Sivan

A list of some great ethical accommodation booking platforms with sustainable, vegan-friendly and locally owned hotels, lodges & B&Bs that priorise leaving a positive impact on their communities. Why is this important? While Airbnb started with good intentions, over the years it has sadly helped fuel overtourism by making short-term rentals widely accessible, driving up housing prices & transforming residential neighborhoods into transient hotel zones. As for booking.com, it favours large hotel chains with its high commission rates & its massive reach gives it leverage over pricing and visibility, making it hard for smaller players to compete. I highly recommend using these booking platforms where possible!

A great way of travelling more sustainably is to opt to stay at sustainable and/or locally owned hotels. However, greenwashing is rife out there so it can at times be difficult to find places that are really trying to make a difference. I’ve stayed at all of these beautiful boutique hotels myself, & have seen their eco-friendly practices first hand, so can highly recommend them. They’re all also vegan-friendly!

One great way of making our travels more sustainable is by ensuring our money stays within the local economy & one way of doing this is by staying at locally owned accommodation such as guesthouses, and my personal preference, homestays. It’s a great way of interacting with local people, immersing yourself into the culture, & is always the highlight of my travels!

As some of you fellow vegans may know, France can be a bit tricky when it comes to finding vegan options so I figured I'd give you a hand by highlighting some of my favourite vegan-friendly spots in Marseille in the South of France, as someone who has lived there for almost 5 years. Bon appetit!