In July 2023, our focus at NomadMania was Sustainable Travel Month, an initiative aimed at encouraging responsible and sustainable travel practices among our members. As part of this focus, we conducted the Sustainable Travel Survey. We are now pleased to share the insights gleaned from the responses of the 289 participants.
The results, which we’ve categorised into Key Strengths and Areas of Opportunities, reveal fascinating trends in attitudes and behaviours towards sustainable travel. Read on to discover the impact of our collective choices on the world we explore.
Key Strengths:
You are snorkeling in the barrier reef in Caye Caulker, Belize, and you are most excited about:
- 11.4% – feeding and touching the sharks & sting rays while you’re snorkeling.
- 84.1% – snorkeling to see the sharks & sting rays and maybe take photos, but you do not want to touch them even though your guide says it’s ok to do so.
- 4.5% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Respect for wildlife Travel Care Code #8: Protect your natural surroundings |
You would like to join a trip to the Edge of the World from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. How will you normally go about arranging for this?
- 16.6% – You’ll reach out to a travel agent or book your tour online through a well-known travel brand like Expedia & Viator.
- 71.6% – You’ll search for a local fixer or tour provider through googling or asking around your travel network, and will contact them directly.
- 11.8% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Local support Travel Care Code #6: Support locals |
You visited Ayer’s Rock/Uluru in Australia a month before Oct 2019 knowing the government was going to make it illegal to climb up after that date. This is what you would have done:
- 27% – You would have taken the once-in-a-lifetime experience to climb to the top before the government made it illegal, as the opportunity will be gone forever.
- 65% – You would not have climbed to the top, even though it was not yet illegal to do so, mainly in response to the Aboriginal owners’ request not to climb it because it is a sacred path of spiritual significance for them.
- 8% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Respect for culture Travel Care Code #5: Be a good guest |
You want to go backpacking across Central Europe and you’re still deciding whether to take trains or the short domestic budget flights instead, which sometimes come out cheaper especially with only a carry-on. What would you likely choose to do?
- 20% – You opt to travel around through short domestic budget flights especially if there are good bargains cheaper than trains and it gets to the destination faster.
- 51% – You’ll prefer to take the train since using more fuel efficient transportation is one of your major considerations together with price and speed.
- 29% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Fuel efficient transport use Travel Care Code #3: Be a fuel efficient traveler |
You are packing your bag to visit Dhaka, Bangladesh and decide whether it’s worth bringing a water bottle which would add weight to your carry-on luggage. This is what you’d likely do:
- 39.8% – You won’t bring a water bottle, with the possible considerations: luggage weight constraints, it may be more convenient to just buy bottled water from stores, not sure if there are readily available sources of water for refill.
- 50.5% – You always bring a water bottle in your bag when you travel.
- 9.7% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Plastic waste reduction Travel Care Code #2: Don’t leave your good habits at home Travel Care Code #7: Dispose of waste properly |
You are looking to make a positive difference in the world while traveling in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Through word of mouth from fellow travelers, you learn there is this opportunity to help with an orphanage through a small donation and interacting with lonely kids to make them happy. You’re likely to end up in this scenario:
- 31% – Together with your fellow travelers, you visit the orphanage as soon as you could, donate money to the people running the orphanage who assure you this will go a long way to help the children, get pictures with the kids, and feel good about your altruistic gesture.
- 50% – You will be a bit skeptical and will decline the opportunity to volunteer and donate to the orphanage.
- 19% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
| Focus area: Responsible voluntourism
Travel Care Code #4: Make informed decisions |
Areas of Opportunities:
You are a solo traveler visiting Baku, Azerbaijan which you’ve heard has a low English Proficiency Index. Who would you likely hang-out with more while there?
- 25% – You’ll tend to hang out more with fellow travellers whom you’ll meet in the city.
- 35% – You’ll tend to hang out more with the locals even though it might be challenging to communicate.
- 40% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Local interaction Travel Care Code #1: Learn about your destination |
Your annual leave from work is approaching, and you will get 14 days off. You planned to visit the Balkans which is a great opportunity to increase the number of countries you visit. Your travel plan is likely going to look like this:
- 40% – As you prefer breadth over depth, you’ll plan to visit 4 to 6 neighbouring Balkan countries spending around 2-3 nights per country in order to maximize the time you have knowing your next overseas trip is likely to be after another year.
- 45% – Preferring depth over breadth, you’ll plan to visit only 1 to 2 countries spending approximately a week each to give you more time to explore the various regions
- 15% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Slow travel Travel Care Code #1: Learn about your destination Travel Care Code #3: Be a fuel efficient traveler |
You want to book a flight from San Diego, USA to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Searching through Skyscanner, the cheapest ticket costs $1,314 with 3 connection stops and duration of 28 hours 20 minutes. Two more options are tagged with a Greener choice having 7% less COs. Both only have 2 connections: one is cheaper but takes longer ($1,562 at 48 hours 20 minutes) while the other is more expensive but shorter ($1,819 at 24 hours 45 minutes). What are you likely inclined to choose?
- 36% – You’ll choose the cheapest option even though it has 3 connection stops and takes longer than one of the greener choice option
- 44% – You’ll choose one of the greener choice option that has only 2 connection stops
- 20% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Carbon footprint reduction Travel Care Code #9: Make your travel zero emissions |
You are excited to be in Pamplona, Spain during the St. Fermin Festival where they have the Running of the Bulls. During the 9-days festival, there will be six bulls running in the morning followed by the afternoon bullfight as it has been a cultural tradition for many years. This is how you’ll choose to participate:
- 48% – You’ll opt not to watch the bullfight, and you may even show support for the animal rights groups protesting during these events.
- 44% – You’ll watch the bullfight at the stadium knowing that the matadors will slay the bulls, and you’re not going to make any judgments about that.
- 8% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Cultural relativism Travel Care Code #5: Be a good guest Travel Care Code #10: Bring your experience home |
You are in Rio de Janeiro during the Carnival and your Carioca friend offered you either a free ticket at the Sambadromo VIP seats to watch the samba parade, or to join his samba school as an extra during the dance competition at the Sambadromo stage which unfortunately won’t allow you to take photos and see the other performances. What would you likely choose?
- 54% – You’ll definitely choose the free VIP ticket with the best seats at the Sambadromo to watch the whole parade and take lots of photos & videos.
- 38% – You’ll definitely choose to join the samba school performance in the dance competition parade stage.
- 8% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b)
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Focus area: Participation and spectatorship Travel Care Code #1: Learn about your destination Travel Care Code #10: Bring your experience home |
With a tight travel budget, you are looking for the most cost-effective flight deal from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon, Myanmar from Air Asia’s website. While purchasing a flight ticket, you’re asked whether you’d like to pay for a carbon offset so this is how you’d likely respond:
- 77.9% – You won’t select to pay a carbon offset fee due a variety of reasons such as financial constraints, or you’re sceptical on how this would make a difference or how it’s tracked.
- 16.6% – You normally pay for a carbon offset fee.
- 5.5% – You’re flexible with (a) or (b).
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Focus area: Carbon offsetting Travel Care Code #9: Make your travel zero emissions |
