Discovering other places and cultures enriches us as individuals. It helps us to have a global vision of the world in which we live and develops our ability to empathize with other customs and sensitivities.
The environment also contributes to reducing stress since, on our return, we find ourselves with recharged energies to face our day to day satisfactorily. However, the concept of traveling to be a better person cannot be fully satisfied without taking into account a series of vital ethical recommendations.
Aspects such as the transport or the destination we choose, as well as others related to our direct impact on the environment, can make a difference.
Positive Influence Travel Has on the Mind
Many psychologists say that traveling helps us release accumulated tensions and improves our self-esteem, raises our mood levels, and, as a consequence, reduces the risk of suffering from depression.
When we interact with people from other cultures, that same distance that separates us enhances our social skills. It makes us banish prejudices and unconsciously pushes us to show our most tolerant side. And this is something that endures. Because a trip does not end when we return home, it remains in our mind forever.
Traveling to be a better person and to be a better person traveling
The benefits mentioned above in our evolution as individuals are evident to millions of tourists who, year after year, travel the length and breadth of the planet. An event with undeniable positive effects on the economies of the countries and the creation of jobs. And also, sometimes, with disastrous consequences caused by irresponsible acts.
It seems obvious to think that, wherever we go, even more so in natural environments, we should not dump any waste. Although looking at the case of Maya Bay in the Thai Phi Phi Islands, it doesn't seem so much anymore. After becoming world-famous for the movie Leonardo Di Caprio's movie, The beach, this coastal strip had to be closed recently due to the serious environmental damage that, in recent years, has caused the unconsciousness of many visitors. Of course, if one wants to travel to be a better person, this type's behaviors empty such a proposal of meaning.
When you travel to some parts of Asia or the Amazon, nature leaves you as amazed as the remains and waste you find. In Phi Phi, you could play counting cans of soda on the bottom of the sea while looking for goldfish and you would never finish. In Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, the bottles are mixed between the branches of the trees, dragged by the current of the river. You really don't know if there is more wood or more plastic".
The Phi Phi islands, a natural paradise threatened by overcrowding.
Considering the above, it is worth remembering the "3 R's": recycle, reduce, and reuse. Therefore, let us try to use biodegradable materials during our outings, limit the use of paper, and change the disposable batteries of our electronic devices for rechargeable ones. And, under no circumstances, will we alter the environment or extract any element from it. Sand, stones, plants, or animals must remain where they are and as nature intended.
If we want to keep any memory, let's do so by promoting responsible local commerce. To stay, let's opt for eco-hotels or other sustainable alternatives, and first of all, let's choose destinations with a firm commitment to the conservation of their original habitat.
