If a trip, hotel or airline has achieved carbon neutrality purely through offsetting its emissions, it’s not addressing the real issue. Reducing absolute carbon emissions (by changing things like habits, transport methods, food and goods) should come first.

2. Is Instagram a worthy guide?

Horseshoe Bend is a dramatic U-shaped meander in the Colorado River, through the quiet, sandstone landscape of Arizona. For years, the view had been enjoyed mainly by locals. But two years after Instagram launched, visitor numbers rose from a few thousand before 2010 to over 1 million in 2018.

The sudden surge took wardens and locals by surprise and soon facilities couldn’t cope, the dirt track leading to the viewpoint became impassable and railings were put up after someone fell to their death.

It’s not an isolated case.

Welcome to the Khao Sok jungle, an adventure like no other

From Iceland, where a canyon viewpoint closed after hordes of visitors flocked to stand in the same spot as Justin Bieber, to Mumbai, where selfies have been banned after several tourist deaths, specific spots are experiencing a spike in travellers.

While a guidebook might inform thousands of people over several years about a particularly idyllic or photogenic place, Instagram can do the same in seconds.

Through geotagging – marking exactly where a photo has been taken – people don’t even need a map to head to the same spot. If in doubt, don’t geotag. And, if you’re after an authentic adventure, maybe leave the smartphone at home.

3. Is cruising really that bad?

“Big cruise” is far from responsible travel, as we can see from the environmental fines that are piling up. In June 2019, Princess Cruises, and its parent company Carnival, were made to pay US$20 million for dumping oily waste at sea. One cruise ship can produce up to seven tonnes of waste a day, and many use notoriously dirty bunker fuel. Cruise ships can also be responsible for overtourism, unleashing thousands of visitors at a port at any one time.

4. How about Airbnb?

A 2019 report by the Economic Policy Institute says that “evidence suggests that the presence of Airbnb raises local housing costs” in American cities. Residents and officials all over Europe have also blamed the holiday rental site for pushing up rents and limiting housing stock, not to mention completely altering the fabric of a city.

Although Airbnb was launched with good intentions – the sharing economy is a wonderfully accessible and sustainable alternative to corporate conglomerates – as with many other democratising plans to come out of Silicon Valley, it’s got some serious problems. A locally run guest house, hostel, hotel or bed and breakfast will be regulated, whereas Airbnb can slip under the radar.

Alternatives include a house-swapping company like Love Home Swap, or Fairbnb – a non-profit with restrictions in place to prevent damage to local lives and housing.

If you do use Airbnb, only choose properties that are someone’s actual home – you can usually tell by the volume of bookable dates on offer.

5. How can I avoid exploitation when I travel?

With a rising interest in learning and transformative travel experiences, it’s more important than ever for travellers to be mindful of the exploitation of people and communities. Make sure a community or indigenous group always has control over what tourism they are offering, and if they want it at all – if you’re unsure, quiz tour operators before booking.

If possible, choose an experience designed by the community, rather than one that’s been thrown upon them. Ask how much of your fee goes directly to tribe elders or community leaders – these are not “human zoos” that other people should profit from. Think twice before joining a busload of others to visit a remote and rural community, and consider whether you would like to be papped before doing it to someone else.

Always ask permission before taking photos. Check local regulations before entering indigenous reserves, read up on local concerns and issues, and never try to make contact with a remote tribe.

6. Are some places best left unvisited?

Where travel doesn’t aid conservation or support communities, then are those places better left alone? One example that causes much debate is Antarctica. There’s something about the earth’s icy extremity that is irresistible to humans; a mysterious half-land that has gobbled up hardy adventurers and left others in utter awe.

But is that enough? The average carbon footprint of each passenger visiting Antarctica is 5 tonnes of CO2, and soot or black carbon from ship exhausts can build up on ice and increase warming. The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators regulates how tour operators behave, but signing up is voluntary, and the ship numbers keep on rising. How much is too much?

7. What to know when it comes to animal welfare?

Animals all over the world are abused for the sake of “tourism” – whether drugged for photo opportunities, abused to encourage performance, or mistreated in zoos and so-called ‘sanctuaries’. Unacceptable behaviours include any tourist contact or feeding of great apes, bears, sloths, crocodiles or alligators, ostrich riding, and feeding or walking with wildcats.

Also deemed unethical is any photo or holding opportunity with a wild animal where it can’t move away at any time and feeding or contact with animals in the wild. Elephant rides, shows or bathing are also on the list. Whale and Dolphin Conservation recommend that visitors join responsibly minded whale- and dolphin-watching trips rather than interacting with them in captivity (any responsibly minded travel company will have pulled out of Sea World by now).

In 2019, an undercover report by consumer magazine Which? found that nine out of 10 industry giants, including Trailfinders, Virgin Holidays and Expedia, were still selling inappropriate animal experiences.

8. How can I support places that suffer natural disasters?

Every time there’s a natural disaster somewhere loved by tourists, social media feeds fill up with devastating statistics, appeals for help and calls to travel there. While this response often has best interests at heart and contains some truth, maybe we’re better off taking stock and considering the bigger picture. What are these natural disasters telling us about the state of our planet?

Should we respond like its business as usual or should we make more fundamental changes to our behaviour? If we do take stock, we might choose to shy away from the great irony of releasing tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere to help those affected by climate-related natural disasters. Instead, we could dig a little deeper into our pockets and donate to conservation charities on the ground looking for long-term solutions.

Or, we might feel a surge of motivation to reduce our carbon footprint. We may also change how we travel: since a five-year drought worsened the Australian fires, then, if we are going to travel to Australia, how can our travels help to prevent drought? We need to support businesses and people who are protecting and restoring ecosystems that are more naturally resilient than intensive farming.

Going one step further, how can we learn from natural disasters to improve destinations in the long-term? Rather than merely seeking recovery, we could aim for relief efforts to be regenerative and transformative.

‘From now on, we want quality tourism’: holidays after Covid-19

9. Have we forgotten how to take personal responsibility for risk?

Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the Canadian government’s travel advisories page recommended that travellers “exercise a high degree of caution” in destinations including Indonesia, India, Nepal, Peru, Philippines and the United Kingdom. The United States has a blanket warning: “As terrorist attacks, political violence [including demonstrations], criminal activities and other security incidents often take place without any warning, US citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance when travelling abroad.”

When on holiday, often the last thing we want to do is contemplate risk; we barely want to make any decisions, let alone be confronted with social tensions. But when we crave adventure and want to understand the world a little better, taking an element of risk is part of the package. Only when we step out of our comfort zones can we challenge preconceptions and distil greater understanding. Arguably, the more we step out of them, the most enlightening experience we’re likely to have – senses sharpened and eyes wide open.

Of course, everyone has their boundaries when it comes to taking risk. But, it’s worth considering that in an age when overtourism is sweeping across much of the world, sometimes championing underdogs – for example, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Nicaragua – is our best chance at a meaningful experience. It can do wonders for these destinations, too.