Regenerative Travel – From Traveler To Change Maker – Unleashing Your Power for Positive Change

Following the 2023 Regenerative Travel Summit hosted in New York City, our Travel Contributor, Gayle Higginbotham, Founder of Oculus Travel shares with us her thoughts following the summit and how we can all go from traveler to change maker and unleash our power for positive change.  

In an era when conscious choices matter more than ever, this summit has provided a powerful platform to dive deep into the principles of regenerative travel.

The Regenerative Travel Summit: A Catalyst for Change

The Regenerative Travel Summit is a remarkable event designed to propel the travel industry towards a regenerative future. It’s a stage where global industry leaders come together to explore innovative ideas, exchange best practices, and, most importantly, inspire one another to build an industry that creates a positive environmental and social impact. All of this, of course, aligns perfectly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

As the Founder of Oculus Travel, I am incredibly passionate about this movement. It speaks to those who yearn to explore our beautiful world, yet also have a burning desire to leave a lasting, positive impact on the environment and the communities they encounter. In a nutshell, that’s the essence of regenerative travel—a powerful movement focused on making meaningful differences in cherished destinations around the globe.

Regenerative Travel: From Backpackers to 5-Star Resorts

One common misconception is that regenerative travel is solely the domain of the “tree-hugging hippies” or reserved for low-budget, eco-conscious travelers. In reality, regenerative travel surpasses these stereotypes and applies to every kind of traveler, from those in basic accommodations to those indulging in the finest 5-star resorts.

Regenerative travel doesn’t mean sacrificing luxury. It means redefining what luxury means. True luxury is about enriching your soul, leaving a destination better than you found it, and creating a lasting legacy of positive change.

Luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand. Regenerative travel isn’t about sacrificing comfort or pleasure. It’s about embracing a new mindset, where travelers become proactive stewards of the environment and local communities. 

At Oculus Travel we are at the forefront of this mission, spearheading conservation and regenerative travel across Africa, ensuring every step of the journey counts, whilst creating experiences that leave a positive mark on the world.

Picture yourself immersed in the true essence of each destination, forging authentic connections with local cultures, and creating lifelong memories. All the while, knowing that your travel choices are empowering local communities and preserving natural wonders for generations to come. Sounds good, right?

Your Power

As the summit positioned: the power of travel as a force for good is undeniable; to build bridges, melt egos, challenge stereotypes, protect ecosystems, and bolster economies. But, one of the reoccurring themes of the summit was around the power of the individual. For so long travelers have found themselves asking how one person can make a difference and cultivate positive change within the travel industry and beyond, but we each have a voice, and we all have a choice. 

One of the keynote speakers was Javier Arredondo, with more than two decades experience in the travel and media industries, he is currently Vice President of Sustainability at Virtuoso after almost two years as General Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. Javier said; “If you don’t experience something first hand, you are unlikely to care about protecting it” – and I love this quote! Tourism brings people to the ecosystems and communities that need regeneration and awareness of the need to protect and preserve them in a way that individuals can connect and be moved themselves to make a difference. 

Ask the question…

The global tourism industry needs to understand that at its simplest level it sells the opportunity to experience nature and culture. As travelers, we need to choose suppliers that ensure the survival of these crucial resources, so ask your chosen tour operator/lodge/hotel – What are you doing to help protect nature? What are you doing to safeguard cultural heritage? What work are you doing to uplift and empower indigenous communities?  

At Oculus Travel, we highlight the work that the properties we work with are doing through their own operations, as well as through the work they spearhead through the foundations and initiatives they embark on to preserve nature and invest in people and communities and create commerce locally.  

Our whole business model and ethos is built on only working with properties and partners who share this mindset and already operate sustainably and seek ways to regenerate the ecosystems and communities in which they operate. 

Ask your travel partner which foundation(s) they associate with on the ground in each destination, and if possible make it a step in your journey to learn and experience some of their work. Most of Oculus Travel’s partners do this, and we work with the foundations they are associated with to support the initiatives they spearhead. For example; this month (October), I will be participating in the Grumeti Fund’s Serengeti Girls Run in Tanzania, a foundation that Singita support and partner with and this event is to support female empowerment in Tanzania.

Tshewang Wangchuk, Executive Director of Bhutan Foundation focused their message on treating others the way you would want to be treated – I love this concept and it is so important when it comes to regenerative travel. By taking a closer look at the way your chosen partner or supplier works with and treats their staff or guides. All over the world, hotels and lodges should be hiring near to 100% local staff, and how they treat their staff needs to be looked at as a key aspect of long-term sustainability. 

Travel to learn not to extract.

I also love this quote from Melita Koulmandas; “Travel to learn not to extract.” understanding from the communities point of view, matters – nobody knows the context, impact and landscape better than them – so learn from them. 

Change has to come for and from the community, not from what we think they need but we need to have a spirit of wanting to help them effect the changes they need and want.  This is where working with the associations and foundations associated locally with our travel partners can be very powerful and is necessary.

Giving Back

It also goes a step further… when we travel, it’s important that we are mindful of not only what we can learn from, but also what we can give back. Ask yourself what can I give to the communities/locations we visit? Through our tourist dollars, how we choose to spend them locally? Be mindful of what’s really needed vs what we think is needed but in a gentle and thoughtful way and find ways to give, rather than take when we travel. It’s important that the tourist dollars that come to that local community stay in that community and are used to its benefit and not funnelled back to a distant corporate HQ.

Impact

As you can hopefully tell from this article, I am very passionate about this subject. I am on a mission to use my voice to change and impact the industry. 

I was part of the workgroup that formulated and gave input into some of the courses that Regenerative Travel will soon be releasing as a inaugural self-guided e-course, titled “From Principles to Practice: Regenerative Travel in Action” to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and framework behind regenerative development and tourism. This will be available very soon. 

I will also be attending the Conservation Framework ‘retreat’ being hosted by African Bush Camps in Botswana in December to continue to add my voice to conversation. 

So, as I share and reflect on the 2023 Regenerative Travel Summit, let’s embrace the power we each hold to be positive change-makers in the travel industry. Together, we can redefine luxury and unlock the potential of regenerative travel for all.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Honestly, with regenerative travel, your journey can truly transform the world.

To find out more about who I am and what I do please connect with me: 

Website: https://www.oculustravel.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxury_travel_curator