Animal Friendly Traveling | Avoiding Animal Cruelty as a Tourist

I originally wanted to discuss some of the places in the tourist world that abuse animals for entertainment, but then I decided that it would be far more productive to talk about ways to avoid tourist destinations that abuse animals for profit.

photo from globalelephant.org

Throughout the world there are many organisations that abuse animals for profit. In the West SeaWorld is probably the most infamous. Yet over the last month or so I've noticed more criticism for global tourist attractions filtering through social media, predominantly Tiger Temple in Thailand. Both of these places take animals from the wild at very young ages and place them into captivate. SeaWorld force Orcas and Dolphins to swim for humans and do shows. Where as Tiger Temple drug the tigers and encourage tourists to sit on them and take selfies.

For some of the most majestic animals on the planet this isn't the nicest way to live, just for 5 minutes of entertainment.

So given that quite grim and preachy intro, here are some of my tips for being a more conscientious tourist:

Research: No one wants to do research, which is why you're reading this blog. However, research on specific places can benefit you a lot. Sadly it does mean that you'll miss out on a lot of tourist attractions, but I'm sure the animals will appreciate it. I spend a lot of time wishing I'd visited places before I became aware.

Conservations: Wild life conservation and nature reserves are great ways to see animals without harming them. Here you can interact with animals from the wild without contributing to their captivity. In most places your fare or donation will help the animals recuperate before being returned to the wild, happier and healthier. But beware, many animals here have been hurt in some way so may not be the prettiest. 

Scuba Diving in Koh Tao 2014

Visit their habitat: I became a PADI certified diver in 2011 (my open water course) and I've never looked back. Seeing sea animals in their own world is a completely different experience. The majestic nature of animals is amazing and I think this is definitely the best way to do it. 

Raise Awareness: Say you've decided to go somewhere that you've done research and everything seems ligit, but something seems off. If you notice the carers carrying weapons and behaving like guards, or animals being uncharacteristically docile, tell someone. Most people suggest telling the manager but I think they're probably aware, I think you should take to social media, report what you've seen exactly as you see it. It'll make more people aware than ever just complaining to someone who probably doesn't care.

If you have any other tips let me know in the comments!
Rhiannon

Review: Backpackers Guide to Southeast Asia 2016

For Christmas this year my parents gave me money for "Travel Books." As great as that is I had no idea where to start.

Also this Christmas Gethin (the boyfriend) bought me a kindle ereader. It was so sweet and thoughtful. Almost like he and the parents were in cahoots.

Anyway getting to the point! On December 28th I went on a book binge.

I spent £2.99 on the Backpackers Guide to Southeast Asia 2016 by Funky Reads. Now for someone who always looking to get a bargain or spend as little as possible it was quite the leap...even though it was only three quid. 

So the "guide" is broken up into about 10 sections.

Introduction.

Things to do before your trip.

Suggested backpacking routes.

Visa and Border crossings.

Budgeting.

Best Festivals 2015-2016 (The chapter title is 14/15 but that's wrong).

Where to party.

10 places to experience local culture.

Destinations for Adventure and nature.

First time FAQ.

According to my kindle the book should only take 1 1/2 hours to read. It's quite an easy read and my favourite parts were visa and first time FAQ. Both sections are obviously great for people who've not backpacked before.

2. Things to do before your trip.

Things to do before your trip is a good section to remind you that it's probably a bad idea to just grab a backpack and cut loose, but I'm not your mother, you can do whatever. It includes ideas on travel insurance, backpacks, vaccinations and more.

3. Suggested backpacking routes.

Now the biggest part of this guide is the routes to take. The author starts in Thailand, which is fair as most people travel from there. It is a good overview of each area. Here they talk about budgeting, routes, best hostels in the area and some great travel advice concerning buses and strips. 

4. Visa and Border crossings.

Visa's are still something I'm trying to get my head around and this helped a tiny amount. Border crossing is not something I immediately thought of when I thought backpacking so this is good to get you thinking. This section is good if you're from the countries it mentions, if not you have to work out visas for yourself. 

5. Budgeting.

The budgeting section is useful but I found it a bit unnecessary. Only because at the beginning of each subsection in routes they said the average spend or whatever. Also as everyone has different comfort levels and price budgets it seems a bit difficult to say "this is how much you should be spending."

6 + 7. Best Festivals 2015-2016 and Where to party.

(The chapter title is 2014/15 but that's wrong).

These sections were more of a calendar and a reminder to book your hostels in advance. As they're giving you a calander of where to party, I feel like it's nothing you couldn't get from a quick google search. Yet if you're planning your trip around the party season it's good to have everything in one place to see.

8 + 9. 10 places to experience local culture.

Destinations for Adventure and nature.

These sections are a nice added extra for people who want something most backpackers don't get. Yet, I think most backpackers who want to experience different things probably won't be reading guides or following. If you want to stick to the Bangkok parties that's all well and good but these sections discuss hiking, village life and lagoons. Nothing is in great detail but if anything here takes your fancy I'd do some more research before setting off into the unknown.

10. First time FAQ.

This chapter was great for me because I am a first time traveler. They bring up questions I've actually been asking myself, about accommodation, other travelers and safety issues. This section is probably the only one which goes into further detail. If the entire book was just answering questions by experienced backpackers I'd be over the moon.

This is the first travel guide I've completed but also the first book I've finished in 2016 (2 very special titles).

Worth the price?

As it's only £2.99 I'm not going to be having loads of sleepless nights. I'm happy I bought the book because it's given me a greater scope in the field, but I don't think I'll be purchasing another copy. 

This is a good book as a simple overview on backpacking, however, in my honest opinion I think it's nothing special, the content is things I've read on plenty of blogs and seen in enough videos. 

Essentially it didn't grip me as a major page turner but I'll go back to it for tips again.

Rhiannon.

Let me introduce myself!

(Photo from National Geographic)

Hello anyone who is interested.

As my first post on this blog I wanted to explain a little about myself.

My name is Rhiannon Emily, I also have a youtube channel and any other social media you may care about.

I've always found writing quite difficult, reading easy. But getting my head down and trying to get all my thoughts and ideas on to paper (or in the modern world, a computer screen) is something that I've always struggled with.

In 2016 I plan on backpacking around Europe and Asia with my dearest partner and ally. My idea was to document not only our travels but also all the prep that I'm putting into the trip. While we're away I will be writing a journal but also updating here with photos and updating my youtube with videos. So everyone can see and hear about my every move. Let's call it a stalkers dream.

Weirdly enough, manatees aren't even my favourite animals, not even my favourite sea animal. For any who wish to know: Elephant, Turtle, Stingray. Yet I didn't think they really summed up what I wanted this blog to be about.

Manatees are very large cows of the sea. They're very complex animals. Not only this but the manatee memes are quite supportive and nice and that is my aim.

Any questions please, let's have a chat in the comments!

Rhiannon