The way one visits another place, it is their responsibility to take care of the way they are leaving their footprints behind. This makes the locals to make a strong opinion, and they react the same as they welcome the next tourist.
1. Smile :)
This is one of the strongest habit I have developed in the recent years. Dale Carnegie says in his book How to win friends and influence people, " A smile says, 'I like you. I am glad to see you.'"
From the hotel manager to the room service staff, I greet everyone with a smile. It makes so much difference because there will be strangers you might be greeting in the same way, but there'll be a few greeting the strangers like this. I have made a lot of friends on multiple travel trips with just one :)
2. Keep it clean
In this era of increase in global warming, the main reason is increasing pollution. The plants and animals get equally affected through this, as humans.
There are a few things which I follow on my every trip to ensure that I do not harm the place and the environment in any way-
* I always carry two bottles of 1l in my backpack so that I can refill them instead of buying the plastic bottles.
* All the wrappers stay with me until I find any dustbin to dump them.
* I don't smoke. Not just as a
* Noise pollution is a crucial part of environmental pollution as well and I always carry my headphones along so that it does not disturb the nearby people.
3. Respect the culture
We don't have the rights to judge people
I have traveled to the Himalayas in the north and the back waters in the south, where there was totally diverse culture and with the following days I started knowing them more by following their culture. I have been to places where I could not coordinate with the locals as we did not know any particular language in common and was still welcomed with a smile. I enjoy grasping the most out of any new place by getting to know about the local people's culture.
Recently on my trip to Kabini, we had a chance to meet the local tribal who were following and continuing their culture for 100s of years. They also performed in front of us and showed how they used to celebrate on different occasions. At last, we joined them along.
Guess what! There was happiness on both the sides. ♥
4. Budget travel
Being a student, I always make sure to not save too much while traveling. I try to spend the least and negotiate to get the best deals for stay. I look for almost 20-30 places with the best available price in case of a planned trip.
As it goes along with the saying "With great sales skills, comes great responsibility", so it is always me to make the bookings and close the deals whenever I am traveling along with a group.
P.S. - Smile acts as a big factor over here. :)
5. Drive
I have learnt most of the driving while traveling to different places. I have driven multiple rental cars more than Dad's car. But I only took the wheels in hand on the difficult roads when I was pretty confident about it.
The rules, from keeping the seat belt on to giving indications on highway always run with me. It goes the same with the two-wheeler, where helmets are a must before leaving.
From early morning to late night rides, and from foggy hills to heavy rain I always keep up with the pace. I try my best not to honk in the forest areas, to ride slow on the curves. As a good driver one must always know to respect the forest habitats as well.
Just a reminder: Use Dipper at Night. ;)
-----------
This world is a Kingdom and all the different places we visit, are allies. Thus, the more responsibly we travel, the more allies we make.