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Small guide to become a more sustainable tourist

Many times tourism (especially mass tourism) interferes with the environment, damaging it and slowly degenerating it with the passage of millions of people and the traces of activities that are often not the most respectful with nature. While it is clear that all the small steps that businesses take towards a more sustainable tourism model are vital, so are all those that we can take as tourists or consumers. From our team and our Masía, we are totally committed to those proposals that help us to be more conscious and consistent, but we also appreciate and notice a difference with those guests who are also aligned with our purpose.

That is why today we want to share with you some simple tips to take into account and be more responsible tourists, taking care of the planet while enjoying an amazing trip, which you can apply right now, in the place you are visiting! or even in your town or city!

 

• Getting informed is the first step to knowing the place that you are going to discover. Learning about their history, customs and lifestyle in order to adapt to them and not generate a greater impact can be beneficial, as well as enriching, since it helps us to have a fuller experience of what it means to live in that part of the world. You can ask the Masía’s team, who will be happy to help you, as well as other tourist information points or even locals. Observe, respect and learn from the native customs, since it will lead you to have a more complete immersive experience.
• Keep an open mind to possible changes, proposals and alternatives that may arise during the trip. For example, discover while you walk the stores of products and bulk, ecological and sustainable foods such as Un Quart de kg (Sant Pere de Ribes) or the local market on Fridays -also in Ribes- with stops such as l’Horta de Can Pere can help you adapt to the possibilities that are offered from the area.
• Support the local economy and those businesses that are more sustainable, respectful and that try to generate less waste. We have already commented on a couple of them in relation to the food sector, especially if you want to feel first-hand what it is to cook with 0 km and seasonal products.

 

But you can also go for a drink at Matt Café, an intimate cafeteria and restaurant that works with the best products with a menu with international touches that perfectly mixes the local with world flavors; or take a guided tour to get to know the Vegà de Ribes wineries, vineyards in the middle of the countryside with an ecological stamp and the strength of a family business for generations.

We must remember the value of our actions, and among them the power to support social and environmental causes with our money, instead of being carried away by multinationals and franchises that are easy, comfortable and familiar to us. Dare to discover what makes the Garraf area unique and different!

• Respect the cultural heritage. Follow the specific rules of each site, monument, museum, etc., trying to be as clean and discreet as possible, without damaging it. Ask why they have wanted to preserve and care for each cultural aspect, and learn to enjoy it by knowing it, remembering the first point of getting informed correctly.
• Take care of nature. Whether you are in the heart of Sitges, on its beaches or in a hidden vineyard around Sant Pere de Ribes, we have to minimize the impact of tourist activities, especially considering that our area is visited by many people along the way throughout the year. Would it be the same if each person left a plastic bottle lying on the beach, as compared to each one picking up a piece of garbage that was left behind by someone else? Small actions like this help us to enjoy a more beautiful and clean environment, as well as to respect the following people who step on it.
• Preparing a zero waste traveler “kit” is also a very interesting idea. By carrying a glass or stainless steel bottle, a tupper, a couple of cutlery, and a tote bag we can reduce waste.
• Sharing your experience is a key part of all this. Since we live in a digital world, the power to share through social networks those sites or activities that reinforce care for the environment and more ethical and sustainable models of living and consuming has an incredible effect. By doing so, you will help to make all these proposals visible and you will encourage more people to join the change.

 

 

In conclusion, we must remember that our actions as tourists are just as important as the fact that businesses also try to be more sustainable. Joining forces can make big changes. For this reason, we would have to inform ourselves before and during about our destination, support the local and sustainable economy, respect both heritage and nature itself (let’s not forget that it is also heritage), and we can even prepare a small traveler’s zero waste kit, and finally, share your experience with your people and help the wheel of change continue to turn towards a more fair and sustainable world. We are all part of it.