You’re off to great places! Today is your day!
Your passport is ready, you’re on your way!
By train and by plane, by bus and by truck,
Through cities and coastlines with marvelous luck.
Far from home, across the sea,
Oh, the places you’ll see!
You’ll wander through markets, through temples of gold,
Hear stories and legends and tales long told.
You’ll gaze at great wonders, both ancient and new,
And collect little treasures wherever you do.
But wait!
What’s this on the shore where the blue waters gleam?
A bottle, a wrapper, disrupting the dream.
And high in the sky, though hidden from sight,
Carbon emissions drift day and night.
The planes leave a trail.
The crowds leave a mark.
The reefs grow pale.
The forests grow dark.
“Not my home,” you may say.
“I’ll be gone in a day!”
Yet every small footprint can still find its way.
You’ll notice the turtles caught up in debris,
The pathways worn thin where there once stood a tree.
The souvenirs mass-made, the waste left behind,
And suddenly travel feels different in mind.
Then you’ll think:
What if I could wander and still leave things well?
What if my adventures had kinder stories to tell?
So you’ll travel by train when it’s easy to do,
Bring a bottle and cup for the journey too.
You’ll shop with local makers wherever you stop,
And leave places cleaner by picking litter up.
You’ll stay a bit longer, no need to rush
You’ll tread a bit lighter in each precious place.
You’ll offset emissions with planting and care,
Helping restore what we all have to share.
You’ll give back more than you take as you roam,
Treating each destination as somebody’s home.
And then, as years pass, what a world you might see!
Clear rivers that sparkle.
Healthy forests that sway.
And coral reefs bursting with colour each day.
Mountains untouched by the rubbish below.
Wild creatures with safe places still left to go.
And you’ll smile and remember the choice you once made,
When the future of travel seemed destined to fade.
For the places you’ll go are worth more than a glance.
They’re treasures protected because you took a chance.
A chance to explore with respect and with care.
To leave something better than what you found there.
Oh, the places you’ll go!
And the good you will do!
The world’s waiting for travellers just like you.
