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Brainy Backpackers - small footprints big difference - a responsible travel blog
responsible tourism

Join other brainy backpackers and receive 40 exclusive tips for responsible travel!

Travel accessories

23 Amazing Eco friendly travel products and travel accessories that you will love!

To make your travels as sustainable as possible, it is important to bring eco friendly travel products and accessories for your trip. You can make such an incredible impact just with a few small changes to your travel accessories and that’s exactly what you want as a responsible traveler, right? Let me tell you something. Today, I saw a video… View Post

Road trips in New England

5+ Amazing road trips in New England: Scenic drives you’ll love

The beautiful northwestern region of the United States makes the perfect place for a road trip and there are so many different routes you can take to get the best of each season. From chasing the best fall colors to mesmerizing coastal drives, national parks, and cities. New England has it all. In this post, travel bloggers share their favorite… View Post

20+ Useful and unique travel gifts for travel lovers – The gift ideas you are looking for!

We all have that friend that loves to travel and sometimes it’s not easy to know where to start. Because let’s be honest you want to find the perfect gift. There is nothing like finding the perfect unique travel gifts to put a smile on someone’s face when they open it. As a traveler, it is important to fit the… View Post

An interview with Mikaela Ferguson

Human-powered activities: An interview with Mikaela Ferguson

An excellent way of traveling responsibly is to opt for human powered activities. This week I’m talking to Mikaela Ferguson, founder of one of Canada’s top outdoors blogs, Voyageur Tripper, about just that and my favorite topic, responsible travel. Mikaela has worked as a wilderness guide and her big passion is the outdoors, leave no trace, and everything human-powered, especially… View Post

Responsible tourism - shop locally

What is responsible tourism (Bonus: 18 practical tips to travel responsibly)

Responsible tourism has become more important than ever. With more than one billion travelers each year, we all need to do our part. Major issues that arise as tourism grows, are, among others, overtourism, drought, pollution of both ocean and land, unethical animal tourism, and increased amounts of plastic waste. Fortunately, there are a few things we can do to… View Post

What to do in Malmo

How to have a perfect day trip from Copenhagen to Malmo

Connected by the amazing Oresund Bridge, it’s really easy to travel between Denmark and Sweden. This means that a day trip from Copenhagen to Malmo is easier than going on many other day trips from Copenhagen. There is just enough to fill a wonderful day in this charming southern Swedish city. Here is everything you need to know to have… View Post

Warsaw is one of the best places in Poland in winter

Discover wonderful Poland in winter: Where to go and what to do

Poland in winter is so underrated. After going there several times over the winter months, I highly recommend going there this time of year to experience the warmth of the people, their hot winter drinks, and see wonderful cities and nature. Since I haven’t been everywhere yet, I got some amazing recommendations from fellow travelers and bloggers to compile a… View Post

Hike El Saltillo Malaga

How to hike El Saltillo – Malaga hiking off the beaten path

El Saltillo, Malaga, is one of those hikes no one has heard of. A hike in the dark shadows of the world-famous Caminito del Rey. This is good news for anyone looking for a spectacular Malaga hiking trail without the crowds. Even though more people have found their way to hiking El Saltillo from Canillas de Aceituno, a cute little… View Post

Things to do in Lucca

9 Awesome things to do in Lucca: Tuscany’s underrated town

Full of history and culture, Lucca is only a day trip from Florence and Pisa, yet often underrated compared to other Tuscan towns. But you should really take your time to explore this gem. There are a lot of things to do in Lucca and I love that you can walk on top of the city walls. You should at… View Post

Weekend trips from Amsterdam

13 Amazing weekend trips from Amsterdam: Explore more of the Netherlands

Particularly recognized for windmills and tulip fields, the Netherlands is an amazing country to explore beyond Amsterdam. Once you’re done with your Amsterdam itinerary, make sure you explore more of the country. Charming towns and friendly locals are just some of the things you can expect when discovering this incredible destination. Here are some of the best weekend trips from… View Post

Rome in winter

15 Best winter city breaks in Europe

When it comes to winter city breaks, Europe is awesome! With amazing places for winter sun in Europe as well as snowy wonderlands, there are a lot of places to choose from. As a European and a lover of city breaks whenever I find cheap flights, I have compiled this list of what I consider the best winter city breaks… View Post

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Welcome to Brainy Backpackers! Thanks for stopping by! My name is Linn, and I’m here to help you explore this amazing world in a responsible way!

Brainy Backpackers - small footprints big difference - a responsible travel blog

40 tips for Responsible Travel

Make sure you don't regret anything after your travels with these 40 tips for responsible travel!

POPULAR POSTS

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20 travel books to fuel your wanderlust: My all-time favorites!

10 Best sustainable backpacks for the eco friendly traveler

Eco-friendly gift ideas

15 Eco friendly gift ideas for responsible travelers: A sustainable gift guide

Caramoan Islands from above

11 breathtaking Philippines off the beaten track destinations

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Did you know that I used to work with whale watchi Did you know that I used to work with whale watching in Madagascar for a few months about 16 years ago? It was my first time seeing whales and I learned so much about ethical whale watching.🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳

I fell completely in love with these giants. Each time I see a whale it feels like it's the first! It's nothing but magic! Today, I live only an hour and a half from one of the best places in the world to see orcas!

Have you been to any of these places? Or have you gone whale watching somewhere different?🐳

Check link in bio for my latest post on best places to go whale watching in the world including ethical practices.

#responsibletourism #sustainabletourism #ethicalanimaltourism #wildlife #letwildlifestaywild #wildlifeconservation  #traveladdict #travelphotography #wildlifephotography #brainybackpackers
Before you make up your mind about these (not so b Before you make up your mind about these (not so beautiful) lemur selfies, let me tell you a story.

This is Makina (I might just spell that wrong, she is a Malagasy lady). My uncle (that's the owner of that blue shirt with squares) rescued Makina a few years back. From a life in captivity, in chains as a tourist magnet. The owner would take money from tourists to hold her and take selfies with her.

Now, she lives on a small island north of Nosy Be in northern Madagascar, in the rainforest. There are to groups of lemurs living in that rainforest. But they are different species than Makina. So she doesn't fit in 100%. She will never be able to have babies either, as there are no males of her species there. 

Despite that, she now roams free with the others as well as another rescue lemur my uncle took in, Marina. She's also of a different species than the two packs that lived there from before and from Makina.

But they both have a good life now, and they can be lemurs and do what lemurs do. 

When they want to, they come by the eco lodge that my uncle runs. It's the only place with humans on the island. I didn't see Marina much when I was there, but Makina came over a couple of days to hang out for quite a while. She isn't afraid of humans due to her past, but you can really see her affection for my uncle. And his for her. She jumps on your lap only if she feels like it and she leaves when she wants to. She can be gone for a couple of weeks in the forest without showing up, while other times she can come by daily for cuddles.

I feel blessed to have met Makina and that she had so much confidence with me that she wanted to sit on my lap as much as she did. Clutching those soft little fingers to hold on to me❤️

For me, Makina's story is a really sad story with a bittersweet ending. I don't think she will ever feel 100% like she belongs, as there are no other lemurs of her species there. And neither will Marina. But they are both in a safe place, and the only thing they have to worry about are fights with the other animals. And that's a good thing.

What do you think of Makina's story?

#wildlife #ethicalwildlifetourism #madagascar #rescuelemur #travel #ecolodge
Happy World Animal Day!!!!🦍🐒🐆🐏🐘🐁 Happy World Animal Day!!!!🦍🐒🐆🐏🐘🐁🦫 
Together with @expedition.wildlife and @explorewithlora I've selected a few organizations that we think do an amazing job protecting wildlife, habitat, and educating on ethical animal tourism. We will collect donations throughout the month for one of these incredible organizations. We just created a poll so YOU can choose which one you think deserve to get the pot at the end of the month! Check out my stories to find out which organizations we chose, how they work, and make sure you vote for the one YOU think deserves it the most!

#worldanimalday #makeadifference #wildlife #ethical #sustainable #responsibletourism #brainybackpackers
Did you know that more than half a million wild an Did you know that more than half a million wild animals are used for tourist entertainment?

We need to do something about that! This month is October. And it's (Un)Ethical Animal Tourism Awareness month. I partnered up with @expedition.wildlife and @explorewithlora to spread awareness about animal toruism. What to avoid, what to do, and how to take the right decisions. We're sharing expert advice on our blogs and social channels all month so make sure you follow along and help spread awareness and information too.

It's so easy to make a bad choice. Thinking it's the right choice. Because of lack of information. Let's do something about that and make a difference! Are you with us?

#ethicalanimaltourism #ethicalchoices #responsibletravel #brainybackpackers #protectwildlife #responsibletourism #sustainabletourism
Are you crazy about monkeys? My feelings about th Are you crazy about monkeys?

My feelings about them are mixed. I love seeing monkeys in the wild! They are beautiful, intelligent creatures that I want to cuddle, as everyone else. But I hate seeing monkeys in touristy settings! They jump on you, steal, and try to rip things off you. They literally become aggressive. Why?

When large numbers of tourists come and they all give the monkeys food, the animals (because, as I said, they are intelligent) learn pretty quickly that whatever human carries is for me. Especially if I can eat it. 

What happens when animals start eating human food? (Other than becoming scary!) They eat less of their natural food. This actually puts the whole food chain in unbalance. But seeing monkeys eating crisps and muffins makes me think that they might be subject to slight malnutrition too?

What do you think?

#responsibletourism #ethicalanimaltourism #sustainability #sustainabletourism #wildlife #brainybackpackers
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