The Global Basecamps Blog

We are happy to announce that we have joined IMEC's Partnership for Responsible Travel Program. The International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC) is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote responsible and sustainable connections between travelers and the people of developing mountain regions of the world. As a partner of this program Global Basecamps is supporting their Porters Assistance Project.

An emerging travel “trend” makes me nervous

I like to think that I’m the kind of guy who knows what’s trendy before the world turns and embraces a new idea, with travel, obviously, but with everything else as well. If we at Global Basecamps can’t either enthusiastically or derisively comment on a suggestion being made about a new style of travel or an emerging destination than it makes trip design just a little less fun. With that said I somehow totally missed the boat on what is being heralded as not just a “growing” trend but also what is being called by Ecotravel News as “the ultimate in ecotravel.” Is it kayaking on the Black Sea? Walking around the world? Working with local communities in Columbia? No, no and no. It’s not leaving home. It’s the staycation.

Here is the definition of the staycation:

A staycation (or stay-cation, or stacation) is a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high.

Where you travel and how you spend can change the world

In the spirit of July and because I was exercising my freedom to not write a blog last week I’m going to talk a little bit about Independence and how freedom of choice can affect destinations, communities, regions, industries and the planet.  It’s pretty obvious that there is no greater power on the planet than the power of currency.   My favorite aspect of the Green Revolution that’s taking place is how simple it is to actually foster change through spending.  There are those that will tell you that the only way to save the planet is by changing the consumer mentality and to reduce our possessions and fundamentally end our “throw-away” culture.  I’m not the person you want to have this discussion with at a dinner party because I seriously love buying things and am only limited in scope by my bank account.  I agree in theory, but changing the cultural makeup of billions of people is a lot harder than buying smart.  As Josh Dorfman has so perfectly pointed out in The Lazy Environmentalist, "the easiest way to exercise the power to influence society is by purchasing sustainable products".  The range of product categories and options is becoming limitless and this is exactly as it should be.  The more that we as a society spend on green products the more green products will become available.  It’s that simple.  Travel is no exception.

Keep it simple to really travel sustainably

There’s no question that the incredible amount of press that going green has gotten lately is a good thing, an eye-opener for the masses and a call to arms. The only real negative that I can see is that the massive amount of information being thrown around (much of it just plain wrong) is so overwhelming that it’s started creating confusion in some and absolute shut-me-down panic in others. Everyone needs to take a deep breath and relax for a second. Yes, suddenly realizing after 200 years that there are other ways of living can be quite an eye-opener. Waking up and having to take responsibility for your actions after a lifetime of care-free existence can take some getting used to but let’s keep things in perspective and embrace the incredible new options that we have available to us. Listen to me: It’s not your fault. Seriously. It’s not your fault. You are not killing the polar bears. You are not going to flood the coastal cities. You are not to blame. Now you know and can make things better and lessen your impact. We all have the ability to live lightly so I’ll let far more experienced people tell you how to go about your daily life in a more sustainable way and I’ll focus on what I know.

Sustainable hotels grow up and get pricey

The first “eco lodge” I stayed in was in Northern Thailand in the early 90’s. It was essentially camping in a rundown thatch hut just down the street from the Bob Marley café and the endless loop of Legend playing all day and night did nothing to add to the authentic wilderness experience I was looking for. I’ll hand it to the good people of “Sunny Day Eco-Lodge,” they ran a truly sustainable operation. Energy consumption was zero. Water consumption was zero. The incredible variety of arachnid wildlife in my room was thriving and the community directly benefited from the $2 I spent on Banana pancakes. It was a hysterical experience and one that would have put most people off of anything green or sustainable or eco forever. The problem with eco travel in general has always been the perception that in order to be sustainable basic comforts have to be given up, and this was often true. I could have stayed down the street from Sunny Day and had running water and a door to my room but I wanted to be eco. Those days are long gone.