Rickshaw Travel

ABTAATOL Protected

  • Destinations
  • Family holidays
  • Travel guides
  • About us
  • Blog
My Travel Plan
Loading...

Your travel plan is empty!

Add your favourite trips or an itinerary to your travel plan. Click on 'My Travel Plan' to see what you've added and send it to us. Our travel specialists will piece your holiday together (including transport & accommodation) and send you a quote within one working day.

Get started!

Added so far...

We'll create your dream holiday

    Next, review & send us your travel plan for your quote

    Request your quote

    Or view/email a copy of your travel plan

    View your travel plan
     Your next steps

    1. Add your favourite trips or an itinerary to your travel plan
    2. Click the Request your quote button to send it over to us
    3. Our travel specialists will piece your holiday together (including transport & accommodation) and send you a quote within one working day

     Your next steps

    1. Add your favourite trips or an itinerary to your travel plan
    2. Click the Request your quote button to send it over to us
    3. Our travel specialists will piece your holiday together (including transport & accommodation) and send you a quote within one working day

    • Destinations
      • Asia
        • Bhutan
        • China
        • India
        • Japan
        • Nepal
        • Sri Lanka
        • Tibet
      • South East Asia
        • Borneo
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Laos
        • Malaysia
        • Myanmar
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
      • North America
        • Canada
        • USA
      • Central America
        • Belize
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
        • Guatemala
        • Mexico
        • Nicaragua
        • Panama
      • South America
        • Argentina & Antarctica
        • Bolivia
        • Brazil
        • Chile
        • Colombia
        • Ecuador & Galapagos
        • Peru
      • Europe
        • Greece
        • Iceland
        • Italy
        • Lapland
        • Portugal
      • View all destinations
    • Family holidays
      • Asia
        • India
        • Sri Lanka
      • South East Asia
        • Borneo
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
      • North America
        • Canada
        • USA
      • Central America
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
      • South America
        • Peru
      • Europe
        • Iceland
        • Italy
        • Lapland
        • Portugal
    • Travel guides
      • Travel guides by destination
        • Borneo
        • Canada
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
        • Ecuador
        • Galapagos
        • India
        • Indonesia
        • Japan
        • Peru
        • Sri Lanka
        • Vietnam
      • Family Holiday Guides
        • Borneo
        • Canada
        • Costa Rica
        • Cuba
        • India
        • Indonesia
        • Malaysia
        • Peru
        • Sri Lanka
        • Thailand
        • USA
        • Vietnam
      • Inspiration
        • Beaches
        • City stopovers
        • Diving and snorkelling
        • Food & drink
        • Honeymoons
        • Self drive
        • Trekking
        • Unique experiences
        • Wildlife & safari
      • Where to Go When
        • January
        • February
        • March
        • April
        • May
        • June
        • July
        • August
        • September
        • October
        • November
        • December
    • About us
      • Discover more
        • Our values
        • Meet the team
        • How we work
        • Work with us
        • Customer reviews
        • In the news
        • Contact us
      • Responsible travel
        • Responsible travel
        • Animal welfare
        • Population Matters
        • Our Meaningful Travel Policy
        • How to be a responsible traveller
      • Travel Advice
        • Accommodation
        • Covid-19
        • Flexible booking
        • Flights
        • LGBTQ+ travellers
        • Refer a Friend
        • Travel insurance
        • Visas & passports
    • Blog
    AsiaSouth East AsiaNorth AmericaCentral AmericaSouth AmericaEuropeView all destinations
    BhutanChinaIndiaJapanNepalSri LankaTibet
    BorneoCambodiaIndonesiaLaosMalaysiaMyanmarThailandVietnam
    CanadaUSA
    BelizeCosta RicaCubaGuatemalaMexicoNicaraguaPanama
    Argentina & AntarcticaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuador & GalapagosPeru
    GreeceIcelandItalyLaplandPortugal
     
     
    AsiaSouth East AsiaNorth AmericaCentral AmericaSouth AmericaEurope
    IndiaSri Lanka
     
    BorneoCambodiaIndonesiaThailandVietnam
     
    CanadaUSA
     
    Costa RicaCuba
     
    Peru
     
    IcelandItalyLaplandPortugal
     
    Travel guides by destinationFamily Holiday GuidesInspirationWhere to Go When
    • Borneo
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • Ecuador
    • Galapagos
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Peru
    • Sri Lanka
    • Vietnam
    • Borneo
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Peru
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • USA
    BeachesCity stopoversDiving and snorkellingFood & drinkHoneymoonsSelf driveTrekkingUnique experiencesWildlife & safari
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
    Discover moreResponsible travelTravel Advice
    Our valuesMeet the teamHow we workWork with usCustomer reviewsIn the newsContact us
    Responsible travelAnimal welfarePopulation MattersOur Meaningful Travel PolicyHow to be a responsible traveller
    AccommodationCovid-19Flexible bookingFlightsLGBTQ+ travellersRefer a FriendTravel insuranceVisas & passports

    Rickshaw Ramblings

    • Browse by Destination
    • Argentina & Antarctica
    • Bhutan
    • Bolivia
    • Borneo
    • Borneo for Families
    • Brazil
    • Brighton
    • Cambodia
    • Cambodia for Families
    • Canada
    • Canada for Families
    • Chile
    • China
    • Colombia
    • Costa Rica
    • Costa Rica for Families
    • Cuba
    • Ecuador & Galapagos
    • Family
    • Greece
    • Iceland
    • India
    • Indochina
    • Indonesia
    • Indonesia for Families
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Lapland
    • Malaysia
    • Mexico
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Nicaragua
    • Panama
    • Peru
    • Portugal
    • Sri Lanka
    • Sri Lanka for Families
    • Thailand
    • Thailand for Families
    • Tibet
    • USA
    • USA for families
    • Vietnam
    • Vietnam for Families
    • Browse by Theme
    • 24 hours in...
    • Competition
    • Cultural
    • Customers stories
    • Family travel
    • Food and drink
    • Friends of Rickshaw
    • History
    • Responsible travel
    • Top tips
    • Wellness
    • Wildlife

    23rd March 2015 by Friends of Rickshaw • 5 min read

    Responsible Tourism | What’s it All About?

    MeaningfulTravel Responsible travel

    Share:

    Man smiling on headset

    Prefer to chat things through?

    Enquire now

    Meet Beth, a student studying BTEC Travel and Tourism at Sussex Downs College. Every week, our Vicky returns to the classroom to teach, talk about and share our passion for responsible travel with Beth her fellow students. Today, in the spirit of showing our Rickshaw support for Travel and Tourism as a subject, we’re sharing Beth’s fantastic Responsible Tourism assignment with you…

    Customer smiling with local guides in Pingan, China

    Responsible Tourism | By Beth Mills

    “Some may not know what responsible tourism is or what a responsible holiday is. They may not know how many countries are being effected by them going away on holiday. Or the places in the world that are being destroyed by tourists. So what is responsible tourism? What’s happening to our world? How many countries are being affected by this? And would you change your mind on the type of holiday that you go on?

    local women in jungle with a traveller in NepalResponsible tourism is a holiday in which everyone cares about the destination that they are going on. This can be from the culture to the environment and the local communities to the wildlife conservation. A holiday about respect.

    So what’s happening to our world? Are we not respecting other people’s homes? Well the simply answer is no, however we are gaining more knowledge into the industry and holiday-goers are becoming more aware.

    Obviously with anything there are positive and negative impacts. You may think you are doing the right thing but actually you are keeping what could be a thriving destination back from tourists to visit.

    local woman and child in homestay in sri lankaOne thing that tourism does is loses the cultural identity of a destination. You could be sitting in a hotel surrounded by imported products from countries much more well off then the country that you are visiting. This could result in countries becoming displaced, locals not knowing when their home is going to be destroyed by a big chain hotel coming into the country. Money not coming with them because all of it will be going straight back to America, Britain or wherever the hotel company is situated. And yet in Kenya 87% of tourists go on all-inclusive holidays and yet over half of local people live on less than $1 a day. Is this right? Why are locals so poor when there are so many tourists? It because of big hotel company’s and holiday tour operators.

    man sitting on water buffalo in vietnamBy not being responsible we are losing natural habitats. This isn’t just about losing little beetles and insects, but the homes of animals and living organisms. Would you like it if you were told to leave your home so that a hotel could be built? Congestion and pollution. What do you think this is doing to environments that haven’t been touched for hundreds of years? It destroying it. Locals will want to get out of the country they’ve called home because it won’t be that after tourists claim it.

    customers in cusco peruThe locals won’t have much choice to leave if they are only living on $1 a day. As soon as tourists and big chain company’s get in there, everything will be more expensive than $1. Living costs will increase considerably, locals won’t be able to cope. You may say “yeah but if we come in, then there will be employment for locals”. Well yes that is true but will you only be visiting the country when the weathers good. Seasonal unemployment will happen and everyone will be back to what it was before but with big, empty building placed everywhere.

    local boys nepalThat is what tourism does to destinations and people’s homes if you’re not responsible. Now read the following.

    If you take the responsible tourist view when going on a holiday you are not only helping the destination that you are visiting but you will probably come back thinking that it was the best holiday that you’ve had, because you’ve seen the true country and not the tourist view of a country.

    rickshaw staff ceri with local family at casa in cubaStaying in accommodation like this will not only help the economy, because you are paying the locals to stay on their land but also will help the environment. When on a responsible holiday you could be buying off beach traders, like in Mombasa. The Travel Foundation have helped over 572 beach sellers along beaches in Kenya. They help locals increase their skills so that they can display their products better and sell them with much more ease. When buying of a beach seller you know that the money will only be going to them, and that the materials used were local too. This will preserve the crafts of the locals and they will be able to keep making and selling these to other visitors.

    Local man rolls a cigar in cubaIf foreign currency exchanges have to happen within the destination like in Cuba, then the destination will get all the money rather than just a percentage.

    Wildlife will be kept in their natural habitat, this will result in no change and everything will grow and carrying on as usual.

    Locals at a food marketHowever there can be positives to tourists coming in, without destroying the country. The hotels will want fresh produce and the place that they will first ask is the locals, whether that’s through farming fruit, veg or fish. If when tourists go to a country to visit and they are being responsible and buying products from locals, which are locally made then it will increase domestic income.

    Malaysia guideEnvironmental and cultural education will occur because tourists will want guides, and who better to do these but local people. This also means that employment will increase.

    By letting some people into destinations, then improved infrastructure will start to happen. This will allow more and more tourists to be able to go to that particular destination. The improved infrastructure will also help in the communities facilities. However this can’t get too big because otherwise it will turn into a negative and the responsible tourism that it started as will turn to tourism.”

    Beth is studying for a BTEC in Travel and Tourism at Sussex Downs College.
    “I would like to travel to Australasia, because there is an opportunity to experience diversity of cultures. There are coastal, city and countryside destinations all within one continent. The weather is a huge plus! I decided to study Travel and Tourism because I had an interest in working in an Airport and learning about different cultures around the world.” – Beth

    Curious about the Rickshaw responsible travel journey? Check out our Meaningful Travel mission!

    CultureRamblerTalesRickshawRamblersWildlife
    Image of Friends of Rickshaw

    Written by Friends of Rickshaw

    Here you can read posts from travel bloggers, chums who have previously worked with us and our local guides and drivers from across the globe.

    Comments

    Next Article

    Journey to the Himalayas | Maria’s Tibetan Adventure

    Previous Article

    Chloe’s favourite beaches in Malaysia

    Other articles you may like

    Responsible travel

    How You Can help Save Endangered Species In The Rainforest

    27th April 2021

    Rainforests are being eliminated at an alarming rate, here are some of the things that we can do to help save endangered species that call these places home.

    6 min read

    Read More - How You Can help Save Endangered Species In The Rainforest

    Great Apes & Beach Escapes | Emma’s Borneo Highlights

    20th May 2014 by Emma

    Need inspiration for your Borneo trip? Look no further, Emma is sharing her Borneo highlights and amazing photos from beaches to monkeys and everything between.

    6 min read

    Read More - Great Apes & Beach Escapes | Emma’s Borneo Highlights

    Customers stories

    Discovering the delights of Ubud, Bali | Andrew & Anthea

    26th September 2012 by Rickshaw Ramblers

    Andrew & Anthea travelled to Ubud, Bali with Rickshaw and we were lucky enough to get their wonderful travel photos and a recap of their memorable trip.

    5 min read

    Read More - Discovering the delights of Ubud, Bali | Andrew & Anthea
    Back up

    As featured in

    • the guardian logo
    • wanderlust logo red
    • Lonely Planet
    • National Geographic Traveler
    • Psychologies
    • The Daily Telegraph

    Information

    • Contact us
    • Booking conditions
    • Financial protection
    • Health and safety
    • Your Package Holiday
    • FCDO travel advice
    • Blog
    • Coronavirus travel advice

    Get in touch

    We're a friendly bunch and always ready for a chat so feel free to get in touch.

    Call us: 01273 322 398

    Email us: hello@rickshawtravel.co.uk

    Contact us

    Connect with us

    FacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubePinterest
    ATOL Protected ABTA Travelife

    © 2008 - 2022 | Rickshaw Travel

    Privacy Policy  |  Cookie Policy  |  Sitemap

    Call us Phone us

    Please give us your consent to use cookies

    We use cookies to ensure our website works, to give you an enhanced experience while browsing, and to enable us to use 3rd party tools that are connected to us. Read our Cookie Policy for more information.

    What are your holiday plans?

    • Our travel specialists know everything there is to know about your chosen destination. Please tell us what you're looking for below and we’ll get back to you very soon (usually within 24 hours).

    • Hidden
      This field is only shown to Rickshaw Admins, and is used for routing the form to the correct destination inbox
    • Hidden
      This field is only shown to Rickshaw Admins, and is used for routing the form to the correct destination inbox
    • If you'd prefer us to call you, please enter your phone number here
    • If you can, please share with us how many people are travelling, when you’d like to go, what you’d really like to experience, what you love doing on holidays, your rough budget, and when's best to contact you.
    • Hidden
      By signing up to the email newsletter you consent to receive promotional emails from us. You can unsubscribe at any time. We genuinely care about you and treat your data securely and respectfully. We tell you all about it in our Privacy Policy.
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.