It’s that time of year – to start planning our sustainable getaways

It’s nearing the most wonderful time of the year – and already my inbox is being flooded with the “must-visit” bucket list travel destinations for 2020, well in advance of New Year’s Day.

Don’t get me wrong, these emails can definitely be helpful to travel writers struggling to discern the “hot new places” that will expand adventurous travellers’ holiday horizons for another year. But it’s worth informing yourself about the destinations in question – and what impact your visit might have on them – before blindly ticking your way down the list…

The very nature of selecting those “hot new places” can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. People like me say tourists should go there. Tourists go there. And before you know it, another beautiful, tranquil, under-the-radar destination is overwhelmed with visitor numbers it was never designed to cope with.

The effect of every publication compiling similar lists, which, when combined, create that “buzz” that seems to happen organically, almost by osmosis (remember when everyone you met was taking their next city break to Lisbon?), but in reality happens via a steady drip, drip, drip of publicity that slowly permeates.

I was reminded of the double-edged sword of popularity this week, as the World Monuments Fund (WMF), an organisation devoted to saving the world’s treasured places, revealed its 2020 “watch list” of historic sites around the world that are under threat.

Some of the planet’s best-loved attractions – from the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru to Chile’s Easter Island – were included in the 25 at-risk places, which are “facing daunting threats such as encroaching urbanisation, political turmoil, natural disaster and violent conflicts, or present compelling conservation opportunities.”

Machu Picchu, a long-time victim of its own success, is under even greater threat than before thanks to a newly proposed airport that would serve the ever-increasing numbers of tourists.

So what’s the answer? Should I never write a travel bucket list again? Should you never read one? I think the key is to do your homework. If you see a destination on one of those lists that takes your fancy, spend a little time researching it. See if there’s a sustainable travel company (such as Responsible Travel) that organises trips there. See if there’s somewhere you could stay that is run by local people, rather than a massive, international hotel chain. See if you can expand your travels and explore the country beyond the boundaries of its one “hot spot” that’s currently enjoying the spotlight.

It’s good to be inspired – it’s even better to be aware of your impact.

Yours,

Helen Coffey

Deputy travel editor