Responsible Travel is summorised based on justice and sustainability. It is about minimising your impact and support local culture and wildlife, and to contribute to the local economy and the local community. It is not a fashionable way of travelling; it is a way of travelling which we all can afford. If we believe that no one should go hungry, if we believe that everyone should have a home, if we believe that all humans and animals have the right to live a dignified life - then we should chose to be responsible tourists. That is what it is about - responsible travel is based on the ethical concept that travelling should support a fair and healthy world for all living creatures.

WWF INTERNATIONAL has some good advice on their web site called Travel Smart. WWF is doing an important work for the environment and wildlife all over the world, and we all need to join in their efforts. Material gains can never replace nature, we just have to realise this fact and put it seriously into practice. Much more seriously than we have never done before. Together we can turn the tide!

CARBON OFFSETS are very popular today and you can hear and read about them widely, but, sorry to say, we can't support this. The intentions are good, but they don't fulfil their goal. Carbon offsets are not a viable solution to the huge problem we have with carbon emissions and climate changes. Instead carbon offsets give people the incentive to just continue travelling and that is very seductive. What we really need is to reduce our emissions, not to offset them. We need to change to low carbon energy, to renewable energy - that is the only solution. Tree planting has nothing to do with your emissions; we need to restore forests for many reasons but to make up for our emissions is not one of them.

BUT WHAT ABOUT offset to support renewable energy? We say the same here, that it's of course good to support renewable energy, but to link that to emissions from our travelling again gives the wrong incentives. In this world with serious climate changes and other environmental problems we have to realise that we need to do something more radical than trying to neutralise some emissions. We need to reduce the emissions, drastically! We need to change our lifestyle and demand green energy and transport choices. Another problem with offset projects is, as well, that they often are situated in developing countries, and sure, people there need support and they need renewable energy, but not with intentions to solve emission problems for us in the west. Research has also shown that several offset projects have prevented local people from getting access to farm land, because the land has been taken over for "offset projects" for western companies. So our advice to you who like to make a contribution, support renewable energy projects in your own country, or even in a developing country, but with no link to carbon offsets. Then you know that your money goes directly to what is needed.

If you like to know more about carbon offset and climate changes, we recommend you to have a look at these sites: SinksWatch, Corner House and CarbonTradeWatch.