What Travellers Can Do • Indie Traveller

There’s been a bit of a debate in the travel community on the negative effects of tourism recently (see these articles at Expert Vagabond and Nomadic Matt, among others). I thought I’d pitch in with my 2 cents worth.

As a frequent traveler, I’ve had the privilege to visit some destinations more than once. But reconnecting with places I already know and love can be a heart-aching experience sometimes, when it turns out they rapidly devolved into swarming tourist traps in just a matter of years.

This is a problem the world is slowly waking up to. From Venice to Dubrovnik and from Krabi Beach to Angkor Wat, the problem of overcrowding is having more people concerned.

I often struggle with this issue. On the one hand, I think it’s amazing that more people can travel. Certain types of travel can be educational and break down barriers between cultures. On the other hand, when the popularity of places explodes beyond their reasonable capacity, it becomes a real problem.

This…