Recently updated on July 18th, 2025 at 05:14 pm
One of the great gifts of travel is the insight it gives us into Earth’s endlessly fascinating and diverse cultures, while also offering a gateway to unforgettable settings, from isolated deserts, rainforests and mountains to the world’s most frenetic metropolises. But what makes a journey even more rewarding is the knowledge that it has made a positive impact on the destination and its local communities. Follow our guide to travelling the world sustainably with the help of #TrafalgarCares, while building meaningful and lasting memories.
Buy Local
Whether it’s a hand-carved wooden ornament in Vietnam, artisan beads in Israel, or a handmade Panama hat in Ecuador, the most authentic products are often found from the artisans themselves. In this way, visitors can help support the local community, and it’s not just the artisans who can benefit from travellers passing through. Supporting local communities is one ethos behind the trips led by Trafalgar, enabling visitors to step inside lesser known restaurants, wineries and workshops, and stay in small villages and farms that are away from the tourist trail.
Minimize your Footprint
Preserving the environment on your travels is just as important as it is at home. Just as we all know not to drop litter but to recycle instead, and to save electricity in our houses when we can, the same applies to the destinations we visit. Consider how you could reduce your footprint while travelling; instead of taking a taxi between a city’s sights, consider walking, cycling and taking the bus or tram. Areas of natural beauty should be left as they are found, and in countries where rubbish disposal might not be so efficient, it’s best to keep waste to a minimum. By travelling as a group on coaches, on your Trafalgar trip, you’re already reducing your environmental impact.
Be Culturally Conscious
It isn’t just the world’s environment that needs preserving, but the culture of each place, too. From the revered customs in Japanese culture to tribal traditions of indigenous communities in Brazil, it’s a fascinating diversity that’s too valuable to lose. A positive start is to research your destination before departing for the trip to gain an insight into the customs and issues you need to be aware of, and how to dress when visiting specific sites. Trafalgar’s local guides are on-hand to help each visitor stay culturally aware, ensuring the cultures and traditions of the communities they visit are retained.
Give Back
Donating to charities can make a tangible difference to less fortunate communities worldwide. Through its charitable giving programme, Trafalgar supports the global charity Free the Children, which empowers communities to lift themselves out of poverty through the sustainable development programme, Adopt a Village. Both Trafalgar and Free the children believe that access to education is a fundamental right of every child, paving the way to a better future for the whole community. In 2016, Trafalgar will finish building their third school through this partnership.
Get Involved
Contributing time to a charitable programme is infinitely rewarding. Getting involved with a charity on your travels offers cultural immersion as well as benefiting the community. Find out about one project visitors can be a part of on Trafalgar trips by reading our story on the Aung Myay Thuka Monastic School in Yangon, Myanmar. Here, guests can play their part by visiting the students and passing on the resources Trafalgar has donated, while also gaining unique insight into everyday life in Myanmar.
Find out more about the work behind #TrafalgarCares to become a part of it yourself.
Image credits: cover photo © iStock / Peter Zelei. Wooden dolls in Vietnam © iStock / Eye of Paul. Wat Pho in Bangkok © iStock / Filipe Frazao. Students at Aung Myay Thuka Monastic School in Myanmar © Trafalgar