Travel Devil – Adventures Without Guilt for Sustainable Travel
Travel Devil is your gateway to a world of sustainable travel, slow travel, and truly meaningful adventures. Hosted by slow tourism advocate Clara Francken, this podcast invites you to rethink the way you move across the planet. In a world dominated by mass tourism and cheap flights, Travel Devil shows how eco travel and responsible tourism can transform not only your trips but your entire travel mindset.
Here, we explore how to travel lighter, deeper, and with intention, whether you're interested in slow tourism, eco-friendly travel, overland travel, or discovering unique travel destinations across Europe and the world. With regular updates touching on Europe travel news and trends in conscious mobility, the show brings you stories that inform, inspire, and challenge the status quo.
Each episode features travellers, adventurers, and experts who share honest experiences about train travel, bikepacking, hitchhiking, thru-hiking, cargo ship travel, family travel, solo travel for women, travelling as a couple, moving abroad, and much more. You’ll hear what it really means to reduce your carbon footprint while staying curious, open-minded, and connected to local communities.
What you can expect from Travel Devil:
- Practical insights into sustainable travel, eco travel, and slow travel
- Real conversations about responsible tourism and slow tourism in Europe and beyond
- Updates and reflections tied to Europe travel news and conscious mobility
- Tips for travel safety, travel tech, and using smart remote work tools while exploring
- Inspiration for overland travel, finding cheap train tickets, and travelling on a budget
- Stories from nomads, expats, long-distance hikers, cyclists, night train travellers, and first-time adventurers
- Advice on packing lists, packing hacks, and navigating nomad housing
- Deep dives into local community projects and sustainable initiatives shaping the future of travel
Whether you’re into eco-friendly travel, sustainable travel, slow tourism, overland routes, or simply want to expand your travel mindset, this podcast will help you explore the world in a way that feels good - for you and the planet.
Expect inspiration. Expect laughter. Expect honest stories that make you rethink how you travel.
For more conscious travel content, follow @traveldevil.podcast and @clarafrancken on Instagram.
Travel Devil – Adventures Without Guilt for Sustainable Travel
16- Red flags for WILDLIFE safari & volunteer tourism w/ Margreen
Many tourists prefer fun facts and experiences over the heavy truths of wildlife conservation, leading to a tourism model that often neglects the needs of the animals and the environment.
What are green flags and red flags of wildlife safaris? Where is a volunteer's money actually going? ...
Margarita Samsonova, an unconventional GREENfluencer and the founder of Behind The Greens media, explains the big differences between fancy safaris and real conservation efforts. She shares how luxury safaris often care more about tourists than animals, leading to poor treatment of wildlife. Margarita's love for animals and nature pushes her to support eco-friendly travel and reveal the true impact of these trips on the environment and local people.
We discuss the importance of transparency in where your money goes and the red flags to watch out for, such as companies promoting selfies with animals or overemphasizing the "big five" sightings. Learn about the green flags that indicate a positive impact, like eco-friendly practices and community involvement.
You'll get inspired, listen to stories about wildlife conservation camps, stories of beautiful interactions and of bad examples of safaris, laugh and get chills.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Greenfluencing and its role in promoting eco-friendly travel
- Differentiating between wildlife experiences and safaris
- The impact of safari tourism on wildlife and ecosystems
- Challenges faced by local communities and wildlife due to safari tourism
- The difficulty in balancing conservation efforts with the desire for entertainment and profit.
- The impact of social media on travel and environmental awareness
- The importance of authenticity and transparency in travel content creation
- The challenges of balancing tourism with wildlife conservation
- Criteria for choosing responsible and ethical wildlife tourism experiences.
- How different types of tourism (safaris, conservation parks) operate and generate revenue.
- The illegal trade of wildlife parts and its devastating effects on animal populations.
- The rise of voluntourism and its impact on wildlife tourism.
- The impact of the covid pandemic on travel trends
- The importance of research and education in responsible tourism
- The concept of the "Big Five" and its implications
- The role of local communities in wildlife conservation
Connect with Margarita Samsonova?
Instagram: @margreen_s
Website: www.behindthegreens.co
Write us your thoughts on the show
Want more?
- Follow the podcast on Instagram @traveldevilpod
- Connect with me on Instagram @clarafrancken
- Watch more on my YouTube channel
