Travelling is a source of peace to the mind. Through the means of travel one can go around different parts of the world and make friends with people who are different, yet the same. Travelling around the world gives a person perspective, lets a person introspect and makes it possible for them to make the most of the short life they are living on this selfless planet. But while doing so, most people forget that they are thrashing the resources and the world that is around them.  To make a little bit out of so much, to click pictures with elephants during safaris and being ignorant towards the torture they are going through, making use of toxic materials during travels, and every other possible thing one can imagine which hurts our precious planet earth. 

A person can adopt the ways of being sustainable not only in their daily lives, but also while travelling and exploring the world. A traveler must learn all the ways through which he can help the earth heal, and there is no better way to learn than that of reading books. Travel books have been in the business for as long as one can remember but books on sustainable travel are pretty new in the market. For the past few years, professional travelers and authors have come forth to bless the world with a plethora of books which are based on ‘Sustainable Tourism and Travel’ which has helped so many tourists to learn and adopt these ways. 

Here are the 7 Travel Books, which we at Journey To Dreams consider a must read so that you can read to gain your knowledge about sustainable ways of tourism and travel:

1. Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet by  Megan Epler Wood

This excellent travel book is written by Megan Epler Wood who was a founder of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES).  She is currently the Director of the International Sustainable Tourism Initiative at the Center for Health and the Global Environment, an instructor of online courses in sustainable tourism at Harvard Extension’s Graduate School of Sustainability, and a Senior Project Associate at the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. 

Epler Wood’s book on Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet is a must read for any traveler who wishes to work towards changing the face of earth in the present and the future by travelling sustainably and being mindful towards the phenomenons of global climate change, poverty, and ecosystem degradation. This incredible book is a guide for all the people who want to transition towards a lower impact tourism. As reviewed by the readers, this book is ‘engaging’ , ‘easy to follow’ and ‘impactful’. Get your hands on this book and become a better traveler. 

2. Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism by Elizabeth Becker

Overbooked is written by Elizabeth Becker who is an award winning author, who has won awards like Roberts Kennedy Book Awards and the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for public service, among others. She is the former correspondent for The New York Times. 

This book is an eye opener for all the travelers and can tend to be quite disturbing while exposing the reality of the travel industry. Becker shows off the ways through which this travel industry affects the world’s economy, the culture and traditions and mostly the adverse effects that it has on our environment. In her book, Elizabeth Becker travels through the world and takes in account how the tourists have jeopardized the world in so many uncountable ways. Overbooked is as real as it can get, and every person who wishes to be a real traveler. A true traveler must know the real face of the industry and work towards abolishing the wrong way it works. 

3. Tourism and Sustainability by Martin Mowforth and Ian Munt. 

Written by the brilliant duo of Martin Mowforth and Ian Munt, the former who is a freelance researcher. He specializes in issues related to environment, development, sustainability and human rights in the region of Central America. He is also a part-time lecturer in human geography at Plymouth University, UK. Whereas the latter is a freelance human settlements specialist. Ian has worked with UN agencies, bilateral donors and non-governmental organisations on many projects, across the globe. 

As commented by Erlet Cater, In Focus, Tourism Concern, this book should be a mandatory read by every person who wishes to be a tourism researcher. This book generally focuses on the geopolitical issues of the world and demonstrates how we, as travelers and human beings can make this better. In this book, Mowforth and Munt illustrate how the political issues, social issues, economical issues as well as environmental issues affect the travel industry. ‘Tourism and Sustainability’ is a perfect guide for students as well as travelers who want to dip their feet into the real world of the travel industry. 

4. Sustainable Escapes by Lonely Planet 

Lonely Planet is quite undoubtedly the best and the most famous travel media company and is ranked as world’s number one travel guidebook brand. Lonely Planet has inspired both, budding and professional travelers to learn more and more about the information that they need. Over the past few decades, Lonely Planet has managed to print over 145 million copies of their infamous guidebooks, and we believe that is enough to set a mark in this flourishing industry. 

Sustainable Escapes is a modern day guide for travelers to know about the world famous, as well as eco friendly resorts, through which the travelers can have the best experience. This guidebook covers all the details and information about how a tourist can go on a wild life protected tour, eco lodges, empower communities and have loads of fun and contentment at the same time. Get to know about 180 amazing escapes that are mentioned in this guidebook by Lonely Planet. 

5. Sustainable Tourism in Island Destinations (Tourism, Environment and Development Series) by Sonya Graci and Rachel Dodds. 

This new age book is written by Sonya Graci and Rachel Dodds. Graci is an assistant professor at Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, and the Director of Accommodating Green, a consultancy. Rachel Dodds is an Associate Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University, and the Director of Sustaining Tourism, a consultancy.

Sustainable Tourism in Island Destinations, as its name suggest is about the picturesque islands around our world which depend on the tourists and travelers for the income to maintain them. Graci and Dodds present the ways through which the tourists who visit the islands for its aesthetic appeal are jeopardizing the environment. These islands are getting exploited because of the threatening rise in the number of ways through which tourists ruin the world through the use of ways which are not eco friendly. Read this book to get to know about the challenges which are faced by the island because of the travel industry. 

6. Routledge Handbook of Tourism and Sustainability by C. Michael Hall, Stefan Gössling, Daniel Scott

This incredibly famous handbook by Michael Hall, Stefan Gössling and Daniel Scott has won the ITB BookAwards 2016 in the category of Specialist tourism literature. Michael Hall is a Professor in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury and Docent, Department of Geography, University of Oulu, Finland. Stefan Gössling is a research coordinator at the Western Norway Research Institute’s Research Center for Sustainable Tourism, as well as a professor at different renowned universities. Daniel Scott is a Canada Research Chair in Global Change and Tourism in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo. The three of them are keen on the issues of tourism and climate change, sustainable tourism, low carbon tourism, among others. 

Routledge Handbook of Tourism and Sustainability is drafted by these three genius people who excel in so many fields, and together they have authored a gem which informs the world’s travelers about tourism and its role as a catalyst in the phenomenons of climate and environmental change. This book resonates the values that must be Incorporated in the humans who want to take a step towards sustainable tourism. This authors discuss the issues of concerns like – peak-oil, post-carbon tourism, green economy and transition tourism. This book is a must read for travelers who want to transition towards sustainable tourism. 

7. Going Local : Experiences and Encounters on the Road by Nicholas Kontis

Last but not the least, this heartwarming book by Nicholas Kontis not only focuses on the importance of sustainable tourism and going local, but is also a heart wrenching and authentic experience by the author. Nicholas Kontis was born on the meserming island of Santorini, Greece and brought up in San Francisco. Nick is world famously known for his amazing achievements, and is also an inspiration for travelers and travel writers all around the world to get up and do something worthwhile. 

In this book Nick tells his readers how they can deeply immerse themselves while travelling by going local. Nick shares his real life experiences in this book which are a true inspiration for travelers. At the age of 24, Nick set out for a world tour, volunteering and travelling through the world with bikes, cars, trains, planes and also saving a baby in Bangladesh. This is when he truly realized how important it is to truly immerse oneself in the local culture, and after this he put out his own travel agency. This book is sure to bring out the golden travel heart that beats inside you. Get this book and immerse yourself in this beautiful experience of Nick, as if you were there with him. 

GO LOCAL. PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM. PROTECT WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. Meanwhile, Happy Reading, travel bugs! 

By Arya Koyal

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