At Camino Ways, we have responsible travel and ‘leave no trace ethos, and we encourage our clients to follow these simple but very important principles.
We have prepared a simple Responsible Travel checklist to remember when you travel to the Camino de Santiago or any of our other travel destinations, including the Via Francigena in Italy.
1. Reduce and Reuse.
Reduce the number of water bottles used; for instance, bring a durable water bottle that can be refilled along the way instead of purchasing new bottles daily.
2. Be considerate and respect fellow Camino walkers and cyclists.
This is not just responsible travel but also the very essence of the Camino de Santiago.
3. Respect local wildlife, livestock, and other farm animals.
4. Dispose of litter in appropriate, designated areas.
If you don’t find bins along the way, you can bring litter back and dispose of it at your hotel. Many accommodations we work with will have facilities for recycling and separating waste.
5. Respect local customs and culture
Unique culture and customs are an essential part of the Camino experience. Embracing these is part of a responsible travel ethos. We encourage you to absorb the traditions, language, and culture along the Camino routes as much as possible.
We write regular Culture blog posts to introduce you to exciting traditions and stories from the regions, and we also include a list of useful phrases as part of our holiday pack in the many languages of the Camino (Spanish, Galician, Portuguese and French).
6. Holiday Packs. Suppose you are receiving maps and ebooks as part of your trip (as opposed to a guidebook). In that case, we recommend you download them, along with your hotel and general information, to your phone or tablet. Our new Camino holiday packs aim to be utterly paper-free while still providing up-to-date and accurate information.
If travelling technology-free, we suggest you print notes and holiday info on recycled paper or scrap paper.
7. Encourage fellow walkers to follow these simple principles.
We are WTM Responsible Tourism Supporters
As an international tour operator, we are keen to ensure everyone plays their part in building a sustainable future.
We will strive to promote issues that tackle climate change and actions that encourage our walkers and cyclists to respect the environment, landscape, and culture of our destinations, as well as support local communities along the different trails.
For several years, we have supported organisations that have inspired, motivated, or encouraged us to have a positive impact on the communities in which we engage.
As part of our commitment to responsible and sustainable travel, we have developed the Greenlife Fund.
We select projects that support the protection of unique environments or causes in one of our adventure travel destinations.
*You might also want to read: A Greener Future Camino Clean Up and how Mike and Rochelle collected over 6,000 pieces of litter on the Camino.
For further information on our Camino de Santiago routes or to book your Camino trip, contact our travel specialists.
