How to Be a More Sustainable Traveller

June 10, 2022 Frances Gertsch

In 1973, the United Nations declared June 5 World Environment Day and this week (June 5-11) is also Canadian Environment Week. 

Lately – and particularly today – I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can be a more sustainable traveller…simply stopping the use of plastic straws, while a step in the right direction, just isn’t enough to have a meaningful impact on the planet or on the places we visit. 

In the recently released Future of Tourism survey, only 34% of respondents* said they want to see greater sustainability at the heart of tourism. I’m here to say: we need to be better. We need to find ways to make more sustainable choices because, as the UN is proclaiming, there is #OnlyOneEarth.

So what’s a traveller to do? 

Besides the usual suggestions of reducing single-use plastics (bringing a refillable water bottle on your trip), selecting more sustainable transportation options (bicycle, anyone?), and purchasing carbon offsets (learn more from the Nature Conservancy of Canada), you can choose travel companies that care about the environment. 

Over the next few weeks, I’ll highlight some of the most sustainable companies that I have the privilege of working with. Let’s get started with Hurtigruten Expeditions.

Hurtigruten Expeditions

Stemming from its sister brand Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express, which has sailed along Norway’s magnificent coastline since 1893, Hurtigruten Expeditions first sailed in 1896. As the world’s largest – and oldest – expedition cruise line, they currently offer over 150 itineraries that focus on exploration, adventure, and science across five continents aboard eight custom-built small expedition cruise ships. 

I’m highlighting Hurtigruten first for two reasons: one, because it’s World Environment Day and Hurtigruten is fully committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and, two, because they travel to a part of the world that is particularly near and dear to me: the Canadian North. 

I’ve spent a number of years living and working in Canada’s three territories, and being a considerate and sustainable traveller in these vulnerable places is important to me. There is no question: if we choose to venture to new destinations, we must respect and honour the people who live there. If you sail with Hurtigruten, you might visit a museum and see rare Inuit artifacts in Qaqortoq, Greenland; visit Makkovik to learn about snowcrab fishing in Northern Labrador, Canada; or meet members of the Embera tribe in the jungle in Darien National Park, Panama. But how do you behave respectfully when you’re there? 

As a founding member of the Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), Hurtigruten encourages visitors to share genuine friendship with the people you meet in these communities, while respecting community members’ privacy and asking before photographing people, among other important principles. 

And with visits to each of these communities, Hurtigruten does its utmost to make a positive contribution by doing things like purchasing food or hiring services, like those of  local guides, pilots, agents, or shore excursion suppliers. In Canada’s north, Hurtigruten hires cultural interpreters to allow travellers and Expedition Team members to learn from local knowledge and to offer training to local community members who are interested. Visits are also dependent on the day-to-day life of the community: Hurtigruten may choose not to visit if an event is underway that makes it inappropriate for you to be there, such as a period of mourning for a respected community member.

Beyond the people, many of us also travel to see wildlife that we just can’t see at home. Observing wildlife from afar so as not to disrupt their natural behaviour, and truly leaving nothing but footprints, are hallmarks of the Hurtigruten experience. In Antarctica you might even see your Expedition guide wiping out footprints so that penguins won’t trip and fall into them!

We’ve all heard that one of the ways that we can reduce our environmental footprint is to eat more plants. In 2021 Hurtigruten expanded its vegan and vegetarian menu options and continues to manage supply and seasonality so as to be kinder to the planet. All of the delicious meals you will eat in the on-board restaurants are regionally inspired and locally sourced with seafood, meat, and plant-based meals available for every palate. Why not try king crab from Honningsvåg on a Norway Winter Expedition Cruise? Or maybe Head Chef Øistein Nilsen’s specialty: pan-fried scallops with chorizo crumb and cauliflower purée? 

Two of Hurtigruten’s ships – the MS Roald Amundsen and the MS Fridtjof Nansen – are the world’s first hybrid electric-powered. This investment – Hurtigruten Group’s largest in its 130-year history – reduces carbon emissions by more than 20% compared to similarly-sized ships. Hurtigruten hasn’t used heavy fuel oil in more than a decade (it’s now banned in Antarctica) and the company is campaigning for its ban worldwide, particularly in the Arctic. In October 2021, Scope ESG Analysis rated MS Fridtjof Nansen as the World’s Most Sustainable Cruise Ship! 

And on top of it all, since 2015, the Hurtigruten Foundation has contributed to 50 projects in 12 countries focusing on preserving endangered wildlife, battling plastic waste and marine litter, and supporting local and global projects in the areas where the Hurtigruten Group operates. 

As a Hurtigruten traveller you’ll be able to participate in beach clean-ups and citizen science projects, choose to reuse your towels, and know you are travelling with a company that recognizes it has a huge responsibility that comes with expedition cruising to remote corners of our planet. 

In Hurtigruten’s recently released ESG** Report, CEO Daniel Skjeldam says, “Sustainability is not a marketing exercise, it’s a core part of our business. It’s a license to operate and more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.” 

Choose Hurtigruten if you want to choose to be more sustainable for your next trip. 

Frances is a Hurtigruten Expeditions Certified Agent. 

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