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.
You announce you are going to Latin America by yourself, and your mother promptly faints. After you revive her, she begins issuing dire warnings of all the terrible things that will happen to a woman traveling along in South America. Take a deep breath. The world has changed. Solo women travelers are no longer bizarre [...]
Unrest continues in Honduras. President Zelaya, ousted in a coup on June 28, has returned to the country and taken refuge in the Brazilian embassy. As troops surround the embassy, a negotiating team from the Organization of American States was denied entry. A curfew is in place, and public gatherings have been banned. Exito Travel [...]
The US State Department has issued a travel alert for Honduras. They recommend that American citizens defer all non-essential travel to Honduras until further notice. At this points flights to and from Honduras are operating normally, but all carriers are monitoring the situation, which is volatile. Roads to and from the airports are sporadically blocked [...]
