How to be an Ethical Tourist (Travel Week)

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "How to be an Ethical Tourist"

Introduction to Ethical Tourism

In the August 4, 2025 episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart, the focus shifts to the pressing issue of ethical tourism. As part of Travel Week, Alison delves into the complexities surrounding the modern traveler's impact on popular destinations. Kicking off the discussion, she highlights a growing tension between tourists and local communities:

Alison Stewart [00:09]: "A lot of places are very unhappy with tourists."

Negative Impacts of Mass Tourism

The episode begins by addressing the surge in anti-tourism sentiments worldwide. Alison references a recent NBC News report illustrating the strain on iconic landmarks and local infrastructures:

Alison Stewart [00:36]: "From Barcelona to Paris to Mexico City, major tourist destinations have seen their streets flooded with locals angry about the negative impacts of tourism on their home."

She discusses the tangible frustrations expressed by residents in cities like Barcelona, where mass tourism has led to overcrowded attractions and diminished quality of life. This sets the stage for examining the broader consequences of unregulated tourism.

Responsibilities of Governments vs. Tourists

Introducing guest Paige McClanahan, a travel writer and author of The New Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel, Alison explores the dual roles in mitigating tourism's adverse effects. Paige emphasizes the significant influence of local governments in managing tourism:

Paige McClanahan [02:29]: "The local government has a huge responsibility. But we as travelers... need to lean into the positive and constructive aspects of tourism while minimizing the negative impacts."

She contrasts communities with long-standing tourism industries, like the Jersey Shore, with newer tourist destinations, highlighting how historical context affects residents' reactions to visitor influxes.

The Role of the Internet and Social Media

Paige further analyzes the Internet's role in the exponential growth of tourism:

Paige McClanahan [05:37]: "The Internet... has made tourism so much more accessible. At the same time, social media has driven people to certain particular sites, which contributes to overcrowding."

While digital platforms democratize travel narratives, they also present challenges by spotlighting specific locations, inadvertently encouraging mass tourism in those areas.

Practical Tips for Ethical Tourism

Transitioning to actionable advice, the conversation shifts to responsible travel practices. Paige offers insightful strategies to become a more conscientious traveler:

1. Awareness: Educate oneself about the destination's cultural, environmental, and social dynamics.

   Paige McClanahan [20:35]: "Lean into your awareness. Educate yourself about the impact that you're going to have on that place."

2. Connection: Foster genuine interactions with locals and support local businesses.

   Paige McClanahan [20:35]: "Seek genuine human interactions with people. Support local businesses. Hire a local tour guide."

3. Intention: Travel with the purpose of learning and growing, rather than merely consuming experiences.

   Paige McClanahan [20:35]: "Travel with the intention to educate yourself, to expose yourself to other cultures, not just to consume."

Community Stories and Listener Contributions

The episode features compelling listener interactions that exemplify ethical tourism in action:

• Aaron from Brooklyn shares his initiative to organize a slow travel trip to Ireland, emphasizing small group sizes and community engagement:

  Paige McClanahan [11:51]: "Build a network there, or go and meet people there and ask them what they need."

• Sebastian from Bergen County discusses his habit of collecting plastic waste during his travels, reflecting a commitment to environmental stewardship:

  Paige McClanahan [15:44]: "We can invest environmentally by picking up plastic when we go for a walk."

• Leo from Montclair, New Jersey, presents his research comparing tourism impacts over time, drawing parallels between the Jersey Shore and Barcelona's experiences:

  Paige McClanahan [18:57]: "If tourism is a newer phenomenon, that's a wonderful opportunity for the local government to pay attention to research like yours."

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

In wrapping up the discussion, Alison and Paige underscore the importance of transforming the traditional tourist mindset. Moving from being mere consumers to being responsible visitors can significantly enhance both the travel experience and the well-being of host communities.

Paige encapsulates the essence of ethical tourism with her threefold advice:

Paige McClanahan [20:35]: "Awareness, connection, and intention. Lean into your awareness, seek genuine connections, and travel with meaningful intentions."

The episode concludes by reinforcing that ethical tourism is not only beneficial for destinations but also enriches the traveler’s personal growth and understanding of the world.

Final Thoughts

All Of It successfully navigates the intricate balance between enjoying global travel and respecting the sanctity of local cultures and environments. Through expert insights and heartfelt listener stories, the episode serves as a compelling guide for those aspiring to become more thoughtful and ethical tourists.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. We here at all of IT are dedicating this week to travel. Later in the week, we'll talk about how to plan a trip with friends without drama and some tips for traveling within a budget. But we wanted to start the week by acknowledging a truth that has become apparent this summer. A lot of places are, are very unhappy with tourists.

[NBC News Reporter]

Tonight, the most visited museum in the world failing to open due to a spontaneous strike by the Louvre staff warning that the home of the Mona Lisa is buckling under the weight of mass tourism, leaving hot, sweaty tourists with tickets in hand waiting outside. It comes just a day after coordinated anti tourist protests swept across a dozen European cities. As tourists in Barcelona sat down to enjoy tapas or a cold beer on Sunday, they were instead hit with water guns. To cool down runaway tourism, we need responsible tourism, not mass tourism. This protester says American tourist Bill Dorezenski was sprayed with a water gun, too.

[Paige McClanahan]

I think if, if tourism goes away.

[Co-host]

Then there's a lot of money that comes with it.

[Alison Stewart]

That report from NBC News demonstrates the scale of anti tourism protests. From Barcelona to Paris to Mexico City, major tourist destinations have seen their streets flooded with local ang. Locals. Locals angry about the negative impacts of tourism on their home. And yet for many people, traveling the world is a privilege they are excited to take advantage of. It can be really wonderful. So how can we think about traveling in a more thoughtful and ethical way? What do we owe the places we visit, even if it's only for a few days? Joining me now to discuss this is Paige McClanahan. She is the travel writer and the author of the book the New Waking up to the Power and the Perils of Travel. In it, she writes, does tourism narrow the mind or expand it? Does tourism build up our world or tear it apart? The only answer to those questions is yes. Our job as tourists is to wake up to the stakes of what we're doing, then use the knowledge to light our own path through the fog. Paige, welcome to all of it.

[Paige McClanahan]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

Listeners, we'd like to hear from you. What do you try to do or what do you think about to be a thoughtful tourist? Do you have, do you have any thoughts about environmental impact when you travel? Have you ever felt unwelcome somewhere as a tourist or maybe you live in a place that attracts a lot of tourists? What's that like? What do you do? 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. You spent some time living in a small village in France that attracts a lot of tourists. What did you experience firsthand on how tourism could transform a town's life?

[Paige McClanahan]

Yeah, it was really moving to that little village in the French Alps where I lived for five years. That was part of the inspiration to write the book, because travel has been a huge part of my life, you know, since I was a kid. But it was the first time that I really lived in a tourist destination and experienced tourism from that perspective. And on one hand, you know, I dealt with the headaches. Right. Sometimes there was, you know, a traffic jam to get back up the road to my house or the parking lot. The local grocery store was overflowing, you know, but at the same time, I enjoyed so many benefits from because of tourism, which really, you know, it employed so many people in the village. You know, it meant that there were a ton of restaurants to choose from. It meant that there's, you know, this kind of free concert series in the summer. So it really brought a lot of life to the village at the same time. And, you know, looking at the travel media so often, what I was seeing in the media was either stories that were like, top 10 beaches in Brazil or kind of, you know, tourists are ruining Barcelona. And I thought, you know, this is really complex. It's really nuanced. You know, I want unpack that myself and for readers as well, because I think more and more travelers are asking ourselves these kinds of questions that you set up in the intro there. So it's a wonderful time to be having this conversation.

[Alison Stewart]

You point out that governments really have.

[Co-host]

A lot of power when it comes to influencing how tourism impacts a city or a town.

[Alison Stewart]

Still, why do you think it's important.

[Co-host]

For us to think about our individual parts?

[Paige McClanahan]

Yeah, I mean, it's shared responsibility. Right. And I think, you know, we need to understand the impact or the responsibility of the local government. And I think in a lot of the stories about Barcelona we know, which we heard about in the little intro there, you know, a lot of times what gets lost in that narrative is the fact that the government of Barcelona worked really hard for about 20 years to attract as many tourists as possible. Right. And while they were starting with the Summer Olympic Games in 1992, and what they failed to do at the same time was to build the kind of taxes and infrastructure, you know, physical infrastructure, regulatory infrastructure, to make sure that that tourism didn't happen in a. That damage the life or that damage the quality of life of their residents. So the local government has a huge responsibility. But we as travelers, those of us who are lucky enough, who are privileged enough to be able to call ourselves tourists. It's a beautiful opportunity, I think, to lean into the positive and constructive aspects of tourism while really doing our best through education, through openness, through humility and curiosity to minimize the negative impacts that we might have on a place when we travel.

[Co-host]

What do you see as the Internet's role in this?

[Paige McClanahan]

Oh, the Internet. Well, on one hand, I mean, the fact, the huge increase that we've seen in tourism in the last 20 to 25 years, which has really been huge. I mean, in the last 20 years alone, we've seen a doubling of international tourist arrivals. Right. Just 20 years ago, we were at about 750 million. This year, we're going to break a new record. It's going to be somewhere around 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals in 2025. And the Internet, of course, has had a huge role in that. A because we all have Google flights now. We don't need to go or kayak or whatever search engine you want to use. We don't have to go through a travel agent to book our flights. All of these platforms and everything make it so much more accessible. At the same time, of course, social media has an impact, and social media has done a lot to drive people to certain particular sites, which is something that we can talk about more in depth. But at the same time, the Internet has really given a lot of voice to people who are didn't have the chance to narrate their own travel adventures in the, say, 1980s and 1990s, when the only travel writers in the world were the privileged people who were able to overcome the enormously high barriers to entry of the publishing world, of the magazine world. Now, it's such a beautiful thing that we have so many voices, so many narratives out there recounting their travel stories. But of course, it comes with some challenges as well.

[Co-host]

I'm going to talk about taking pictures.

[Paige McClanahan]

You can.

[Co-host]

You've seen in these sneakers reports of people like crowds in front of the Mona Lisa here in New York. If you go down to the. To the area with the dumbo in the background, it's like, it's crazy on the weekends with tourists. Gondola in Venice capsized because people stood up to take a selfie. What are some of your tips for people? If you want to take a picture of something that's really beautiful, when's a good time to take a photo? When's a bad Time to take a photo. What do you think?

[Paige McClanahan]

Okay. Well, I love this question. Thank you so much. Because it's something that I have struggled to navigate as well. And I think we all ask ourselves these questions. So there are two aspects to it. First of all, I would think about the taking of the photo and what's motivating that, and then the sharing of the photo and some guidelines for how to do that. You know, the taking of the photo. I would just, you know, kind of question, what's your motivation there? If you're standing in a line of like 50 people just to get, you know, the. The one selfie at that one famous spot like that that seems like a pretty ego serving kind of thing to do. You're. You're getting that. I mean, you know, we all have egos, bless them. You know, we learn to live with them, we learn to manage them. Like, what's really motivating you there? And is there a way that you could have a picture of yourself taken, you know, to capture this memory at another spot that's not as crowded and then thinking about sharing it? I think this is where we really need to be careful, because anyone who shares on social media, even if you have a few dozen or a couple hundred followers, we have a lot of influence over the people who follow us. And research has really backed this up. And I think sharing in a way that centers something other than ourselves in the post. So it might be a picture that we're taking, but we're sharing something that we learned. You know, we're sharing some history or maybe an issue that the place is struggling with. It's not just me and my ego with this backdrop that's there to serve my ego right by making me look cool or sophisticated or whatever it is. So I think really just taking some time to reflect and make sure that you're. Whether you're taking a picture or sharing a picture, you're doing some. A place, you're doing so from a place of care and compassion and humility. And we just try to, you know, talk to our little egos and hold their hands for a little bit and not let them drive the. Let. Not let them drive the car all the time.

[Co-host]

Let's talk to Aaron who's calling in from Brooklyn. Hey, Aaron, thanks for calling, all of it.

[Aaron]

Hey, thanks for taking my call, and I appreciate this topic. Yeah, I'm. I'm organizing a slow travel trip to Ireland for May 2026, which is focused on storytelling and folklore. And I'm doing things like trying to cap the. The group size to a smaller group size and trying not to hotel hop and really take time. So we're actually spending time in the locations we go to. But I'm also trying to look for resources to kind of give back to the communities that we visit, either through some sort of storytelling foundation or, you know, a way to, like, support that cultural tradition or also in addition, or also offset like, sort of the climate impact of me bringing those tourists over there. It's really important to me, but looking for the right resources to do that.

[Co-host]

Do you have any ideas?

[Paige McClanahan]

Do you know, I'm so sorry, my audio cut out and I couldn't hear that caller. I'm so sorry. Could you. Could you sum up? He just shared. It just didn't come through at all in my headphone.

[Co-host]

What he's saying is he wants to. How can I put this? He wants to recap the trip in a way for people so they can understand what he's experienced. Does that make sense and how to do it ethically? I hope I got that correct.

[Paige McClanahan]

So he's a tour operator who wants to recap the trip for his travelers. Is that right?

[Co-host]

Does that sound right?

[Aaron]

Well, no, I'm organizing the trip and it's already a slow travel, but I'm not to recap it, but to, in addition to bringing people over there looking for resources to offset the climate impact, but also resources for giving back, like a foundation that's putting money back into the cultural tradition.

[Alison Stewart]

She can't hear you. She's talking about wanting to figure out if there is some way that he can give back to the area through climate.

[Paige McClanahan]

Regarding.

[Alison Stewart]

Gosh, it's hard to describe regarding climate, regarding taking care of the land. Does that make sense?

[Paige McClanahan]

Yeah, for sure. And what a beautiful inspiration that you have to want to do that. And I think the most important thing to do is to visit that place before your trip and get out there. Ask for contacts. Ask for contacts of contacts of contacts. Build a network there, or go and meet people there and ask them what they need. I think so often when we're trying to give back to a place, it's most effective when it's really responding directly to the needs or interests or desires of people who live in that place directly. It's not something that we're imposing on them, so we go and listen. And probably if you go and you, you know, ask for a few introductions, you go by and you. You explain your situation, the people who live in that place will be able to give you really good and really specific and concrete ways that you can contribute. And who knows, you know, you could turn this into a really meaningful activity to do with your travelers while they're there. Maybe they go and, you know, they hear a talk from, you know, the. The head of a local NGO that's working on sustainable transport in the city, and they feel engaged and they know that part of the money that they're spending is going to go to support. Support this organization that they believe in. I think exactly. Those kinds of connections can be really beautiful and really powerful. And who knows, your travelers might want to continue supporting them after they get back home. But I think the most important thing is to go on the ground and listen before you choose how you're going to make that contribution.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is Paige McClanahan. She's the author of the book the New Waking up to the Power and Perils of Of Travel. What do you think about learning the language? Is that useful?

[Paige McClanahan]

Oh, so important. Yeah. I mean, but it doesn't have to be, you know, it doesn't have to be huge. Right. Even just a few words can go so far. I mean, I live in France, and I see. I can't tell you how many times since moving to Paris two years ago, I've been standing in line at a bakery or a cafe or something, and, you know, an American is. Or an Anglophone is in line ahead of me. And, you know, the person behind the counter says, bonjour, you know, and the American risk responds immediately in English, which is understandable. Right. You know, I can totally empathize, but just saying the one word bonjour, can go so far if you just say bonjour, and then you say, can I please have a croissant? Or whatever. I think that it just. It shows that even that little effort can just go a long way towards showing that, you know, listen, I respect the fact that I'm a visitor here. I respect the fact that you have a language that I don't speak. I'm going to make an effort, and usually that's enough to get people to really empathize with you and, you know, give you the benefit of the doubt, I think.

[Co-host]

Let's talk to Sebastian from Bergen County.

[Alison Stewart]

Hi, Sebastian. You're on the air with Paige McClanahan.

[Sebastian]

Hello. Thank you for taking my call. Longtime fan of yours from msnbc. Thank you for doing what you do. What I do when my wife and I travel and is. I pick up plastic, you know, not. Not a lot, but if I see a bottle, plastic bottle, or, you know, ubiquitous Plastic water bottle. I pick it up and I'll, you know, dispose of it appropriately. You know, we're always carrying a beach bag or what have you. And I just find it's a good way. I've found it satisfactory some self satisfaction in knowing that, you know, whereas it that all trash is the responsibility of visitors like the ones that, who are making the trash per se. But I'm sure we contribute to it. But whatever the simple act of showing that I care for the place that I'm at or I'm in, I think relates a certain level of respect for where you are. And I would like to see more of us do that. Make a better world in the process.

[Co-host]

Sebastian, that's wonderful. Thank you so much.

[Paige McClanahan]

Absolutely. What a beautiful gesture and coming from such a beautiful place in your heart. I mean, I think we all would do really well to think about how we can invest in the places that we're visiting. And we can invest economically by spending in places that are locally owned businesses, locally owned hotels, locally owned restaurants. We can invest environmentally by picking up plastic when we go for a walk. And we can invest socially and culturally by trying to make real connections with the people who live in that place. I always recommend that people hire a local tour guide. It's a wonderful way to have, you know, a one on one connection or a small group connection with someone who's from that place. So thank you, Sebastian. That's a wonderful example of investing in the community. And I agree. I would love to see. It would be wonderful to see more and more people taking on that sort of approach.

[Co-host]

It's a little bit of a mind shift going from tourist to a visitor.

[Paige McClanahan]

Totally. And I think, you know, what we want to move away from is the idea that when we travel we are pure consumers. Right. That tourism is about consumption. Right. Tourism is about or should be about education. It should be about exposure to other cultures, other communities. And when we think about it that way then that, you know, we're still tourists. Right. We're still doing tourism. But it elevates our understanding of what tourism is. And I think that's really what we need to do. We need to kind of own tourism and, and invest in it and you know, aim for the highest possible positive impact.

[Co-host]

Let's talk to Leo, who's calling in from Montclair, New Jersey. Hi Leo. Tell us about this research paper that you wrote.

[Leo]

So I did.

[Sebastian]

Well, sorry.

[Leo]

First, thank you for taking my call. I wrote a research paper this semester after doing some door to door interviews at the Jersey Shore. And I found I was kind of comparing the effects of the large influx of tourism that the Jersey Shore sees every summer to the recent plans for wind turbines. I was kind of looking at how change affects an isolated tourism based space like that. And what I found was that because the Jersey Shore has, you know, 80 plus years of this strong history of tourism, the communities there are less averse.

[Aaron]

To.

[Leo]

Seeing those tourists come in and they're much more upset about what, what these new changes might look like. And I was wondering if that might be similar or if your guest thinks that that might be similar to.

[Sebastian]

The.

[Leo]

Effects in like Barcelona for example, or in Europe where, because there's been in the last two decades this new larger amount of tourism, if that's why, like if that effect might be similar where the tourist tourists are causing much more adverse reactions from the, from the local community.

[Co-host]

It's interesting because the caller was saying that where he did his research paper in the Jersey Shore, it wasn't, didn't have the history with tourism as opposed to a place like Barcelona. And did that have a difference, having a history with tourism?

[Paige McClanahan]

Well, yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, really what we need to see is places that prioritize the needs of their residents over the needs of the visitors. Right. And I think if a place is pretty fresh with tourism, if it's something that's relatively new there, then, you know, the residents might be a little bit more accepting of the occasional, you know, inconvenience or whatever. But if it's something that you've lived with your whole life or that has just been, been there the whole time, it's been getting worse and worse and the pressures are heavier and heavier, then yeah, that's, that's a different conversation. And that's where you're going to see protests or people really speaking out like we saw in Barcelona. But if it's newer, I mean, if tourism is a newer phenomenon, that's a wonderful opportunity for the local government to pay attention to research like yours, I hope, and really take action now before it becomes a problem to put in place the kinds of, you know, impose a hotel tax, you know, make sure that you're, you know, there are enough parking areas around your top attractions, you know, make sure that there's infrastructure to welcome people in a positive way. That's not going to, that's not going to diminish the quality of life of residents. So well done doing your research on tourism. I'd love to see more research papers like that.

[Co-host]

This tech says we try to limit how much we fly by taking advantage of ferries and trains. Once we get to a destination, we also talk to locals for places to go and eat instead of relying on social media, which I believe is ruining some of the best places on on earth. For someone who's decided they want to be a tourist in their last minute and a half, Paige, what advice would you give them? 3 pieces of advice they could follow.

[Paige McClanahan]

Well, okay. I love to think about things in three buckets. I say awareness, connection, and intention. So lean into your awareness. Educate yourself about the impact that you're going to have on that place, economically, environmentally, you know, socially, and culturally. Number two, lean into connection. Get out of your comfort zone. Seek genuine human interactions with people. Support local businesses. Like I said, hire a local tour guide. Number three, intention. And this kind of gets back to the ego stuff we were talking about before. Travel with the intention to educate yourself, to expose yourself to other cultures, not just to consume and travel with the intention to really be curious and learn. And you're not just there to tick off another box or get another sort of check, Nick. To your ego. You were there to learn and grow as a human being.

[Alison Stewart]

It's a great book. It's called the New Tourist Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel. It is written by Travel writer Paige McClenaghan. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Paige McClanahan]

Thank you so much for having me.