Trailblazers

Off the beaten path travel is increasingly difficult to find as time marches on. Mass tourism is impacting everything from our favorite cities to the seas that surround them. All the while locals and the environment are often an afterthought. This series, Trailblazers, checks in with writers, photographers, filmmakers, activists and environmentalists who are passionate about off the beaten path travel.

Marina Qutab: Zero Waste Vegan Travel

Marina Qutab is the creator of the eco-lifestyle brand, Eco Goddess, and is a zero waste vegan influencer in the eco-conscious lifestyle industry. She is better known as Eco Goddess on social media, and champions the ‘green girl lifestyle.’ The co-founder of the first zero-waste shop in Southern California, she has been advocating for a more just and thriving planet for over eight years.

Her inspiration for becoming a zero waste vegan lifestylist arose after her life-changing experience at the young age of 10, visiting her father’s home country Pakistan. Here she was exposed to environmental degradation at an alarming rate and extreme poverty. Upon becoming ill and blowing her nose into a tissue one night where she witnessed black mucus from the air pollution, she knew it was her calling to work towards building a more conscious, just, and sustainable world.

She motivates thousands of conscious lifestyle seekers from around the world to make healthier, more compassionate lifestyle choices and is the author of Zero Waste Vegan Travel which was released in November of 2017. Her eBook was in Amazon’s Best Sellers Top 10 list in the first month of publishing in the categories Waste Management and EcoTourism.

Without A Path Socially-conscious travel seems to be increasingly popular. What are your impressions?

Marina Qutab When I hear the words “socially-conscious” and “travel” in the same sentence, my eyes, heart and mind light up. This way of traveling is not just a trendy, do-good activity. It is a way of navigating the world in a more fulfilling, authentic, and mindful way.

In our fast-paced society, travel is an essential part of our everyday lives. And with modern technology, traveling has never been more affordable and convenient. As a deep green environmentalist, who exercises the zero waste vegan lifestyle daily and can fit nearly a year’s worth of my trash in a single mason jar, I questioned how sustainable and doable my wanderlust was.

And yet, growing up in a multicultural home of Pakistani, European and Spanish descent, I learned from a young age the value of authentic, one-on-one cultural exchanges for peace and global understanding.

Frustrated by feeling ostracized within my own community of environmentalists, and the frequent response of, “No Marina, you can’t be a world traveler and environmentalist,” I embarked on a quest, as many of us do, to find some answers. Turns out there is a whole movement gaining traction where travelers identify as socially-conscious travelers, and their journeys are conducive to a progressive world. By evidence of my own documentation and travels, I am a living example of how through simple lifestyle choices, you can travel the world and maintain a vibrant, peaceful and thriving planet.

WAP Tell us about Zero Waste Vegan Travel.

MQ Zero Waste Vegan Travel, my eBook that I released on November 11th at 11:11 AM, is a practical, relatable travel guide based on my personal, walk-the-talk experience of living a zero waste vegan lifestyle. This book is not intended to make a reader’s life harder, but rather simpler, happier and healthier To touch upon both lifestyle components, zero waste and veganism, I have split the book into parts, beginning with my personal definitions of each term. Each part of this book is rich with information, including Zero Waste Vegan Lifestyle Hacks, Alternatives & Tips, Recipes, Your, Complete Travel Checklist, Money-Saving Strategies, and more.

This book presents the tried-and-true ways to a “green girl” lifestyle filled with more compassionate, health-focused choices that are in alignment with Mother Earth. I share with you what has worked and what has not while navigating my travels and experience as a ZWV lifestylist.

WAP What inspired you to get more involved in making videos about this topic?

MQ I have always been a visual learner. There is something special about communicating through a live experience and more intimate interaction with your audience, as opposed to just words on a page.

I studied film in university, but it wasn’t until my junior year when I took a narrative video journalism class and was required to pick up a camera to tell the story that I felt completely in my element. What I loved the most was that our class could all be given the same topic to build a story around, yet no two videos in the end were created the same.

WAP How do you wrestle with encouraging people — either directly or indirectly — to travel knowing in doing so your fans will leave behind a carbon footprint?

MQ I was the self-entitled environmentalist at one point in my life, judging others for their lack of sustainable lifestyle practices, annoyed by meat eaters and the non-vegans, intolerant of unconscious consumers who bought conventional products. But then something shifted in me. How was I going to affect change in such a harsh manner? The truth is, I couldn’t. When I shifted my approach to encouraging people in a more compassionate, relatable tone, the number of people I influenced dramatically increased.

I began agreeing with the feelings of others. I got on their level. I avoided speaking as a superior. I refrained from minimizing or correcting them. I reminded myself: everyone starts somewhere.

I began breaking down their obstacles, addressing their challenges and eliminating their misconceptions of the lifestyle. I let them talk. Baby steps, I reminded them. No big lifestyle change will be effectively made overnight. It takes patience. It takes making new habits and sticking to them. It takes motivation, whether that be a friend, a mentor, or a sticky note on your wall.

I began publicising through social media how happy and fulfilled this lifestyle made me feel. This “walk the talk” mechanism illustrated value. It made the lifestyle seem more attainable and desirable. And alas, the “well if she can do it, I can do it!” mindset is born. You see this over and over again.

WAP Food is ingrained into cultures around the world and in many places, it’s considered rude not to accept an offering of food. How do you handle that situation without offending your hosts?

MQ I love this question because I have a lot of experience learning it and living it. In the Fall of 2016, I completed my studies abroad in the Middle East. Excited to experience the people, places, food, and culture, I went into my new life abroad with an open mind. Because my dad is from this part of the world and my mom is Spanish and European, I learned how to handle cultural differences at a young age.

I stayed with a host family who hardly spoke English. Great, I thought. Now it is going to be even more difficult! To my surprise, it wasn’t. I handled my food preferences by first expressing my deep gratitude for the offering. Then I would politely say I had a food allergy or sensitivity to animal products. This is so much different than saying “Eww! That’s a dead animal!” or “I don’t eat animal products because it is against my moral compass!” The host will rarely be offended by a food allergy and can respect and honor your preference in a different light.

WAP Is your mission to encourage everyone to become vegan or do you think there’s a middle ground? Because it seems to be vegan is a luxury that wealthier nations and peoples can certainly embrace, but that’s a near impossibility — logistically, financially, and when considering health — for poorer families around the world with fewer options or substitutes for animal protein.

MQ My mission is to show people that there’s a way to find balance and a deeper sense of happiness and fulfillment in choosing a conscious-minded path. Geographic and demographic disparities certainly play a role in determining how much of the zero waste vegan by which you can live. The amount of waste you generate and the types of foods you consume are not nearly as important as understanding your purchasing power and the impact you have.

Every person can adopt changes that are possible and accessible in their lives. Even the smallest of changes towards a more sustainable and mindful existence will have a positive effect on our society and the world as a whole.

WAP What’s been the biggest surprise you’ve experienced since getting involved in zero waste vegan travel?

MQ How surprisingly simple this lifestyle has become never ceases to amaze me. When I began my zero waste vegan journey, I did not make impulsive or drastic decisions nor do I suggest that route. I took my time to feel what it would be like to transition my life from conventional to conscious living. My initial thoughts while entering into this lifestyle were, “Ugh, this is going to be a lot of work and I am going to have to give up so many things I love.” Quite the opposite, actually! This beautifully transformative experience led to a euphoric sense of freedom, a greater sense of purpose, and an overall healthier and happier wellbeing.

WAP Do you have a favorite vegan travel destination? (Is there such a thing?)

MQ My favorite vegan travel destination thus far is where I am living now, naturally: Southern California. The amount of fresh, local and seasonal produce is to live for. Plus, there is an abundance of plant-based restaurants. My favorites include Café Gratitude, Peace Pies, and Kindred. Then there’s the plant-based fast-food restaurant for when you have the munchies, Plant Power.

WAP How can the travel industry decrease its waste and help those areas that have been negatively impacted by mass tourism?

MQ To decrease waste, the travel industry can begin by supporting carbon offsetting programs which compensate for emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. A public announcement highlighting the perks of offsetting at the beginning of each flight would remind all passengers to do so after their flight.

Secondly, on planes, the crew can serve organic, healthy snacks and other items only in recyclable or compostable materials. As for utensils and straws, airlines can introduce reusable or compostable utensils. The amount of waste produced by the packaged snacks and products handed out throughout the plane ride is startling. According to the International Air Transport Association, airlines produce an average of 5.2 million tons of waste in a year and will produce over 10 million tons annually by 2030.

For the materials that are recyclable, flight attendants should be incentivized to carry out proper recycling procedures. According to one of my close friends who is a flight attendant, she says most flight attendants send recyclables to a landfill because there is no proper instruction on how to discard the materials. In addition, she says there are no incentives or benefits for making the eco-friendly choice. In their eyes, it is just an extra effort and work.

Airlines can also look into options for running the planes on biofuel or other renewable energy sources.

Moving on to hotels and/or places to stay while traveling, facilities can greenify their operations by looking at how they dispose of their gray water and if they compost; their waste overall and how much of it is recyclable; the bathroom fixtures and toiletries; if there are in-room recycling bins; how they can conserve energy such as using energy efficient lighting and Energy Star appliances; environmentally friendly energy source alternatives such as solar energy or hydroelectric power; a linen-and-towel-reuse program with incentives for guests; and quality of the restaurant food. Big facilities like hotels can also research how to qualify for an accredited certification program, such as Green Key, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees LEED certification. The most holistically green hotels support the three pillars of sustainable tourism: social, environmental and economic.

Ad­ven­ture-tour operators can arrange green modes of travel and adventuring, including cycling, hiking, biking and walking. Then there is public transit, such as trains and buses. Information regarding public transit should be readily available for travelers in the airport, hotels or in the surrounding areas. However, their impact on the environment depends on such factors as route, fuel type and passenger load.

In the big picture, travel companies can make a commitment to no new development that does not have a positive impact on ecosystems. Sure, they can prohibit the use of straws and plastic lids at resorts to protect marine life, but the biggest positive effect will come from travel companies encouraging ecotourism. This kind of tourism is a responsible way of traveling to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education. Ecotourism is about uniting communities, conservation, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement, participate in and market ecotourism activities should adopt the following ecotourism principles: Build cultural and environmental awareness and respect; Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts; Provide direct financial benefits for conservation; Minimize social, physical, behavioral, and psychological impacts; Create financial benefits for both local people and private industry; Construct, design and operate low-impact facilities; Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to travelers that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ environmental, social and political climates; Recognize the spiritual beliefs and rights of the Indigenous People in the community travelers visit, and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.

WAP Could you offer a tip for readers who want to travel more responsibly in general?

MQ As many of the readers of my new book can attest to, I am a firm believer in the two-step method. First, Evaluate and next, Make the Move.

Evaluate how you travel now. Ask yourself questions like:

• How much waste do I currently produce while traveling?
• Where is my waste coming from? Here are some possibilities: food packaging, food waste, water packaging, morning routine, makeup, hygiene products, etcetera.
• What do I use on a daily basis and how much of it is necessary? For example, do you need your morning coffee or tea in a plastic cup with a plastic straw?
• What can I comfortably switch out? This could mean bringing cotton sacks or reusable jars to the grocery store to buy your food in bulk, eliminating packaged items. Or perhaps switching out your plastic toothbrush for a compostable bamboo version. You will find that gradually, you can comfortably switch out more and more.

Next, Make the Move. Begin your journey to zero waste veganism by downsizing, responsibly disposing of unnecessary things, and filling your diet with organic, seasonal, local and vibrant plant-based whole foods.

Here’s a simple switch that will make you feel like a zero waste vegan badass: Carry a Zero Waste Kit with you everywhere. This is essentially a bag with all of the tools you need to be zero waste. Some may need their kits more than others, so it is truly just learning when and where you will need it. The number one reason people fail at this lifestyle is because they do not appropriately plan and are unprepared. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” so start off strong and you will learn from there.

Here is what will go in your kit: A reusable set of utensils; A reusable napkin; A reusable glass/bamboo/metal straw; A reusable water bottle; A reusable mug; A food storage container (for leftovers or takeout); A cloth bag (for your muffin/croissant/sandwich); A reusable bag (for grocery shopping).

WAP What’re you most looking forward to in your work and travels?

MQ To connect with people. Above everything, I love connecting with others and empowering them to make intentional lifestyle choices. It’s a ripple effect.

Hearing their stories, learning their ways of living, bonding over our similarities and differences, enjoying new foods and cultures and so much more. This topic of zero waste vegan travel is a novel, rarely discussed topic, making it an excellent conversation starter and opportunity to learn and grow with each other.

I very much look forward to the day when we can all partake in exploration and travel in a new way– one that connects us as a people, deepens global understanding abroad and in our local communities, and maintains a vibrant, peaceful and thriving planet.

All photos courtesy of Marina Qutab

Off the beaten path travel is increasingly difficult to find as time marches on. Mass tourism is impacting everything from our favorite cities to the seas that surround them. All the while locals and the environment are often an afterthought. This series, Trailblazers, checks in with writers, photographers, filmmakers, activists and environmentalists who are passionate about off the beaten path travel.

Margherita Ragg: The Crowded Planet

Margherita Ragg is the co-founder of The Crowded Planet and comes from Milan, Italy, but is now in the United Kingdom where she has spent the better part of the last nine years traveling — first part-time and then full-time from 2014 onwards. Her passions center around hiking, ecotourism, good coffee, tasty street food, cats, and when her schedule allows, sleeping in.

Without A Path Off the beaten path travel seems to be increasingly popular. What are your impressions?

Margherita Ragg I think off the beaten path travel has become a necessity nowadays. Overtourism has ruined many places and increased the rift between travelers and locals, yet at the same time, tourism has the potential of doing wonders for communities. I think it’s sensible to travel off the beaten path, but we need to be careful because, in the age of ‘viral’ content, it’s very easy to flood formerly off the beaten path locations with visitors, which can have negative consequences.

WAP Tell us about The Crowded Planet.

MR We started The Crowded Planet as a way to share what we are passionate about, namely hiking, adventure, nature, unusual destinations, and photography. I also work as a freelance journalist and The Crowded Planet has become an outlet for stories we wanted to tell, but we couldn’t find an outlet for, like our Grindadrap in the Faroe Islands piece, which has attracted a fair bit of controversy.

WAP What inspired you to get more involved in writing about sustainable travel?

MR I think it was witnessing terrible animal cruelty while on our first trip to Asia in 2009; the fact that everyone seemed nonchalant about riding elephants, drinking civet coffee, and all that. Things have definitely improved since then, but there’s still a lot to be done. I was recently in southern Africa and activities like lion encounters are still routinely offered. Also, sustainable travel is not just about interacting with nature, but also with communities. I still see travelers routinely disrespecting local cultures or using sacred places as a backdrop for their insta-perfect images without sharing info about the significance of that place. I think much still needs to be done to educate travelers about how to interact responsibly with local cultures.

WAP How do you wrestle with encouraging people to visit alternative destinations with the carbon footprint your readers will be leaving behind?

MR This is a really tough one. We can’t give up flying altogether so we try to limit long-haul flights to only a few a year. For instance, I have seen travel bloggers fly from Europe to Asia for a week-long campaign, then fly back to Europe for another project, then off to Asia again. We wouldn’t do that. We would choose to be involved in fewer things but not move around as much. Also, sustainability is what got us into long-distance hiking. We’ll never achieve carbon-neutral travel, but long-distance hiking is as close as we can get.

WAP What’s been the biggest surprise you’ve experienced since getting started?

MR In terms of blogging, it was the amazing level of support offered by the travel blogging community. It truly is one big family. Don’t get me wrong, there are some nasty people here and there, but generally speaking most people are just amazing.

In terms of travel in general, it’s how quickly a destination can move from being unknown to becoming overwhelmed with tourists. We saw that happen in Svaneti, Georgia, and Jericoacoara, Brazil. What were once small villages became hot destinations, overrun with tourists in a matter of years, upsetting the balance of local life.

WAP Do you have a favorite off the beaten path travel destination?

MR This year we visited Kyrgyzstan for the first time and really loved it. We worked with USAID to promote examples of community-based tourism. Instead of creating infrastructures and giving them to western companies to run, they’re left in the hand of locals, creating empowerment and employment opportunities. The fact that locals are left to run things directly means that locals are able to benefit first hand from tourism income instead of simply becoming employees of western-owned establishments.

WAP How can the travel industry both preserve off the beaten path travel destinations and help those areas that have been negatively impacted by mass tourism?

MR I think control and careful management are key. I think the most effective way to preserve off the beaten track destinations is involving locals, not just using them as cheap labor, like in the Kyrgyzstan example. To control overtourism, many African locations limited tourist numbers in national parks by charging exorbitant daily fees. It certainly worked, but it cuts out an entire section of the traveling population — those who aren’t able to afford those fees. I think capping numbers, like it’s done on the Inca Trail, is fairer, but then again, there probably isn’t a perfect solution.

WAP Could you offer a tip for readers who want to find off the beaten path travel destinations and travel responsibly?

MR Search out locations where tourism is still in the hands of locals and be very careful to respect local norms when posting on social media. It’s true that a picture can speak a thousand words but sometimes images can be misunderstood. Always share stories, not just pictures.

WAP On a happier note, what’re you most looking forward to in your work and travels?

MR This is the time of year when we plan our travels for the year ahead and so far we’ve confirmed Mexico and possibly Canada for spring/summer 2018. In the fall we’ll head back to Asia, but nothing has been planned yet. I’m so excited to see where the industry will be heading, too, even though sometimes it’s so hard to keep up!

All photos courtesy of Margherita Ragg

Off the beaten path travel is increasingly difficult to find as time marches on. Mass tourism is impacting everything from our favorite cities to the seas that surround them. All the while locals and the environment are often an afterthought. This series, Trailblazers, checks in with writers, photographers, filmmakers, activists and environmentalists who are passionate about off the beaten path travel.

Megan Mullan: Half This World Away

Megan Mullan and is one half of the traveling duo behind Half This World Away. Originally from Scotland, she’s been traveling and living overseas since 2011, most of the time with her husband in tow.

She had her first taste of travel when she moved to Madrid to teach English and spent one year in living in the Spanish capital. Since then, she’s lived in New Zealand and the Czech Republic all the while traveling throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Without A Path Off the beaten path travel seems to be increasingly popular. What are your impressions?

Megan Mullan For me, off the beaten path travel is the most rewarding and satisfying way to travel, so it doesn’t surprise me that more and more people are putting down the guidebooks and discovering places on their own. More often than not, I end up disappointed with the hyped up destinations or landmarks, yet I adore the feeling of stumbling across somewhere; a place, a viewpoint, a little-known town, that feels like mine. Even if it’s only for a moment or two.

WAP Staying with a Vietnamese hill tribe seems to be pretty off the beaten path. Tell us about that.

MM My husband and I fell completely in love with Vietnam on our first trip there nearly five years ago, and even today it still remains one of our favorite countries we’ve ever visited. We wanted to delve a little deeper into this beautiful contrast of a country and felt that staying with locals was the most authentic way to do this. We hiked through the rice terraces of Northern Sapa for around a day and then stayed with a Vietnamese Hilltribe who showed us their way of life. We cooked with them in a tiny kitchen over an open fire, ate with them, and slept in their home.

Although they didn’t speak any English (nor do we speak Vietnamese) it was amazing the way we were able to communicate together. The people we met were completely self-sustainable; the community grow their own food, raise livestock, make their own clothing, and even brew their own alcohol!

WAP How did staying with this family compare to other aspects of traveling Vietnam. Presumably, you stayed at more traditional hotels?

MM Staying with this family was a completely unique experience and we really got a glimpse of what a hand-to-mouth life was like and how thousands of people live throughout Vietnam as well as the rest of the world. It was a very authentic experience and probably one most people don’t get to have. Of course, we stayed in hotels and hostels whilst traveling the rest of the country, but our time in Northern Sapa was probably the most rewarding and memorable.

WAP What’s been the biggest surprise you’ve experienced since you started traveling?

MM The kindness of people. We’ve been to some incredibly remote and poor nations, yet so many locals have gone out their way to help us. Even though we didn’t speak the same language and we looked different, we’ve had complete strangers give us lifts when we’ve been stranded or walk us to our hotel when we’ve been lost, for no other reason than simply to help. That is probably what I love most about travel, the ability to connect with different people from all walks of life.

WAP Do you have a favorite off the beaten path travel destination?

MM There are some incredible places I’ve visited in Northern Scotland, tucked away in the highlands where you can easily go days without seeing another person. We visited a beach on the West Coast of Scotland where you can only drive so far and then need to walk for 90 minutes along a dirt track and eventually the path turns and you’re faced with these huge sand dunes, rugged cliffs, and roaring waves. That was pretty incredible. It was so unexpected that you almost forgot you were still in Scotland. It’s quite ironic that despite traveling all over the world, what I have been looking for was on my doorstep the whole time.

WAP How can the travel industry both preserve off the beaten path travel destinations and help those areas that have been negatively impacted by mass tourism?

MM This is a tricky one and something I’ve struggled to find the answer to. On the one hand, I love finding off the beaten path destinations and writing about them and sharing them with my readers. I love to promote undiscovered places, however, that means these places won’t stay very undiscovered for very long. I think its all about sustainable tourism; and ensuring the local authorities have the correct tools to preserve and control tourism.

This year, for example, the Peruvian government have brought in much-needed sanctions to Machu Picchu, and whilst this may be slightly less convenient for travelers, it is a much-needed step in the right direction to preserve Machu Picchu for the generations to come.

WAP Could you offer a tip for readers who want to find off the beaten path travel destinations and travel responsibly?

MM Don’t plan, ditch the guidebook, jump in the car and just go. It doesn’t matter if you get lost or if you have nowhere in particular to be. Some of the most spectacular places we’ve visited have happened by accident. And when you do find these hidden gems, then buy from local vendors and eat in family-run restaurants. Give back to the community and stay away from the corporations and chain hotels.

WAP On a happier note, what’re you most looking forward to in your work and travels?

MM In January we are visiting our sixth continent with a four-month trip planned around South America. This is a region we have always wanted to visit and finally 2018 is the year.

Off the beaten path travel is increasingly difficult to find as time marches on. Mass tourism is impacting everything from our favorite cities to the seas that surround them. All the while locals and the environment are often an afterthought. This series, Trailblazers, checks in with writers, photographers, filmmakers, activists and environmentalists who are passionate about off the beaten path travel.

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