TOPIC

Responsible travel

Singapore’s bold mission to naturalise its urban setting

Singapore’s evolution from Garden City to City in Nature has been the latest step in a decades-long process by which an urban population is learning to coexist with the natural world.

13 Oct 2024 - 7:15PM

How The Datai Langkawi delivers on its promise to put nature first

28 Sep 2024 - 7:15AM

New research shows how travel can prevent premature ageing

27 Sep 2024 - 6:15PM

Swiss Alps by train, Italy’s Lake Como on bucket-list Nat Geo tour

Seeing Swiss mountains and resorts by train, boating around Italy’s Lake Como – a National Geographic guided tour offers exclusive experiences to go with the bucket-list views.

17 Sep 2024 - 6:15PM

A train on a tourist railway taking passengers between Zermatt, Switzerland, and a viewpoint from which to admire with the Matterhorn (in the background). It’s an option for guests on National Geographic Expeditions’ Swiss Trains and the Italian Lake District tour. Photo: Shutterstock

How India’s sustainable boutique hotels are leading the charge for ecotourism

A cohort of carefully crafted properties with sustainability at their core are driving rewilding and supporting local communities in rural India while offering top-tier hospitality

14 Sep 2024 - 8:15AM

Urban jungle to white picket fences, cycling from New York to Hudson Valley

Taking the Empire State Trail from Manhattan, a cyclist leaves New York’s skyscrapers and stress behind him as he heads through the Hudson Valley to Peekskill, taking in a number of sights on the way.

5 Sep 2024 - 4:49PM

By sleeper train to Scotland for Highlands tour with touch of Harry Potter

We take the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Inverness, gateway to a region of stunning landscapes and spectacular journeys, including one Harry Potter takes on the Hogwarts Express.

3 Sep 2024 - 10:18AM

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. Photo: Stephen McCarty

Discover a land of snow and ice cruising through this Arctic archipelago

Norway’s Svalbard region is popular with tourists wanting to see polar bears up close, but with new environmental regulations coming into force, it’s time to discover the archipelago’s many other attractions

24 Aug 2024 - 5:55PM

How this game reserve in South Africa sparked our love of safari

Over a decade ago, we had her very first encounter with Africa’s Big Five at Royal Malewane – we paid a return visit to see if the magic still remained

16 Aug 2024 - 10:54AM

Italy’s reopened rail lines take tourists off the beaten track

A vintage train ride on Italy’s reopened ‘Trans-Siberian Railway’ brings views of nature and hilltop towns where traditional music and food await – an alternative to crowded tourist hubs like Florence.

31 Jul 2024 - 5:15PM

Tourists in front of an old train on Italy’s “Trans-Siberian Railway”. Photo: Reuters

19 long-distance cycling routes make exploring Europe by bike a snap

Exploring Europe by bicycle has never been easier. Cycle route network EuroVelo lists routes that criss-cross the continent, and offers a custom route planner to help cyclists create their own itineraries.

30 Jul 2024 - 5:15PM

Exploring places such as Chambord in France (above) by bicycle is made easier by cycle network EuroVelo, which offers routes that criss-cross the continent and a custom route planner that helps cyclists create their own itineraries. Photo: Shutterstock

A tour through the greenery and gastronomy of northern Spain by train

Like a narrow-gauge Orient Express, the slow train from Santiago de Compostela to Bilbao offers six days of stunning sea views, gentle slumber, frequent excursions and chances to savour the region’s cuisine.

2 Aug 2024 - 7:21AM

5 podcasts about gap years to stir your wanderlust

A professional cricketer and candidates for Mensa and a Mars mission offer entertaining perspectives, while elsewhere there is more cogent advice for those tempted to do it themselves

29 Jul 2024 - 3:53PM

What it’s like to cycle 1,000km around Taiwan: highs and lows

For two cycling novices, attractive scenery and the kindness of strangers make up for the nerve-racking traffic, steep hills and bad weather on a multi-day trip around Taiwan by bicycle.

2 Jul 2024 - 6:09PM

Riding along Taiwan’s east coast. Photo: Cameron Dueck

Can luxury travel ever be truly sustainable? These hotels are trying harder than most

Song Saa in Cambodia and the global chains Rosewood Hotels and 1 Hotels are looking beyond limiting energy use and physical resources to wider community- and guest-based initiatives

8 Jul 2024 - 1:18PM

Green-conscious hotels, such as Song Saa in Cambodia, are going beyond limiting water use and waste to more sustainable design practices and community-based experiences. Photos: Handout

Dupe travel: how to find cheaper, quieter alternatives to holiday hotspots

Santa Barbara, California, as a stand-in for the French Riviera, Albania instead of Greece – travel experts offer their tips on alternatives to popular destinations that are less tourist-infested and not as pricey.

25 Jun 2024 - 11:15AM

Low-carbon luxury on a train trip through Vietnam with Vietage by Anantara

A five-hour train ride through south central Vietnam in the Vietage by Anantara carriage is luxury on wheels, with free-flow drinks, cocktails, caviar and afternoon tea.

11 Jun 2024 - 4:26PM

Dragon Boat holiday rides wave of travel spending in China amid ‘stable’ tourism

Three-day holiday figures bode well for the coming summer vacation, with students expected to help drive domestic tourism.

11 Jun 2024 - 2:33PMvideocam

A Dragon Boat Festival race takes places in Fujian province on Sunday. Chinese people made 110 million trips from Saturday through Monday for the holiday. Photo: Xinhua

Jet planes burn fuel like it’s 2019 as the world resumes flying

10 Jun 2024 - 9:46AM

‘A welcoming space’: hotels adapt to cater for neurodivergent guests

Neurodivergent guests and their families are being offered a wider choice of hotels to stay at which have trained staff and list possible sensory triggers in rooms and public areas.

9 Jun 2024 - 4:15PM

Captive hell? Undercover inspection reveals plight of some Bali elephants

Animal welfare groups slam Bali’s elephant parks for cruelly exploiting captive animals for tourism, while park owners say the elephants enjoy human interaction and exercise.

9 Jun 2024 - 11:15AM

A tourist rides on an elephant at Mason’s Elephant Park and Lodge, Bali, Indonesia. Animal welfare groups slam Bali’s elephant parks for cruelly exploiting their captive animals for tourism, while park owners say the elephants enjoy human interaction and exercise. Photo: Dave Smith

Donate before you book: luxury resort operator puts host communities first

Through his company 700,000 Heures Impact, hotelier Thierry Teyssier is turning luxury travel on its head with resorts that serve as tools to foster the autonomy of indigenous communities that host them.

5 Jun 2024 - 6:15PM

French hotelier Thierry Teyssier at Dar Ahlam, in Ouarzazate, Morocco, the boutique hideaway he opened 22 years ago. Photo: Instagram/@teyssierthierry

Organisers aim for 2024 Paris Olympics to be the most sustainable Games yet

To make the Paris 2024 Olympics more sustainable than previous Games, organisers have targeted food provision, transport and construction. Some parties are critical of their efforts.

4 Jun 2024 - 5:29AM

Hospitality start-up breathes life into Japan’s forgotten properties

Tyni’s cabins are classified as ‘vehicles’, meaning they can be placed in conventionally inaccessible or protected natural locations without the need for lengthy building permits and development approvals, according to CEO Mori Nishimura.

2 Jun 2024 - 10:00AMvideocam

What to expect at Maldives’ Soneva Secret, from manta rays to an astrologer

The vision of sustainable luxury hotel pioneers Sonu Shivdasani and his wife Eva, the newly opened Soneva Secret is located in the remote-but-pristine Haa Dhaalu Atoll

29 May 2024 - 4:00PM

Looking for an exclusive getaway to a remote Maldives location? Soneva Secret more than lives up to the hype. Photos: Handout

Protesters march in Mallorca, Spain, over impact of mass tourism

People in Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and the Canary Islands have taken to the streets to protest against Spain’s mass tourism, which they blame for making housing unaffordable for locals.

27 May 2024 - 1:55PM

People in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, take part in a protest against mass tourism, which they say is responsible for increasing housing costs for locals. Photo: Reuters

‘Giving nature space’: how rewilding efforts in Scotland are paying off

Rewilding in the Scottish Highlands has seen the return of long-absent species, and efforts to save wild animals such as wildcats. It’s not just their numbers that are growing; ecotourism is blooming, too.

20 May 2024 - 4:14AM

Mount Fuji restricts hikers to combat overtourism

16 May 2024 - 12:01PM

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Responsible travel

Sustainable tourism, ecotourism, ethical tourism, regenerative tourism are among the many terms used to appeal to travellers concerned about the increasing damage people are inflicting to life on planet Earth. Those who consider themselves responsible travellers wish to minimise the harm they cause to the environments and communities they pass through, perhaps even redress the balance in some small way. These articles are for them.

last updated:

9 September, 2024