8 Ways to Embrace Ethical Travel

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You just landed your first full-time remote job and travel suddenly seems like a possibility again. Which begs the question: is sustainable travel outside the continental U.S. even possible? Absolutely not!—but ethical travel may be within reach. So if you’re willing to offset a metric ton of carbon emissions in order to justify your next big trip, here are some steps you can take to make your travel as ethical as possible

1. Don’t go to Hawai’i

@jazzminenotjasmine I don’t fully get it it but if somebody say don’t come to their home then don’t #hawaii #beachday #sandiego #travel #surfing ♬ original sound - Jazzmine

Do not go to Hawai’i. Why? Because Native Hawaiian activists have asked us not to come. As outdoor writer Amath Diouf pointed out, travel to Hawai’i isn’t sustainable for many reasons including an ongoing water shortage. Since its illegal annexation in 1893, water has been commodified and diverted to big agriculture, real estate developers, tourism and the U.S. military—which spilled 19,000 gallons of jet fuel into drinking water reservoirs for 90,000 residents on Oahu in November 2021.

The effects of ongoing water shortages across Hawai’i have also proven fatal. In West Maui, water was first diverted to massive plantations, and later, to gated communities and resort hotels. The combined effect turned the lush green land into dry vegetation, and ultimately provided tinder for a 2023 wildfire that killed 101 people in Lahaina.

It is a sense of entitlement that allows non-essential resort pools to remain full while water usage for some Hawaiians is restricted to essential-use only. It is unethical to prioritize water usage for non-Hawaiians over local residents. Another reason why you shouldn’t come.

Your family vacation won’t enrich the lives of Native Hawaiians who have become second class citizens on their own islands. That is mental gymnastics. Please stop using the argument that tourism makes Hawaiians better off. That’s empirically false. While corporations get rich off tourism dollars, many Native Hawaiians remain trapped in “low wage service jobs” at a state minimum wage of $12/hr. What’s a tourist economy without a permanent service underclass, right? But wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living or with housing costs. They haven’t for decades.

Hawaiians are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. The state ranks #1 in the nation for cost-burdened renters. Forty two percent of middle income households in Hawai’i spend more than 30% of their income on housing and utility costs according to data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. That’s not surprising when median rent for a 2-bdr apartment in Honolulu is $2,900/month and the median home price is $1,417,220. The cost of living in Honolulu is also +84% above the national average.

Short term rentals for wealthy tourists are also contributing to the lack of affordable housing units for local residents. It’s driving Native Hawaiians to relocate to the mainland where there are now more Native Hawaiians than there are in Hawai’i. And the Kānaka Maoli who remain find themselves disproportionately impacted by homelessness. So explain again why your vacation is good for Hawaiians.

Tourism isn’t good for Hawai’i. It’s good for corporations and bad for the ʻāina, as many Hawaiian activists have pointed out. We saw that in 2019 when Hawaii’s 1.5 million residents were overwhelmed by 10.4 million tourists. We saw it when West Maui reopened to tourists on October 3, only two months after the Lahaina wildfire as human remains were still being recovered. Survivors were still living in shelters, and the community was reeling from the very fresh trauma of a mass casualty event directly tied to water shortages—but let’s keep tourists happy, right?

Let’s make sure resort pools are full, and smiling Hawaiians are dancing in cultural programs for tourists, carrying their luggage, and bringing them fresh towels. Do you realize how deeply racist some of y’all sound? 

And we’re still seeing the impact of corporate greed and overtourism despite the overhaul of the mostly-white Hawai’i Tourism Authority and attempts to promote responsible tourism through the Malala Hawai’i campaign.

I’ll keep it simple for you. Do not go to Hawai’i. Tourism on the Hawaiian islands causes cultural erosion, water shortages, wildfires, and an affordable housing crisis. It traps Hawaiians in low wage service industry jobs or it forces them off their land. Yes local government is also accountable, but your indifference isn’t helping.

Native Hawaiians do not exist to serve you drinks on your family vacation or to facilitate your voluntourism project so you can feel good about yourself. Go be a tourist somewhere else. But while we’re on the subject…

2. Avoid voluntourism 

@sowonthego Not all volunteering abroad is created equal and when it comes to skilled labor and working with children, there needs to be better regulations imo #volunteering #traveltok #volunteeringabroad #voluntourism #blacktiktok #solotravel #saviorcomplex #cheaptravel #latinamericatravel #africatravel #asiatravel ♬ original sound - Lena Sow | Travel Creator

What is voluntourism? One example is when foreigners travel to a “developing country” in the Global South for photo ops and content creation. The stated purpose is usually to ‘build a house’, play with children at an orphanage, visit a school, or provide a medical service. That last one is particularly scary because of how often voluntourism attracts unqualified, unlicensed westerners with no particular skillset. They’re motivated by the need to feel good about themselves; and thus, an entire cottage industry has emerged to provide them with “package experiences”—all for a fee, of course. 

Why is voluntourism harmful? What’s the worst that could happen when uncredentialed tourists attempt to do things they are simply not qualified to do? One example is Renee Bach, the 20-year-old white American woman who moved to Uganda to set up a medical clinic for malnourished kids. She had no medical training but still took on the care of 940 malnourished infants with devastating results. Over 100 of them died. Despite legal trouble, Renee still ended up with an HBO special. White privilege is a powerful thing.

When Black and Brown activists remind you that good intentions do not excuse harmful actions, this is what we’re talking about. Voluntourism is extremely misguided in that it centers the ego of the tourist—not the actual needs of the community.

Here’s the thing: Passport privilege, visa privilege, and a stronger currency aren’t qualifications. Citizenship in a western country is not a credential. Possessing these things doesn’t automatically make you the charity giver vs. charity receiver. It doesn’t give you insight into local issues and it doesn’t make you the ‘right person for the job’. Economic privilege doesn’t qualify you to swoop in with a white savior attitude and a voluntourism project that will make you feel good about yourself while accomplishing little else. 

Local areas have local issues and some are quite devastating—like poverty, houselessness and food insecurity. However, they also have local professionals, activists, leaders and nonprofits. You are not helping anyone but yourself when you parachute in for a photo op, bond with an orphaned child who you will never see again, or build a house with no training or experience. It is also scary to watch people conduct a medical mission with no license and zero qualifications. I’m especially looking at you Christian content creators. 

Growing up in evangelical Christianity, I often heard the saying, “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called”. This is a widespread belief in the Church and it’s pretty frightening. The Global South doesn’t need any more white saviors. If your actions would get you arrested in the West, don’t do it in the ‘developing world.’ I shouldn’t have to say as much. 

I don’t care if you’re a first-year medical student with a big heart. Don’t practice medicine without a license. Don’t presume that local public health workers need you to educate them or to show them how to do their job. You just showed up yesterday. You’ll be there for a week before departing on the next leg of your Southeast Asian backpacking trip. They’ve been living there their entire lives. I don’t care how much you want to “give back”. Voluntourism shows a blatant disregard for local knowledge and local organizations. Stop assuming that Brown people need you—an unqualified westerner with no ties to the area—to save them. 

Want to help but don’t know how? Research local nonprofits and donate. Don’t get played by voluntourism packages marketed to gap year students and recent college grads. This is a for-profit industry. What do you think makes more sense to address a housing shortage? Inviting American high school graduates to have a Bob the Builder experience in a foreign country, or hiring local construction workers to get the job done? Are you “making an impact” or are you making a mess for someone else to clean up? Why do you think this western-owned nonprofit or religious organization is recruiting mostly white students to pay a few thousand dollars apiece for an ‘experience’ instead of creating jobs for local residents? Do you think that’s ethical?

If you must create travel content to sustain your lifestyle, film yourself handing over a check to local nonprofit whose staff have signed photo releases ahead of time—which leads me to my next point. 

“Voluntourism is extremely misguided in that it centers the ego of the tourist—not the actual needs of the community. Here’s the thing: Passport privilege, visa privilege, and a stronger currency aren’t qualifications.”

3. Do not take photos of children

This goes back to a simple concept. If your actions could potentially get you arrested in the West, do not do them in the Global South. If you wouldn’t walk around your neighborhood back home taking photos of other people’s children, don’t do that in other countries. If National Geographic can no longer get away with unethical photography, neither can you. I get it, you’re a full-time content creator and you have bills to pay. Try recording audio or your own reaction video instead. Try filming consenting adults. You’re creative; I know you can figure this out.

I don’t care if a child is asking for a photo, they are still a child. If you took photos of random children in almost any neighborhood in the West, someone would call the police to report you—because it’s creepy. 

Children cannot consent to being supporting characters in your white savior project. They cannot consent to being in your Hinge, Grindr or Her profile picture. They cannot consent to a lack of digital privacy. They cannot consent to your unethical behavior—even if they are accustomed to it because you are a dime-a-dozen tourist, and once you are gone, another westerner will take your place, engaging in the same exploitative behavior.

It’s dehumanizing to think that this is okay to do to Black and Brown children but not okay to do to white children. You are either deeply racist or struggling with internalized racism. Please stop. Go to therapy and deconstruct the white supremacy you’ve been steeped in since birth, or stay home.

4. Stay away from orphanages

By now, you have surely heard of the deception and coercion occurring in the for-profit international adoption industry that has exported a million ‘orphans’ to the west over the past six decades. Outraged? You should be.

So why are you filming content at an adoption center in the Global South? Why are you holding and bonding with children—only to disappear permanently from their lives mere hours or days later. Stop doing this.

You are not making a difference. You aren’t even remotely addressing poverty, western imperialism or the complex socioeconomic factors that separate children from primary caregivers. You are paying money for an experience that centers your thoughts and feelings as a western tourist. You aren’t doing what’s best for the child. 

There’s nothing wrong with being the main character in your own life, just as long as you don’t use vulnerable children from the Global South as unpaid supporting actors. It’s also okay to feel bad about poverty. It’s devastating. It would be weird if you didn’t. But this is not the way. 

If you care so much about children who have been separated from caregivers, you should donate money to nonprofits that directly support birth families. If you must make content for TikTok or Instagram, do not show children’s faces. Film consenting adults who work there. Use photo releases and stop being a terrible tourist. 

Leave vulnerable children alone. It’s unfair to traumatize a child who attaches to one voluntourist after another—all here today, gone tomorrow (or the following week). And as one TikTok creator pointed out, your passport privilege is not a background check. It’s not a certification. What qualifies you to have this sort of access to a vulnerable child?

Put the child down and do your research instead. So many ‘orphanages’ catering to western tourists are actually for-profit international adoption centers with a long history of coercive, illegal and abusive behavior towards birth families. Instead of supporting an industry rife with child trafficking, support local organizations that address food insecurity. Donate to local nonprofits that provide direct cash aid to low income families.

What if you used your stronger currency to help birth families keep their children? Aw. Not the photo op you wanted? If that’s your reaction, you have a lot of internal work to do. 

5. Stop calling yourself an expat or digital nomad

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Words matter and the words used by western travelers to escape reality are telling. There’s an growing trend of westerners moving to countries in the Global South where they can take advantage of the favorable exchange rate and low cost of living. Some of them have no intention of returning to their homelands, which makes them immigrants. Others have every intention of returning, which makes them migrant workers.

Yet, these individuals—who move to places like Mexico, Vietnam, Costa Rica and the Philippines for a chance at a better life, often refer to themselves as ‘expats’. It’s a term that seems to exclusively apply to white immigrants and migrant workers living in brown countries—and to the handful of BIPOC who are trying to make the label work for them too. This racist word play is embarrassing. Stop it. 

Black and Brown people get so much hate and disrespect for immigrating to western countries, and for migrant work—the act of temporarily living and working outside of their own country. It shouldn’t surprise me that white people cling to the term ‘expat’ to reassure themselves that they are still in fact better than everyone else—that they are not like “those people”. Interesting.

‘Expat’ groups and communities are known for many things—almost all of them bad—like not mixing with local residents, not learning local languages or dialects and not respecting local customs. They’re also known for racist attitudes, a sense of entitlement and alcohol abuse. I should know: due to work, I spent a fair amount of time around ‘expats’ in Manila who drank excessively, engaged in “passport bro” behavior, complained about everything and routinely mocked local accents.

When are expat groups okay? When they offer community and support for BIPOC immigrants and migrant workers to experience their own culture, speak their own language and find relief from racism in the “host” country. If your culture is whiteness, this does not apply to you. Sadly, none of us can escape white culture because it’s everywhere. You don’t need to hang out mostly or exclusively with other white people. Go learn something and stop hanging out with ‘expats’. 

6. ‘Digital nomads’ in the Global South are neocolonialists. Focus on harm reduction

@fernandacortesx The gentrification in CDMX! If I go Cdmx and can’t find good salsas or a panaderia I’ll lose my mind 😭 #cdmx #mexicocity #gentrification #mexico #mexican #salsa #tacos #panaderia #taqueria ♬ Suspense beat(908677) - INTERLEAVED

Across the Global South, ‘digital nomads’ are flocking to cities in Asia—Bali, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur—and in Latin America—Mexico City, Tulum, Medellin. Governments are luring them with special digital nomad visas. Colombia’s tourism board website promises: “Colombia is a perfect place to use as an office”—which is really interesting language to use to describe one of the most culturally rich, biodiverse countries in the world.

Digital nomads are mostly “white, Western, in their late 20s or early 30s, and employed in software, marketing, or design.” They are paid in dollars or pounds, but spend in pesos, rupiahs and ringgits. Do you see the appeal? They aren’t on work visas so they’re not paying the same taxes as local residents.

Digital nomads aren’t assimilating into the cities and cultures they reside in. Instead they are reshaping them in their own image. They’re whitewashing entire neighborhoods; swapping affordable housing for high priced rentals and replacing mom-and-pop shops with juice bars, coffee shops, co-working spaces and Pilates studios. Communities are losing their character and starting to resemble every other gentrified neighborhood in every other major city worldwide. These globetrotting migrant workers are also displacing long-term residents who can no longer afford skyrocketing housing costs.

In Mexico City, rent increased 30% in the past three years and up to 60% in areas frequented by ‘digital nomads’. Real estate companies are converting family housing into overpriced short term rentals aimed at many of the 1.6 million Americans currently living in Mexico.

The same is occurring in every other top destination for ‘digital nomads’. They’re even reshaping local cuisine.

Food is becoming noticeably less seasoned in cities which have been flooded by white digital nomads. If you live in a major U.S. city that is undergoing gentrification by ‘digital nomads’, this is also happening in your neighborhood. Mom-and-pop shops are holding the spice in order to hold onto repeat white customers. White tourists and migrant workers are imposing their preference for bland food on everyone else. Black and Brown folks are losing out on this important aspect of cultural heritage: seasoning.  

So what can you do? Honestly, staying home would be the best approach. Gentrification is harmful, period. While it’s true that the affordable housing crisis, high cost of living and—in some cases, systemic racism back home are driving digital nomads abroad, it’s also true that most digital nomads are affluent and white. They’re not escaping poverty, they’re contributing to it. Colonizing Mexico City isn’t their last option—it’s a personal preference. They’re there because they enjoy the lifestyle and the privileges that come from possessing a stronger currency. Many have no intention of learning the language or culture before they are off to their next destination.

“There is something especially unjust about American imperialism destabilizing the Global South while its six-figure salaried software engineers set off in search of ‘cheap places to live’.”

But maybe you’re the exception. You’re here because you can’t afford rent on your salary in the U.S. or UK. You’re just grateful to be able to afford to live in a new city abroad. Yes, you also frequent co-working spaces and coffee shops for the WiFi, but you also eat at mom-and-pop restaurants, and buy from street vendors—without complaining that the food is too spicy. You are learning the local language, even though it’s hard and you make a lot of mistakes. You always make an effort. You are respectful to elders. You donate to local nonprofits and support Indigenous business owners.

All of that is wonderful, however, you are still displacing local residents who are literally subsidizing your stay as governments in the Global South use tax dollars to upgrade roads, plazas, and even police presence with the goal of keeping ‘digital nomads’ happy. If you really want to reduce harm, get a work visa, get paid in the local currency and pay the same taxes as everyone else. Or—and this is for Americans in particular—stay home and fight for a stronger social safety net. According to a Statista survey released in 2023, 48% of ‘digital nomads’ worldwide are American. The next largest nationality is the UK at 7%.

There is something especially unjust about American imperialism destabilizing the Global South while its six-figure salaried software engineers set off in search of ‘cheap places to live’.

7. Learn the language

@jwitchytv Let them talk 💩 & keep practicing #fyp #mexican #spanish #nosabo ♬ original sound - jwitchytv

You are not entitled to speak English only in the Global South. Servers, shop owners, street vendors and baristas are not required to speak English to you. That is an unreasonable expectation deeply rooted in racism and western imperialism. Yes, languages can be difficult to fully learn as an adult. You should probably get started. People in most countries in the Global South get overly excited when westerners make the slightest effort to learn their language. So make the slightest effort. You don’t have to be perfect, you do have to try.

But everyone replies to me in English, what do I do? If someone replies in fluent English, and they’re annoyed or in a hurry, you should take the hint and move on. You haven’t done anything wrong but they’re not gonna be your conversation partner, today. But, in most other circumstances, you can ask if they wouldn’t mind practicing with you.

People generally like helping others. It’s okay to ask if you can practice the local language with them. They may say yes and still reply in English. That is a language exchange and it’s a beautiful thing. If you’re not having luck practicing the local language in a larger metropolitan area, you can try several alternatives: 1) make a trip out to the province where there are fewer fluent English speakers and more people with the time to chat with a beginner-level tourist 2) sign up for a language class or language partner 3) become a regular at your local third place—no, not the generic chain coffee shop that caters to westerners—I’m talking about your local panadería, sari-sari store or Thai crepe vendor. Become a regular face instead of a dime-a-dozen tourist.

Don’t let a fear of making mistakes or looking foolish stop you. You will make mistakes and you will sound foolish and that’s part of the process. People generally give beginners a lot of grace—especially westerners. Be grateful because diaspora kids don’t get the same love when they visit ‘home’ without a firm grasp of their mother tongue. So enjoy your privilege.

8. Embrace slow travel whenever possible

@sheisimanib Replying to @MrBlue818 Entitled unfortunately doesn’t mean one demographic unfortunately. I’ve seen MANY Black and Brown people who were rude or exhibiting colonizing energy! #blacktiktok #travellife #vacation #behavior ♬ original sound - Imani B.

Slow travel is all about immersing yourself in a community, culture and language without rushing to check off another country and gain another passport stamp. It’s hard to do because not everyone has the time, resources or flexibility to work from anywhere in the globe. 

Slow travel is more ethical because it resists the commodification of people and place which is how a lot of ‘modern’ travel is structured.

It must also include a willingness to embrace a learner mindset. Instead of assuming that passport privilege means you automatically have something to give (voluntourism/white saviorism) or take (overtourism/entitlement), slow travel requires you to de-center yourself in the narrative to open yourself up to learning new things. 

You’re not in a “tropical paradise” to be served drinks and fresh towels by brown-skinned attendants. And why is that your fantasy anyways? You are in someone else’s community and neighborhood. You’re grateful for the opportunity to drop into someone else’s third place and try a new food or dish without complaining or demanding it be served to your specifications. Food allergy folks, I’m not talking to you so hold tight for a moment. You’re grateful for the opportunity to shop at local farmers markets, support Indigenous makers, exercise with the old ladies in the park, go to Friday prayers or Sunday Mass (if that’s your thing) and to do unglamorous, unskilled work at a local nonprofit without exploiting them for content. 

If you are a licensed medical professional slow traveling through the Philippines with the desire to “give back”, maybe you don’t. Instead you befriend a barangay health worker or local doctor and acknowledge their expertise and knowledge. You don’t use them for content. You express admiration for how their organization or clinic has been working within the community for decades to address local public health challenges. 

And once you’ve been friends with them for awhile, maybe you ask how you can help, if at all. And if they say, “No, we’re good, you are our guest”, you leave it at that. Even if sick children make you sad. You realize they’ve seen ‘well intentioned’ westerners—full of promises and good intentions—parachute in and depart just as abruptly. You are also honoring their generosity and hospitality. You are acknowledging that being a visitor puts you in the role of receiver—not giver. 

You are receiving magiliw na pagtanggap, a warm welcome. So instead of starting a GoFundMe that no one asked for, or filming content, or throwing money around, or trying to solve problems that you do not understand the roots of because you lack local knowledge, you enjoy the warm welcome and express appreciation and gratitude to your new friends. 

When you see local professionals volunteering, you understand that they were always the missing piece—not you. They are qualified, they have local knowledge and they’re from the community. They will be here long after you’re gone.

It’s been weeks or months, and you’ve been learning and soaking up culture, language and local knowledge like a sponge instead of insisting on half-baked solutions to problems you don’t understand. You’ve shown humility and gratitude instead of assuming your passport privilege and western identity give you special insight into other people’s lives. 

At this point, if your new friends mention that they are short of a specific medical supply, or are having trouble securing funds to make maintenance repairs to their facility—at this point, you do a mental assessment of the resources your western identity and financial privilege gives you access to. The answer might be none. But maybe you are really good at digital campaigns, have a vast network or very deep pockets. Once you’ve done that, you ask your new friends if they’d like help. And you define that help narrowly and don’t over promise. And you don’t go off half cocked—even if the answer is “yes”.

You don’t do anything by yourself. You partner and collaborate, because you recognize that you just got here and still know nothing. You rely on your new friends to introduce you to the right people at the local nonprofit. And maybe at that point, if you feel inclined you write a check or set up a GoFundMe. But you’re not skipping steps, you’re socializing ideas and getting buy in from the right community members. You’re not parachuting in with non-iterative programming and undermining the efforts of local leaders. 

You, my friend, are an ethical traveler.