Beware of Eco-Friendly Travel Scams While Travelling Abroad

Beware of Eco-Friendly Travel Scams While Travelling Abroad

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Eco-friendly travel or is also called as green travel or sustainable travel has been hyped up for years. However, you need to know that there are many types of eco-friendly travel scam you need to beware especially when travelling overseas. It is important to not let your guard down because you are into go green mode while travelling which makes you forget that scams are still there. The popularity of green travel or sustainable travel keep growing and it leads to blur lines between the real and unreal. Therefore, you will be able to do green travel properly if you can recognize the most common scams.

Eco-friendly travel scams you can avoid

Basically, any travel scams can be avoided if you are aware of the situation. It will also be useful if you have the best ways to avoid getting scammed while travelling overseas. To raise your awareness of scams even for eco-friendly travellers, here are some examples of them and how to avoid them:

  • Local products sold by local people in what seem to like an old shop. It is good that you support the economic growth for the locals by purchasing local products. However, it is also often that people take advantage with your good intention of supporting locals and having green travel by manipulating the products or the price. You can avoid this scam by asking about how the products processed, where it made, etc.
  • There is also eco-friendly travel scam in a form of ‘voluntourism’. This is quite popular these days. Lots of travellers are interested to not only travel but volunteer to enrich their travel experiences. However, it is often that the benefit just goes to those who facilitate the volunteer’s maintenance during stay instead of the local themselves. Thus, make sure to choose volunteer program carefully.
  • You need to be aware of begging economy. It is hard to ignore a kid begging for money while you are travelling abroad. They look pitiful that your heart just aches to see them. However, you need to resist the urge to give them money because then you are supporting begging economy. You can do thing much better such as donating your money to educational initiative. This will make bigger differences because you go for the root.
  • There is also issue called greenwashing. You need to be aware of travel agency that promotes eco-friendly travel concept because not all of them are trusted. You need to find out if the business employ the locals and pay them fairly or not. You also need to find out more about their sustainable operations.
  • Make sure to choose the right local cuisine. While travelling, you have desire to enjoy local cuisine as much as possible. However, make sure that you don’t eat scarce cuisines made of rare animals or meat from black market. Make your research about this eco-friendly travel scam so that you eat the right local delicacy without contributing to any dangerous field you are not aware of.
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