An Introductory Guide to responsible travel
The Earth is home to a vast trove of natural resources, including air, water, soil, plants, animals, minerals, and land, that together allow humans to live and thrive. However, in our brief time on the planet, humans have overused these resources—clearing forests and grasslands, burning fossil fuels, and destroying ecosystems—with devastating impacts on the long-term health of our planet.
But there is another way: The World Wildlife Fund believes people can both prosper and use the planet’s resources in a sustainable way—balancing basic human needs with the need to conserve the natural environment. A sustainable future ensures we stay within the limits of the planet and provides a strong quality of life for generations to come.
BEING CULTURALLY RESPONSIBLE
RESPECT LOCAL CULTURE
Before you go, it’s best to research and understand the local culture, dress code and values. Although the world has become incredibly accessible, we must respect and uphold different beliefs and ways of life. These may be very different to what we’re used to at home.
SHOP & EAT LOCALLY
Try and find locally sourced food, especially seasonal produce you might find in local shops and markets. Large chains will probably source food internationally with high food miles. The same applies to local family owned/independent restaurants, try and eat local, as you’re more likely to find both tasty and locally sourced food.
INVEST IN LOCAL COMMUNITY
We recommend investing in the community you’re visiting, which will not only improve your experience but the lives of those who live there. It can be very simple such as taking basic supplies, or volunteering in local community projects.
As an example when Graeme travelled to Kenya he took football shirts donated by customers to give to the local community and pens for the local schools.
HIRE A LOCAL GUIDE
There is nothing like a local guide to get you to the heart of the community, giving you the best insight into their lives. You’ll be able to experience it, just as they do. When you book a local guide, you are contributing to the local economy.
HOW WE TRAVEL
Although it might not always be possible, consider taking longer, more involved travel experiences, rather than lots of short ones. Longer trips, especially when travelling overland use far less carbon and has less impact on the environment.
CONSIDER TRAVELLING BY RAIL
Travelling by rail isn’t just a great way to see a country, it can also reduce your carbon footprint of your holiday. There are a number of places where trains are widely used – especially in western Europe, parts of America, Asia and Australia.
In the UK, Westoe Travel have their own Tour Operator for rail holidays -RAIL ADVENTURES
TRAVEL LIGHTER
You don’t have to take full cases away with you, after all more weight is more fuel you’re likely to consume. Especially on a long trip, consider booking an apartment with laundry facilities, instead of taking more clothes.
LOCAL TRANSPORT
Consider using local buses, trams, monorails or hire bikes in your location to improve your experience. Most places will at least have a bus service, and an increasing number of these are run sustainably.
PACKAGING
We recommend leaving any packaging at home before you travel, where hopefully you’ll be able to recycle it. If you do acquire waste packaging abroad (especially if you’re self catering), find out about how locals recycle.
RECYCLE
Are you able to recycle in the hotel you’re staying? They may have recycling schemes on site you might not be aware of, or the location you’re in may have a municipal where you can recycle plastic or card.
TAKE A REFILLABLE WATER BOTTLE
Reduce the amount of single-use plastic you use by taking a refillable water bottle with you. At airports you’ll be able to refill it after security, and use a larger bottle when abroad to reduce plastic waste.
TURN OFF APPLIANCES
Appliances that are left on standby mode still consume energy. When you’re not using them, consider turning them off completely, which also saves money.
AVOID ANIMAL CRUELTY
Avoid attractions where animals may be exploited. If you see animals performing outside of their natural habitat, it’s probably something you wouldn’t want to support.
Westoe Travel do not advertise or sell attractions where we consider animals are exploited
DON’T BUY GIFTS OF ENDANGERED ANIMALS
The illegal trade in wildlife is a huge industry, and we would recommend being careful when purchasing locally-produced animal souvenirs as it could fuel this trade. If in doubt, don’t buy it.
Just because you find an item for sale does not mean it is legal to bring it home.
Some products may be made from protected animals or plants and may be illegal to export or import. Other wildlife products may require permits before you can bring them home to the United Kingdom. By making informed choices, you can avoid having your souvenir confiscated or paying a fine. You also help diminish the illegal market for species at risk.
Ask these questions before making a purchase:
What is this product made of?
Where did this product come from?
Does the country I’m visiting allow the sale and export of this product?
Do I need permits or other documents from this country or the United
Kingdom to bring this item home?
CONTRIBUTE TO CONSERVATION PROJECTS
Around the world, there are hundreds of wildlife conservation projects. You could incorporate one of these into your itinerary, as there is usually a charity or volunteering programme somewhere near where you are staying.
ADOPT AN ANIMAL
Make a donation to the World Wildlife Fund or a similar charity to support work with endangered animals
SAVE WATER
UNDERSTAND LOCAL WATER USAGE RULES
Understand the rules of where you are travelling to. There are some destinations which have restrictions on the use of water at certain times of the year (and even certain times of day), with the need for rationing at particularly difficult times.
KEEP SHOWERS TO A MINIMUM
Water is a precious resource in many places, so it’s advised to reduce our consumption as much as possible. An easy way to do this is to keep showers as short as possible, especially where water levels are low.
DON’T CHANGE BEDDING DAILY
Many hotels now give you the option of changing bedding daily. Take them up on this option, as it’s unlikely you’re going to need it changed everyday (given it’s unlikely you would do that at home anyway), reducing water and energy consumption.
LEAVE NO TRACE
Although it might sound obvious, it’s best to leave somewhere exactly how you found it and to have as little impact on the natural environment as possible.
WHAT IS WESTOE TRAVEL DOING?
As a company, we have taken several different routes in how we operate as a business, and what we do for our own travel. This encompasses everything from the increased use of technology, to lower carbon methods of transport and our commitment to recycling more of our waste.
CARBON OFFSET
For our own travel, we choose airlines that have integrated carbon-offsetting schemes and are investing heavily in either sustainable aviation fuel or alternative methods of propulsion such as hydrogen.
PAPER REDUCTION
We have substantially reduced the amount of paper we use within the office, and recommend that as much as possible can be done electronically. Where we can, we use apps to store boarding passes and important documents we need to travel.
WALK TO WORK SCHEME
All of our team are encouraged to at least walk part of the journey to work.Chloe, Graeme and Maddy all regularly walk most of their journey or use public transport
BROCHURE REDUCTION
We have substantially reduced the number of brochures we hold in the office, restricting them to the ones we use and recommend the most. We have arrangments with schools in South Tyneside to reuse our old brochures.
We have a weekly recycling collection of paper, cardboard and other recyclable materials.
CLOTHING & UNIFORMS
In 2021 we decided to drop the use of uniforms, which was both wasteful and difficult to maintain. Instead, we wear our own clothes, sourced as sustainably as possible – and where possible any clothes we no longer wear are given to charity.
PAYING OUR STAFF All of our staff are paid weekly to help them budget and spend more regularly in local business's
CARBON OFFSET We offset all of the carbon from customers flights with payments to the Woodland Trust to plant trees
TRAVEL LIGHTLY
We practice what we preach, and travel as lightly as possible. On short trips, just a small bag and selective packing on longer trips. It’s best to work out what you’re going to wear, and exactly what you need before travelling.
CHARITY PARTNERS
All of our support for charity is directed to organisations based in South Tyneside or supporting the community in South Tyneside.
USING LOCAL COMPANIES
Wherever possible we purchase and support other small businesses in South Tyneside
including
local electricians, plumbers and joiners
local Computer Repair Shop -NORTHEAST COMPUTER SUPPORT Westoe Road
local newsagent WESTOE NEWS
local garage MAXWELL STREET MOTOR'S
local car parts shop BILLS AUTO'S Westoe Road
local hairdresser and barber HAIR AT 116, TONY'S
local shop fitter M.A. LODGE
local sandwich shop -GRANNY'S KITCHEN, BETTY'S HOME MADE TREATS, SWEET AND CHEESEY DELI, CARL'S CARVERY
local Post Office -GREEN STREET POST OFFICE
local picture framer THE PICTURE FRAMER Westoe Road
local insurance agent
local accountant BEACH ACCOUNTANTS
local printers CVN PRINT
local carpet fitter
local carpet clear
local window cleaner
local Air-Con company
local painter and decorator
local roller shutter company A1 SHUTTERS
local taxi firms RICHMOND, WESTOE, DEL'S
local car dealer -VIC YOUNG
local cafes, take-aways and restaurants
local chemist HOGGS and CARTERS
local hotels and clubs for customer events SEA HOTEL, WESTOE RUGBY CLUB, SOUTH SHIELDS CATHOLIC CLUB
Supports the Customs House Theatre
local sports teams and local charities and events
Charities and events that Westoe Travel have previously supported include;
The Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust
The Families of Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry
Mayor of South Tyneside's Charity
Westoe Brass Band Charity Concert in aid of Bereavement Care
Cancer Connections
MacMillan Coffee Morning
Teenage Cancer Trust
St Clare's Hospice
British Legion Poppy Appeal
Big Pink Dress Fundraising
Little Miracles
Great North Air Ambulance
AutismAble
The British Lung Foundation
CHUF at Freeman Hospital
Cancer Research UK
Young Carers Project
Charlie & Carter Foundation
Just-ICE Mental Health Family Support Service
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Alzheimers Society
Unison for Victims of Domestic Violence
Alzheimer's Society South Tyneside Branch
South Shields FC under 8 whites
Salvation Army
SPONSORSHIP
We have supported a number of organisations and events over the years including
South Shields Westoe Rugby Club
South Shields Football Club
South Shields Rugby FC
Hebburn Town FC
Newcastle Diamonds Speedway
Durham County Cricket Club
The Customs House South Shields Panto Partner
The Customs House South Shields Talent Competition
The Search For A Summer Star Talent Competition
Everywhere We Go at The Customs House
Westovian Theatre Christmas Laffalang
Little Mix Mum's
Carley Dance and Theatre
Together Forever Trust Golf Day
Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust Ball
Chloe and Liam Charity Football Matches
Collecting Tins
We have a collection tin for The Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust all year round, and a Poppy Appeal tin in October/November.
PAY OUR BILLS PROMPTLY
We pay all of our bills on the same day they are recived. This reduces the need for suppliers to send reminders or chase payment and helps the cash flow of those small businesses.
REFUND CUSTOMERS PROMPTLY
We refund all customers promptly.
1. For Rail, Coach and Jet2holidays bookings, customers are refunded by Westoe Travel on the same day that the operator cancels their holiday
2.For other holidays we refund customers as soon as we receive the refund from the Tour Operator
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