While on the subject of responsible travel, I want to be sure to mention the fascinating report released this week by the Ethical Traveler. Executive Director Jeff Greenwald worked with Stanford University researchers to compile the World's Best Ethical Travel Destinations. The thirteen names that appear on the list ranked high in each of three categories reviewed by the team: ecotourism practices, environmental standards, and social development indicators.

The report starts off by clarifying its interpretation of the terms "ecotravel" versus "ethical travel", which is helpful to understand before diving into the details of their findings. Thankfully, the results are presented in clear and simple language, providing thoughtful reasons why they think these are the best places for Americans to visit. The big winner here was Latin America: eight developing countries from the region make the list. I was delighted to see two European nations - Croatia and Slovenia - mentioned too. I'm already excited about spending time visiting each of these countries next spring, and will now pay special attention to how I can best respect the natural habitat and people of these countries while traveling through them.

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Croatia, Slovenia