Trends and suggestions for eco-luxury travels

Holidays are just around the corner… so we were wondering: is it possible to travel in a sustainable way, without sacrificing class and style? We asked Jonas Rask Eilersen, founder of RASK travel agency.

WHO
Our clients are from all over the world, but there’s a tendency that our most sustainable travellers are Scandinavian – but, more generally speaking, people from the world’s global cities, such as New York, London and Hong Kong are also established. Emerging markets are e.g. Italy, France, Japan and even the Middle East. We see least desire for sustainable travel in e.g. China, Brazil or the United States.

WHERE
Our most requested destinations, in terms of sustainability, are Six Senses resorts and various low-impact safaris and camps in Southern Africa. However, e.g. Mexico and Central America in general are also top spots.

HOW
Travellers are always interested in what’s authentic, and here at RASK we experience that the most unique, special destinations are often those that inherently express a true sense of place. This expression comes to life through e.g. the employment of locals at hotels, the use of local materials, only local produce used at the hotel and even “local immersion experiences”; e.g. ethnographic or even anthropological exploration.

Sustainability can be both in terms of e.g. environmental, ecological or social, and it can be difficult to travel sustainably if attempting to keep a regard to all kinds of sustainability at the same time. Some destinations are only reachable by plane – this is obviously not a very environmentally sustainable way of travelling. However, the ability to travel somewhere by plane makes many more destinations and experiences, and thereby also immersion and knowledge attainable.

To be a smart eco-traveller, follow these 3 suggestions:

1) Think about exploring places that are not too far from where you live – most often, you can travel both luxuriously and sustainably (and more often) this way. If flying: offset your carbon footprint – this is easily done, and will leave you with, if not a completely clean conscience, then at least a feeling that you have done something.

2) Make it count; when travelling, learn something, explore, experience, immerse yourself. Engage with your surroundings and your hosts.

3) Demand a sustainability agenda from the hotels and travel suppliers you use; but don’t be radical. As a luxury travel consumer, you are often in a privileged position vis á vis the actual suppliers – so, if you want to help make a change, make suggestions and make your voice heard; but do so respectfully.

 


RASK Travel was founded by sociologist Jonas Rask Eilersen in 2010 and is specialized in luxury travel. With offices in London, Copenhagen, Turin and Tel Aviv, RASK is recognised as one of Europe’s foremost travel design companies, creating extraordinary travel experiences for a global, cosmopolitan clientele. Jonas often speaks on luxury travel, trends and challenges, and sits on the highly coveted LE Miami Leadership Lab, as well as on global travel supplier advisory boards. www.rasktravel.com

All images are from Six Senses Laamu (Maldives)

 

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