Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
47
• Raise sensitivity to host countries' politi-
cal, environmental, and social climates.
• Support international human rights
Rustic Canyon
(p. 116), and
Inn of the
Seventh Ray
(p. 117).
While much of the focus of ecotourism
is about r educing impacts on the natural
environment, ethical tourism concentrates
on ways to pr eserve and enhance local
economies and communities, regardless of
location. You can embrace ethical tourism
by staying at a locally o wned hotel or
shopping at a stor e that emplo ys local
workers and sells locally produced goods.
Responsible T ravel
(www .responsible
travel.com) is a great source of sustainable
travel ideas; the site is r un by a spokesper-
son for ethical tourism in the travel indus-
try.
Sustainable T ravel International
(www.sustainabletravelinternational.org)
promotes ethical tourism practices, and
manages an extensive directory of sustain-
able properties and tour operators ar ound
the world.
In the U.K.,
Tourism Concern
(www.
tourismconcern.org.uk) wor ks to r educe
social and envir onmental pr oblems con-
nected to tourism.
The
Association of
Independent T our Operators (AITO)
(www.aito.co.uk) is a gr oup of specialist
operators leading the field in making holi-
days sustainable.
Volunteer trav el
has become incr eas-
ingly popular among those who want to
venture bey ond the standar d gr oup-tour
experience to learn languages, interact
and labor agreements.
You can find some eco-friendly trav el
tips and statistics, as w ell as touring com-
panies and associations—listed by destina-
tion under “ Travel Choice”—at the
TIES
website, www.ecotourism.org.
Greater Los Angeles is the smoggiest
region of the U.S. S o if y ou're concerned
about size of your carbon footprint during
your vacation to L.A., the single best effort
you can make is to use L.A.'s public trans-
portation system (see “By Public Transpor-
tation” in “G etting There & G etting
Around,” p. 36). G ranted, it's an inferior
and often a frustrating experience for any-
one who 's used to getting ar ound via
public transpor t in NY C, London, or
Paris, but it's slowly getting better.
A more realistic alternative is to r ent a
hybrid car (such as a Toyota P rius). N ot
only will you save money on gas, but you'll
be doing the local air a fav or as w ell. I n
L.A., a local company called
Simply
Hybrid Rental Cars
(
&
888/359-0055;
www.simplyhybrid.com) r ents a wide
range of environmentally friendly vehicles
ranging from the sensible Toyota Prius to
the luxurious M ercedes E320 B lueTEC.
As an added bonus it offers fr ee v ehicle
delivery and pickup to and fr om Los
Angeles International Airpor t, Bob H ope
Airport (Burbank), Santa Monica, Brent-
wood, B el Air, Westwood, Centur y City,
Beverly H ills, West H ollywood, H olly-
wood, D owntown Los Angeles, C
3
with locals, and make a positive difference
while on vacation. Volunteer travel usually
doesn't r equire special skills—just a will-
ingness to work hard—and programs vary
in length from a fe w days to a number of
weeks. Some programs provide free hous-
ing and food, but many require volunteers
to pay for trav el expenses, which can add
up quickly.
For general info on v olunteer trav el,
visit
www.volunteerabroad.org
and
www.
idealist.org
. Before you commit to a v ol-
unteer pr ogram, it 's impor tant to make
sure any money y
ulver
City, and Studio City.
Other suggestions for low-impact travel
to L.A. include r enting a bike to explor e
the beach communities, staying at eco-
friendly inns such as
The Ambrose
hotel
in Santa Monica (p. 74), the
Beverly Hil-
ton
(p . 85), or
Hotel Angeleno
(p . 90);
and dining at restaurants with an emphasis
on organic and sustainability
ou're giving is tr
uly
, such as
