I’ve started writing for The Wayward Post, a brand new digital travel magazine that caters to travellers who are conscious of the effects of their actions — responsible travellers who care about leaving the people and the places they visit better than how they found them.
Part of being a responsible traveller is choosing hotels that not only minimize their effects on the environment, but help make the environment better. There’s more than just being green. Some hotels go even further by giving back to the communities they’re in by creating sustainable jobs, preserving culture and religious practices, and supporting the local economy.

Hotel de la Paix in Luang Prabang, Laos helps keep the Tak Bat ceremony and supports local arts and culture
The Wayward Post profiles some of these great hotels, and I’m contributing to their portfolio. So far:
- Fern Grotto Inn in Kauai, Hawaii, for garden-filled sustainable history.
- Immerse yourself in Uruguayan culture at this Montevideo hotel, about Alma Historica and Uruguay’s art history.
- Sleep well in this eco-friendly Buenos Aires hotel, about Casa Calma, a centrally-located boutique hotel that takes the wellness of both its guests and the environment seriously.
- Stay green in the Galápagos Islands at Finch Bay Eco Hotel, on the island of Santa Cruz, in Galápagos, Ecuador.
- Stay in this sustainable boutique hotel in Penang, Malaysia, about Hotel Penaga, an environmental and art hotel in George Town, on the island of Penang.
- Stay in this sustainable boutique hotel in Fez, Morocco, about Dar Roumana, a foodie riad in Fès, Morocco (forthcoming).
- Responsible hotel review: Summit Lodge, in Whistler, BC, Canada.
- Find sustainable eco luxury at this resort in the rainforest of British Columbia, about Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest, Canada.
- This hotel near Siem Reap is good for locals, about Sojourn Boutique Villas, near the Angkor archaeological site in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which goes out of its way to support local, sustainable businesses.
- Marriott’s SpringHill Suites promotes the arts.
And sustainable hotels not featured in The Wayward Post:
- Near El Salvador’s surf town El Zonte, Palo Verde Sustainable Hotel.
And my Wayward Weekend stories, about fun (and sustainable) weekends:
- A wayward weekend on the Garden Isle, Kauai.
- A wayward weekend in Chicago, for a sustainable weekend in what the mayor wants to make the “greenest city in the world”.
- A wayward weekend in Nashville, celebrating Nashville’s outdoors, art and history.
- A wayward weekend in Hot Springs, Arkansas, highlighting the gangster history, outdoor beauty and great food in this spa town.
- A wayward weekend in São Paulo, Brazil, a gentle introduction to the biggest city in South America.
- A wayward weekend in Montevideo, Uruguay, a weekend focussed on art, history, food, wine, architecture and Uruguay’s anti-elitist values.
- A wayward weekend in Vancouver, BC, Canada, highlighting ways you can support the less fortunate while exploring Canada’s most socially- and environmentally-conscious city.
- A wayward weekend in Siem Reap (Angkor), Cambodia, about the many many ways you can give back to one of my favourite countries, Cambodia.
- A wayward weekend in Buenos Aires, Argentina, how to travel in this city of protests, including a can’t be missed restaurant (UCO) and tips for exchanging currency too.
I also write the occasional essay for The Wayward Post about destinations that need responsible tourism help to remain — or become again — destinations that everyone would love to visit:
- Heritage at risk: The Tak Bat ceremony in Luang Prabang, Laos.
- Tragedy and tourism: Tunisia’s Bardo Museum.
- Visiting “Flyover America” in a Trump world: my perspective as a Canadian visiting middle America — in this case, Branson, Missouri — now that Trump will be president.
If you’re interested in responsible travel, I write about it as often as I can. You can find links to all of my writing on the responsible tourism page.
Note: unless otherwise noted, my stay was hosted by the hotel, in exchange for a feature on the digital travel magazine LuxuryAndBoutiqueHotels.com. I write additional stories about the hotels I think other readers would like in other publications.
Thanks for giving us this information on how we might help the countries we travel in. With the problems we are all facing it’s sometimes difficult to justify our travels and to close our eyes to what many of the countries we travel to are facing. All each of us can do is contribute in some small way in whatever way we can and your articles can help us with that.
Betty Wright
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thanks Betty! Exactly, we can help with every decision we make.
Happy travels!
Johanna
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