With Memorial Day weekend upon us, the travel bug is biting. But does Green travel have to involve a backpack and a zip line?

Travel and tourism is a 1.3 trillion dollar industry in the US, according to the Travel Industry Association of America, and globally provides 200 million jobs or about 8% of total global employment. The way in which we travel and how this industry operates demands as much sensitivity, if not more, than how we go about our everyday lives.

To generate awareness, the World Tourism Organization adopted a few simple strategies for sustainable tourism.

1.) Make optimal use of the environmental resources afforded to you. Proceed with frugality in your expenditure of resources and you may notice some life left in your wallet by the end of your journey.

2.) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities. As they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Everyday customs that may seem unfamiliar or downright intolerable may be vital to the survival of the host ecosystem.

and 3.) Provide socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders. Just because things are cheaper in some places abroad, shouldn’t stimulate the need to penny pinch more. Travel can be the best form of philanthropy so acknowledge your role as a guest in a foreign land.