Where ever you go, chances are good that there is something you can do to help. Many hands make light work, right? Photo: Shutterstock
I love traveling. It’s not only the excitement of finding new (for me) waves, but the anticipation. The simple joy of writing lists only to check them off. Passport? Check. Boards, wax, leggies, sunscreen? Check.
And then there’s the airport which, even with its gaudiness and commercial “buy me now, duty free!”, still speaks to me of freedom. And finally, the plane. I always want the window seat. I don’t care if I’m flying over water for hours upon hours. Everything I see out that window reminds me that I’m on an adventure. Before I’ve even landed, my destination has already given me so much. What, if anything, can I give in return?
With an estimated 35 million surfers worldwide, to assume that we don’t have an impact on the places we visit is naive at best and actually destructive at worst.
So many destinations are fraught with environmental, social and political problems and as travelers, we owe something to places we visit. It’s not hard to learn a few words of the local language, do some research to act (and dress) appropriately and support the local economy by spending a handful of your dollars in a local market. The UN World Tourism Organization even make it super easy with their “Responsible Tourist and Traveler Guide” that urges travelers to first and foremost, open their minds.
But I want to do more. As well as an open mind, I try to travel with open eyes. To see that some of my favorite places are not as ideal as the postcards paint them. To recognize that places like the Maldives have been repeatedly cited by Amnesty International for extreme human rights violations, including cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, that a number of Pacific Island countries are on the brink of civil uprisings, that the Indonesian government is committing genocide right on my doorstep in West Papua.
With these open eyes, I can begin to see how we can each make a difference when we travel. Not with some kind of savior complex, but by choosing how and where we spend out money, by supporting grass roots organizations that are promoting positive social change, and mitigating our environmental impact. I’m buoyed by the work of groups like SurfAid International, Surfrider Foundation, Waves for Water, Beyond the Surface, Waves of Freedom, Sustain the Stoke, 2 Bucks a Board and Waves for Change and others that are able to use surfing as a tool for environmental and social change.
I realize that the world isn’t perfect and maybe I’m idealistic in thinking that as one small person I can make much of a difference, but I believe that we can all try. Even if only one tenth of surfers worldwide take steps to travel responsibly with an open mind and open eyes, then there are three and half million people making a difference, and that’s something.
