Sustainable Travel, Armchair Travel and Backyard tourism: Focus 2021

Ketki Gadre — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 13:54:03 +0000

People were travelling like there is no tomorrow until the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary pause. With a smartphone in hand, everyone had become a travel influencer of a kind – sharing pictures on social media either for their followers or family. While some may say social media is to blame for the surge of travellers, I believe that social media can also bring in a lot of inspiration for the right kind of travel.

Role of Social Media in the rise of Travel Influencers

Instagram has played a huge role in the rise of travel bloggers and travel photographers who have huge followers on social media. Having the perfect Instagram picture has nowadays become so important that I sometimes feel if we have lost the essence in travel and doing it only for the likes and comments. If you follow a travel influencer who constantly posts pictures of their perfect vacations, chances are you’re scrolling through their page looking for inspiration and thinking, “How can I be there, right now?”

While some of the offbeat places are getting attention, posting everything on social media has led to ruining many destinations and disturbing the local population, so much so that the locals want to move away! Not to forget the injuries/deaths that have caused while getting the perfect selfie getting inspired by the favourite blogger!

It is probably also not the right decision to leave your job and become a digital nomad unless one is sure about it paying for the sustenance, just like what Mar Pages says.

It is best not to blindly follow the bloggers as they put in a lot of work before they write articles and get that perfect shot.

Reasons behind that one perfect shot for the gram/blog

Research

Travel bloggers put in a lot of research before they travel to a particular destination. Self-safety, as well as the safety of the gear they are carrying (which is sometimes a couple of thousand dollars worth), is kept in mind while planning the travel.

Partnership with local tourism/agency

Many a times, travel to offbeat places is arranged by a local tourism board or a local agency who knows the area well, know the roads well, how to safely reach an offbeat place and even the local language. Rural areas and offbeat places are thus best visited with a knowledgeable agent.

Prior permissions for Heritage sites/temples

Most travel bloggers get permission to heritage sites or temples where traditionally photography is prohibited. It is hence important to be ethical during travel.

Sustainable Travel for 2021

We cannot ignore the fact that the pandemic still exists and may stay longer than anticipated. This is where the role of travel bloggers comes into picture wherein they can inspire their followers and family about sustainable travel, armchair travel and backyard travel. Thankfully, there are already travel influencers influencing during the pandemic. 2021 trends point towards more sustainable travel which includes

Slow travel

Air travel is accountable for about 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and using the railways or roadways is one way to travel long distances without releasing as many emissions. Slow travel also allows people to spend more time in places and really be able to enjoy their experiences. Thankfully a lot of travel companies are realising important issues such as climate change and offering packages for slow travel.

Remote working has also made a lot of difference in people choosing to travel slow, exploring more in more time.

Deep travel

Gone are the days when visitors only wanted to tick off popular places off the list. Now they want more meaningful experiences which is full of local culture and heritage. They want to enrol themselves into local cooking classes, or yoga or go on local food trails.

There is an increase in the number of people who want to experience local festivals and visit in peak winters or summers. A large number of people in 2021 would be looking for meaning experience with lasting memories.

Armchair travel

People with ailments or otherwise may decide to stay in till the pandemic is over or till a vaccine is out. Virtual travel picked up during lockdown and it looks like it is here to stay, given the expected second/third wave.

Backyard tourism

A lot of people are already chucking visiting foreign destinations to explore their own country or even their own city. Backyard tourism in 2021 will reign over the rest with Staycations, nature trails, short drives and luxury travel near home.

There is also a growing movement against geotagging on social media to avoid ruining some pristine locations from overtourism.

So all in all 2021 looks like a sustainable travel year. How and where do you plan to explore next year keeping all the above points in mind? Let me know in the comments below.

Pin this Sustainable Travel guide for 2021!

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