What Are Small Ways to Be More Respectful When We Travel?

Editor’s note: Unpacked columns appear in every print issue and monthly online, where they tackle some of travel’s biggest, thorniest questions.

I used to travel to destinations solely because I could, not necessarily taking the time to learn about a place I visited. As an American, visas were easy to attain—or not needed at all. I often couldn’t give you a straight answer about why I was there: I’d seen something on Instagram; I was bored; I’d gotten a cheap flight or hotel deal. My travels at the time were based mostly on aesthetics— Instagrammable Airbnbs in Kuala Lumpur overlooking the iconic KL Tower in the skyline, trying to get the perfect angle on top of South Africa’s nearly 3,600-foot Table Mountain, even if it meant nearly falling to my death. At the time, I didn’t see myself contributing to a problem because I didn’t stay long enough to become one.

But a trip to Old San Juan in 2019 was the beginning of redefining what being a traveler meant to me. Before I traveled there, I’d heard excellent things about how travelers can get lost in the area’s Old World charm. I hoped to be more off the grid than on my usual travels, and this trip was a way to unwind from a few stressful months in New York City. 

Buildings in the Old San Juan area, a small neighborhood spanning just seven blocks, date back to the mid-16th century. I spent days wandering along cobblestone streets and stuffing my face full of mofongo—a dish with fried plantains as its base. One day, I walked into the Catedral de San Juan Bautista. 

It is an active church, and I wanted to be mindful of the few congregants scattered around the church, their heads bowed in supplication. I don’t profess to be particularly religious—I’m an “Easter and Christmas Christian”—but I felt pulled to sit in silence alongside them. In that moment, with heads bowed around me and the muted sounds of prayers passing through lips, I realized that travel could be far more tranquil than I’d ever allowed it to be. And that if I just slowed down, I would be able to see and experience a destination for what it was, rather than a stop on vacation. 

The realization was a marked difference from how I approached previous trips, where I always seemed to be in a rush to post, a hurry to snap, a desire to be seen. I’ve been guilty in the past of seeing a destination that draws travelers as just that—and not as part of the community it belongs to. 

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