Latest Posts

Cruise Ships to be Banned from Venice: Outright Win or Bittersweet Victory?

Published by Linda McCormick

cruise ship veniceImage: Marc Berry Reid

Last year, we published an article on the damage large cruise ships were inflicting on Venice. Nearly 70% of the original sediment of the marshlands Venice is built on has been sucked out in the wake of these massive ships. Bad news for a city that’s already sinking.

For years, locals and environmentalists have been protesting against increasing cruise liner traffic through this fragile and rapidly degrading city.

In September this year, 50 protesters jumped into the freezing waters of the canal to stop a line of 12 cruise ships set to go past St Mark’s Square. Only two ships are meant to pass by per day. Nine of the ships were above 40,000 tonnes, the maximum limit set on ships passing through Venice.

In an attempt to curb the influx of cruise liners along this route, last week the Italian government ruled large cruise ship traffic through Venice’s lagoon will be limited, and enforced.

Read More

The REAL Origins of Halloween, its Traditions and the Best Halloween Party in Europe

Published by Linda McCormick

Brazil has Carnival, America has Thanksgiving, England has Guys Fawkes and Ireland has… Halloween.

Every year, in the City of Derry, Northern Ireland, the city council throws the biggest Halloween party in Europe to celebrate the souls of the dead. Well, you know the Irish, any excuse for a party.

halloween ireland

Snap-Apple Night, painted by Irish artist Daniel Maclise in 1833. It was inspired by a Halloween party he attended in Blarney, Ireland, in 1832. Image: via Wikimedia Commons

Frequently associated with celebrations in the US, Halloween, or Hal’ Eve as it’s known in rural Ireland, started around 5BC and, like many Christian traditions, has its roots firmly in old Celtic Paganism.

Read More

Travel Photo: Giant’s Causeway, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Ireland

Published by Linda McCormick

giants causeway photography

Since writing about the new sustainable visitor centre at the Giant’s Causeway last year, I was keen to see the building with my own eyes. It had been 12 years since I was last there, until this summer.

I had read some less than positive reviews about the new centre, but know with many new buildings, especially in regards to the local community, there is always a settling period before people grow fond of them. I didn’t need that. As we drove up to the centre I was instantly in love.

I could see why they used the dark granite columns, why they’d covered the roof with grass, why the building would entrance those visiting, even on the most dark and foreboding days. It reflects the Giant’s Causeway perfectly.

How to Pack Light Part III: Modulizing without Modules

Published by Gabi Logan

So far in this series, we’ve talked about why you should pack light, and tips for preparing to pack light.

But now let’s talk about exactly how to get everything you need, whether for a two week vacation in climates as different as winter in northern Europe and winter in India or to travel the world with no home base for a year, into your tiny, light, eco-friendly bag.

Read More

How to Pack Light Part II: My 3 Best Packing Tips

Published by Gabi Logan

how to pack light PartIIImage by Thomas Heylen

Welcome back to the EcoTraveller Guide Series on packing light! Check out the first part of the series on why you should pack light.

If you’re going to pack light, you can’t just use good packing technique (though we’ll cover that in the next post) and roll like a flight attendant. You’ve got to have a strategy.

When you try to bring everything you think you’ll need, you’re guaranteed to end up with heavy bags full of things you don’t end up using.

I travel the world with one tiny, Ryan Air-approved rolling bag and never want for anything because I follow these three strategies when figured out what to pack.

Read More

5 Best Beaches in the North of Ireland

Published by Linda McCormick

portavogie ards

When most people think of the Emerald Isle, images of quaint country pubs, rolling green hills, Guinness and of course rain are generally front and centre of their thoughts. Beaches are the last thing that spring to mind.

It’s a shame because some of the finest, white sands cover the shores of this small isle, yet very few visitors think to walk along their length. However, it is exactly because they are so seldom visited they retain their natural, untainted beauty.

Read More

Ben Keene, Tribewanted Co-Founder: Interview with an Ecotourism Pioneer

Published by Gabi Logan

DSCN4095Ben Keene, on the left, surveys his handiwork building a mud and straw wall. All images © Gabi Logan.

At the opening of Tribewanted‘s new site in Italy (read our report on the opening), I caught up with social entrepreneur Ben Keene, co-founder of Tribewanted, on the new site, future plans, and how he got interested in creating a new model of sustainable tourism in the first place.

Read More

Hidden Greenwashing: 3 Tell-Tale Signs

Published by Gabi Logan

There is nothing more dissatisfying than putting time and research into planning an eco-friendly getaway using responsible tour operators and visiting an unexploited destination only to arrive at your hotel and find that they’re a total fraud.

You know what I mean . . . the places where you see the cleaning staff dump the recycling bin into the trash bucket and the air conditioning blasts so high all the time that it feels more like you’re in the arctic than the tropics.

But some hotels are sneakier with their greenwashing.

Read More

What is Greenwashing?

Published by Gabi Logan

Greenwashing book
Photo by Flickr user latitudes-flickr

When you are trying to practice ecotourism, it’s important to support businesses—hotels, restaurants, and tour operators—whose practices are in line with your own beliefs.

Unfortunately, being “green” has become so popular, and therefore marketable, that many companies want to cash in on the hype . . . without making the important steps to clean up their businesses. Especially because green products often command higher prices.

A study by Grail Research in 2009 showed that the majority of consumers in America want to buy green products, but 66 per cent of that group feel deterred by the price.

Read More