The various bungalows in Khao Sok national park advertise elephant treks and there are various tours advertised out of Phuket and Krabi.
These sound interesting. But how can I tell prior to booking if the elephants are treated humanely?
What it…
Scenario: You go to a remote village in 3rd world country x. You see a photogenic wizened old man, or woman in traditional dress, etc and ask if you could take a photo. They indicate yes, but also extend their hand for money?
I'm not asking the…
When I travel, I try to limit my environmental impact. I don't want to refrain from travelling completely, but when I do travel, I tend to favour ground-level transportation over air-transportation, if distances are not too large (e.g., if traveling…
It's fairly well know that if you are in a country with a "problematic" economy, that exchanging money on the black market can get you a much better rate than at an official exchange.
But how do these money changes make a profit? They need both a…
I understand why prepared food (e.g. the main meal or the salad) has to be thrown out if uneaten, but what about all the pre-packaged stuff, like the butter and/or jam, cheese bites, chocolate biscuits, yoghurt, milk, water, orange juice etc.? Once…
I'm heading to Chiang Mai, Thailand for several days at the end of January and I'm looking to do a 3 day, 2 night trek, but I'm looking for one that doesn't feature elephant rides and it seems to severely limit my choices. I'm not sure about the…
I'm currently unable to distinguish between Japanese, Korean and Chinese ethnicities. How do I avoid exploiting victims of human trafficking while having a massage in Japan?
Is human trafficking more of a problem with massage parlours that offer…
I've recently heard about sky burial tourism, and I've got a couple of questions about it.
Has it been banned in China? I recently retweeted someone tweeting about sky burial tourism by Chinese tourists, and if reports of its subsequent banning are…
Last night at a tiny town in the middle of nowhere in Cambodia (Chhaeb) I was invited to join my hosts at the guesthouse to drink beer and eat turtle meat.
In my travels I can only ever recall the concept of eating turtles as illegal or at least…
I understand that volunteering in underdeveloped countries is not magically helpful under all circumstances, and that housing and feeding a volunteer costs money, so some volunteer opportunities involve the volunteer paying something for the…
One of my buddies asked me a question and I don't have an answer for him. So, I thought I would run it by here.
He is a big hunter. As in, he travels for hunting... a lot. However, he tries to be ethical about it. He wants to know if there is any…
I'm planning on sightseeing Melbourne with someone who is Japanese.
I was browsing Trip Advisor's top attractions for Melbourne, and site number five was the Shrine of Remembrance.
I'm not after advice about whether it's a good idea in general to…
I stayed in Venezuela for six weeks from late March to early May 2016. This ethical question has been bothering me ever since. Its answer will determine whether or not I recommend my family and friends go there.
Since the price of oil has gone…
I'm about six foot four, and my weight varies, sometimes being on the wrong side of 90 kg. Am I likely to be too heavy or too tall to ride a camel for health, animal welfare, operator legal liability or any other reasons?
Likewise, is height or…
Lonely Planet's guide to Mongolia mentions, in a section about visiting the Tsaatan (Цаатан) people and "Do"s and "Don't"s for tourists, not to give them sweets as gifts, as there's no dentist there.
As a rough guide, in what places is it…
