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WannaBoats Team Travel to the most enriching and wonderful experiences there is. It makes you happier, opens your mind, makes you more tolerant of others and you learn many values.
Something fundamental to have in mind also when we travel, is the care of the places we visit. Now there is more awareness of the damage that the Environment is suffering and it’s time for everyone to do something to help have a better world.
There are places where there is not yet a lot of infrastructure prepared for garbage collection, so you should keep it in a bag and take it to a waste container.
For example, the Saona and Catalina Islands, where you can get in a boat from Bayahibe on one of our excursions, are virgin islands. Isla Saona has very few inhabitants and most of them live in a very small fishing village called Mano Juan. Catalina Island is inhabited. Both islands are in protected areas and some 2,500 tourists a day are recognized. Imagine that each tourist will leave a bag, a glass or a can … Little by little, a beautiful island will become a landfill.
To help maintain and care for these paradises on earth and of course, the rest of the planet, there are some easy steps that everyone should keep in mind when we travel:
1. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Take a reusable bag and bottle of water and glasses with you.
2. If you smoke, use an ashtray. There are also beach ashtrays.3. Clean an area. Now there is a viral challenge in social networks that consists of taking a picture of the before and after garbage collection and adding the #trastag hastag.* It does not matter if it is a small area, the important thing is to make the place where you go more clean.4. Try to use the minimum amount of plastic. Plastic contaminates a lot and is also consumed by animals that can get to die entangled or intoxicated. Let’s go for a #plasticfree World.5. Respect the animals. Loving animals is a way of life. It is to be aware of the environment that surrounds us. It is our job to protect them.
* Avoid taking photos with animals in captivity. Animals have to live in freedom, happy in their natural habitat.6. Be like a local – eat local – buy local. Mix with locals – eat at local restaurants – shop at local stores. When you travel to a country like the Dominican Republic, in which people receive you with a perpetual smile on their face and all the warmth possible, you realize that there is nothing better than letting yourself be carried away by their customs, learning some life lesson , open your mind and consume your products and services.7. Protect biodiversity. It is important to respect the native species and elements of nature. Try not to take shells, coral … imagine that each of the tourists who go to the beach did … You can also contribute your bit in some protective. In Mano Juan there is a green turtle protector, in danger of extinction, from the hand of locals who seek the welfare of this species and do a great job.
8. Protect the children. The begging of children in countries of tourist destination is a common experience for many tourists and it is tempting to give money or small gifts in the hope that this will help the child. But this can be detrimental to the child and his family. If you want to help children, it is best to participate in a well-organized and well-reputed ONG in which you trust on.
* If you see an act that can be considered as abuse to a child, totally vulnerable and unprotected, please do not hesitate to report it to the authorities so that they can take action.9. Save energy. Even if you are in a hotel, you have to try not to leave the lights and air conditioning on or the water tap open. You have to be responsible with the energy and every drop of water counts. Access to clean water can break the cycle of poverty and save lives. Think that there are people who walk miles to fill a bucket of water.
10. Share your travel experience with the world and give advice to keep a cleaner and healthier world together.
Join the responsible tourism!
At WannaBoats we care about the Environment and we fully support green initiatives for the good of the planet. If we all chip in and minimise the individual impact of our vacation, together we can make a difference. However small these green actions are, them will be always well received by all of humanity.
* Please, remember, if you are on vacation now, put into practice some actions and try to take care of the environment that surrounds you.