curiosity.
Some of our green travel tips here tap into the customs and norms of the places you are visiting and will take you more deeply into their culture.
In the Robinsons’ photos of
Switzerland, you’ll catch a glimpse of their clothes drying on the deck of their chalet, soaking up the Alpine sun. That’s what the Swiss do, and a beautiful, tiny example of traveling lightly. Using the Swiss Travel System of buses, train, and boats is another.
How do you travel lightly?
Andrea Szyper
Communications Director
