Lounging in the pool, staring out into the darkening tropical jungle, I contemplated my difficult choices. A drink before dinner, or stay in the pool? Decisions, decisions. On a small group tour, that was about the toughest one I had to make.
I consider myself an independent traveler. From my first trip as an adult, backpacking across Asia and Australia, to current jaunts with my family, I like to do it myself. But a recent trip to Costa Rica reminded me of the pleasures and advantages of small group tours.
I was in Costa Rica for business, so was traveling alone. I had an open weekend, but only the weekend – I had to be back in San Jose on Monday morning. I decided to maximize my time by signing up for a tour to Tortuguero National Park. And I, super independent traveler, had a fantastic time.
I have been mulling a recent comment on an older blog entry. The person wrote “I was told by a wise woman not too long ago (who runs an ecological farm – Permaculture based) that: ‘There is no such thing as Eco travel. You wanna be Eco? Good – Stay Home!”
Is she right? Is travel itself intrinsically bad for the environment?
There’s no denying that flying is bad for the environment. Pollution from jets contributes approximately 3 to 5% of annual carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. By getting on a plane and flying somewhere, you are immediately contributing to that total.
But there are things you can do to mitigate it.
A massive magnitude 8.9 earthquake rocked the Japan coast this morning (Friday, March 11th), triggering tsunami warnings for twenty countries, including the coasts of Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. While it appears that the tsunami will have minimal effect on Central America, Ecuador and [...]
Every year, thousands of people flock to Ecuador to see the Galapagos. And with good reason – the Galapagos are fascinating and absolutely unique. Anyone interested in wildlife will find them the experience of a lifetime. But most people hustle off to the Galapagos and straight back home again, without seeing the other wonders that [...]
Christmas is over, the New Year’s confetti has been swept up, and the January doldrums threaten to take over. Don’t despair – the biggest party of the year beckons. Yes, soon it will be Carnival time, and as the Al Johnson song says, “it’s Carnival time and everybody’s havin’ fun!” Carnival is the world’s biggest [...]
