Email Ethics
So, if you remember from last year, people regularly spam me with press releases that they think I should publish over here. They’re usually totally inappropriate and utterly dull, a description that many may think qualifies them perfectly for a slice of cyberspace here on my blog, but that I, delusional as I am in matters of quality and relevance, usually reject. I’d like to call it a discerning eye but I suspect that’s because a mosquito bit me on the eye(lid) last night and hence I now have eyes on the brain (she says, just inviting some neuroscientist smart aleck out there to point out that the optic nerve IS an extension of the brain and thus eyes can’t be on something that they are. To you, I advise you to keep quiet. Say – or worse – publish something like that and everyone will see you for the geek you really are. Oops.)
Moving swiftly on…Ethical travel. It’s the sort of thing that sounds great but that usually means a hotel tries not to wash your towels and attempts instead to sell you a hand-woven bracelet from (supposedly) a village down the street. Judging a single person’s ethics is a sticky, tricky area but bundle a whole load of people together inside the borders of a country with billions of dollars at stake and it gets trickier still.
Well, the guys over at EthicalTraveler.org have put a bit more work into it than most and have come up with a list of the most ethical destinations for 2012 (I know, what are the chances? They’re called EthicalTraveler and they write about ethical travel…)
I walked you through my cynicism this time last year with Can You Score a Country on Ethics? The Top Ten Ethical Destinations for Travellers and I even threw in that sneaky extra L. This, year, though, I’m just going to get on with it.
And get a cold compress for my eye.
Ethical Travel: The Top Ten Destinations for 2012
In alphabetical order
- Argentina *
- The Bahamas
- Chile *
- Costa Rica *
- Dominica *
- Latvia *
- Mauritius
- Palau *
- Serbia
- Uruguay *
Look at this list and what do I discover? I’ve only been to two of them. The message? Clearly I must travel more…(Although fingers crossed, I may be travelling to Costa Rica very soon…)
How about you? How many have you been to? Do you think you can really rate a country on ethics?
You're so ethical I could kiss you
I have been to none so far!
I am just waiting for news on an internship and if I do not get accepted I think one of these destinations sound interesting. Truthfully, I always wanted to go to Mauritius. I studied it in a class briefly because they spoke French and it looks intriguing.
My parents, on the other hand, are in Nassau, Bahamas right now, and my sister just got back from Barbados. Looks like I am in need for a trip to the Bahamas and soon! Just have to graduate University first!
The Wanderfull Traveler
Good luck with the studying – and the travelling thereafter!
I have only grazed Serbia … and the others on this list? Nope. Sigh. More to add!
At least you got there! I was diverted to a whole load of clearly unethical places instead ;)
Oh, and in case anyone is not quite sure. That last comment was a joke.
I have been to Latvia several times, due to my father being Latvia. I am curious as to why it is on the list. I will have to look it up on Ethical Travel. The others on the list are much more exotic.
To get on the list to begin with, each country has to be classified as “developing” by the IMF. Apparently, there are rumours that Latvia will lose that classification (along with Serbia) within the year…Among the things that Latvia has been praised for this time around: academic freedom & freedom of assembly, sustainable tourism and low child mortality rates.
I’ve only been to the two you’ve visited (Mauritius and Bahamas), plus Costa Rica and Latvia. I hope you make it to CR! I’ll be back there in May for a couple days; just booked my ticket today…
I hope so too! Apparently I’ll find out next week. Actually, the two I’ve been to are Argentina & Chile back in my medical days (which is why you won’t find much here on the blog.) I shall have to mosey around your site again for some travel inspiration!
I’m sorry to say I’ve only been to two of these places too (Chile and Argentina). You’re right. Must travel more!! I really like the idea behind this list though and, like you, Costa Rica is very high on my list. As is Latvia. Good luck with getting there!
Thanks! Sadly, I’ve just heard that my Costa Rica plans have fallen through – so it’s back to the drawing board for now…Plot, scheme, plan etc :)
I’ve been to 2 as well, Costa Rica and Palau. I know that Palau has taken many environmental initiatives but I was surprised to learn that you can’t recycle plastic in Palau, so I was more cautious than normal about my plastic consumption while visiting. Hope your eye gets better. I had a nasty spider bite on my eye in Belize and the locals recommended tree bark which worked wonders.