When we travel, we encounter different types of folks and their behavior towards cleanliness and showing some respect towards places they explore and pass through. Some of the folks surprise us pleasantly and a few make us behave rudely.
Recently we were traveling in an Innova with fellow travelers and we were having some snacks on the way. One of the traveler sitting on first seat took a wrapper and threw is outside. By the time, we noticed it was already out and flying into the fields. Me and my wife looked at each other & then requested him to not repeat it during the trip. He didn't understand because it was not a big deal for him. When he got it right, he replied - "I don't do this in Delhi, but it was a village so did it.". Everyone is our cab was speechless. No one replied, but he got the hint I guess. Throughout the trip, our dear friend behaved very well. He was carrying a backpack and kept the garbage with him throughout. He made a practice to put the garbage either in dustbins around or in his bag to empty it in the resort's garbage-bin.
Many such incidents happen during travel and here I wanted to avoid the categorization. The good part is that couples having kids are very cautious while traveling. They ensure that they behave maturely in presence of their kids. That's a good sign we have been noticing for quite some time now. But still there are many exceptions in this category as well. Other responsible category is young girls, who take proper care about cleanliness of places they visit and ensure that they maintain discipline.
Over the time, many of the folks have become sensible towards keeping our beautiful tourist destinations clean but still the irresponsible population is large in numbers. And the sad part is that most of them are educated folks.
Citizens of our own country don't respect our places, while foreign tourists are very careful and ensure that they don't litter. A year back I was leading one of the Photography Tour to Jim Corbett National Park in Uttrakhand, India. We were traveling in a tempo-traveller with a couple from London, 1 couple from Mumbai, a girl and three boys. It was unfortunate to see Indian folks littering inside the tempo-traveler and the London couple cleaning it during the break time. It was very embarrassing moment for me and the trip organizer, but that's the reality. Later we requested them not to clean the vehicle and we took care of that with the help of our driver. We did it 4 times during the trip but folks who were doing it didn't bother to improve. When we reached Delhi, the London couple stepped forward and communicated appropriately to the folks who were littering.
And this is not limited to India, everyone should learn to respect every place in this world. Responsible traveling is what that can make things sustainable going forward. Everyone needs to understand it and ensure that folks around us also behave responsibly.
And all this is not limited to littering but the way we do things & the resources we use/waste. It is observed that wastage happens more when people travel and this wastage can be in any form - fuel, food, water, or other resources.
We should always keep in mind that this world is our home and it is our responsibility to keep it clean. We cannot get a new world when we are done littering this one. We and our future generations are going to live in the world we create today. So we need to be very careful.
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