Holly Tappen: How to travel responsibly

Sustainable travel expert Holly Tappen shares responsible travel tips with Bryony Cottam

In 2008, Holly Tappen set out on a trip around the world by all means except planes. What started as a collection of potential hiking and biking routes Tappen marked on a large wall map quickly evolved into one of his 20-month journeys. “We started exploring long-distance routes by sailing, joining freight ships, traveling long distances by train, and even walking.”

Today, Tappen is a sustainable travel expert who has worked with travel companies such as Exodus and Long Run, as well as a travel writer and author of two books: sustainable travel and Slow travel family vacation. But it was during her journey across the globe that she began to understand how slow travel could benefit the places she visits while reducing her carbon footprint.

While the concept of sustainable travel is not new – the term “ecotourism” first appeared in the 1980s and the US-based Center for Responsible Travel was founded in 2003 – it has yet to enter the mainstream. It happened only recently. “It's really accelerated, especially since the pandemic,” Tappen said. “I would often pitch stories to editors, and they would look away and say, ‘We don’t cover sustainable travel.’”

There's also a lot of new terminology (eco, sustainable, responsible, slow, nature positive, positive impact, regeneration, etc.) that Tappen notes can be a bit of a minefield for travelers. I also agree. “I think this service will continue to evolve because people's needs and the places they travel to are always changing,” she says. “We have moved away from trying to minimize our impact and leave things as they are, because the reality is that things are not very good. We need to consider how we can make an impact. This is where words like “regeneration” come into play.

Mr Tappen believes it is unrealistic to expect every holiday to make a huge contribution to the places we visit. “Sustainable travel is not one-size-fits-all,” she says. “It's like having a menu of options in your head and being mindful of the choices we make. Then you can think about how you can support local people and conservation projects with your money, or maybe try eating locally sourced, sustainable produce.”

For many travelers, budget-friendly travel is not synonymous with sustainable travel, but Tappen says there are many misconceptions about how much it costs. “It doesn't necessarily have to be as expensive as the travel industry would like us to believe,” she says. “Small travel, especially old-fashioned backpacking, is often a more sustainable option. Once you start doing luxury travel, you create the realization that you need to pay a premium to make it sustainable. Masu.”

Still, many of the sustainable travel opportunities we hear about, whether it's a forest ecolodge or a wildlife experience, have a PR agency or a budget for media exposure, Tappen said. says. There are plenty of small, sustainable accommodation options and travel experiences, as she reveals: Take a break with your family. “We found that we could save around £1,000 for a family of four traveling overland by simply switching from the very expensive Eurostar to a ferry to Dieppe and starting our train journey there rather than in Paris.” she said. she says.

Budget-friendly and sustainable travel may take a little more planning, but Tappen says it's easier than you think. “Crossing the ocean on a yacht is obviously an epic feat, but it's actually a little easier than most people think.” She is looking for aspiring sailors and inexperienced crew members. He pointed to websites such as Crewseekers, which pair captains together. Her next trip to Berlin will be on the new crowd-funded European Sleeper. This is one of a growing number of new night train routes across Europe.