Responsible Travel vs. Eco Friendly Travel is part of our Back to School: Green Travel Basics Series.

Here at Go Green Travel Green we talk about “Green Travel.” But, there are lots of other words out there with similar meanings, specifically “responsible travel” and “eco friendly travel”. So what’s the difference?

If you want to know how we define green travel, check out our Green Travel Definition post. (We break it down into environment, people, culture, economy, and personal health. It’s has a broader definition than either responsible travel or eco-friendly travel.)

But what about the difference between eco-friendly travel and responsible travel?

Eco Friendly Travel

Eco friendly travel, relates directly to the enviroment including being aware of and minimizing your impact on the physical environment. It’s a narrower definition than responsible travel.
photo credit: Nicholas T

Responsible Travel

Responsible travel expands beyond the traditional notions of environmentalism and encompasses socially-conscious travel. It means understanding, respecting, and supporting the cultures and people in the area you are visiting. We like this definition from Lonely Planet:

Responsible tourism can be more-or-less defined as travel that takes into consideration the ‘triple bottom line’ issues of:

Environment: travel that minimises negative environmental impacts and, where possible, makes positive contributions to the conservation of biodiversity, wilderness, natural and human heritage.

Social/Cultural: travel that respects culture and traditions and fosters authentic interaction and greater understanding between travellers and hosts.

Economic: travel that has financial benefits for the host community and operates on the principles of fair trade.

If you were looking for a trip that’s only eco-friendly you might take a trip that minimizes your impact on nature. But if you’re going to take a “responsible” trip you would want to make sure that your travels support the local economy and respect the culture.

Before you take your next trip, be sure to consider whether you’re looking for eco friendly travel or responsible travel.