Travel is the most popular pastime in the world. We all love to get out there and see new places, but the way we travel is changing. People are starting to realize that they can actually make an impact on the places they visit—and this realization has led to a new buzzword called "regenerative travel."

Regenerative travel is the next hot buzzword.

Regenerative travel is the next hot buzzword. It's about more than just trekking through the Amazon or pitching a tent in Patagonia—it's about investing in your dreams and connecting them with the places you are visiting.

It's about taking action to make a difference in the world, whether it's through volunteering on a trip or making plans long-term to do volunteer work at home after your big adventure. It means using your vacation time for something other than exploring an exotic location.

The term "regenerative travel" has been around since at least 2013, but it didn't gain much traction until recently, when influencers like Chris Guillebeau and Andrew Henderson started talking about how they were giving up their jobs as professional nomads so that they could focus on more meaningful work back home—and how their travels had helped them decide what kind of work they wanted to do.

It's a bit like sustainability, but with more of an emphasis on giving back.

It's a bit like sustainability, but with more of an emphasis on giving back. If you're familiar with the concept of "sustainable travel," this is probably where your mind goes. To be clear, regenerative travel doesn't require you to pack a Bible in your suitcase or give up all forms of luxury (though it does encourage us to look for ways to reduce waste). Instead, it's about more than just being green; it's also about giving back to the places you visit and connecting with the people who live there—and ultimately living a life that is in harmony with nature.

The idea isn't new; we've been talking about sustainable travel since long before carbon offsets became trendy (or even existed). But now that we have proof that our actions are affecting climate change in serious ways—and that those changes affect everyone around us—it would seem silly not to do our best at mitigating them wherever possible.

The global nomad lifestyle is taking off as more people work remotely and live out of carry-on luggage.

If you thought the sustainable travel movement was going to be a passing fad, think again. It turns out travelers have been onto something all along—and now that millennials are hitting their peak travel years (early 30s), we’re seeing the results.

The global nomad lifestyle is taking off as more people work remotely and live out of carry-on luggage. The number of digital nomads has doubled in the last 5 years and is projected to triple over the next decade.

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"The world has been waiting for us to step into our rightful place on this planet, to become temporary citizens."

As a traveler, you are a temporary citizen. You are not entitled to a place or its resources. You have an obligation to be active participants in the place you visit, taking ownership of your actions and their consequences. By taking responsibility for your impact on the environment, you become aware of how little it takes for us all to leave behind a footprint that we can't easily erase.

Regenerative travel is about people investing in their dreams, connecting their sense of purpose with the places they are exploring, and using travel to enrich their life back home.

You might be thinking, “Great! But where do I start?”

Well, let’s start with something that everyone can relate to: the feeling of being stuck in a routine.

As we get older, most of us find ourselves stuck in a rut. We wake up every morning and go through our same routine, day after day after day. Sometimes we feel like there’s nothing new or exciting going on in our lives—which leads us to feel bored, frustrated and uninspired by life.

"From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution we have been living our lives based around the concept that everything is finite and depletable - that you have to take as much as possible in order to make money, be successful and become rich," he said. "That's what led us to develop this extractive economy where so many systems are just sucking out of the natural world."

You've probably heard the term "sustainable travel" before. It's a buzzword in the sustainable tourism industry, and it refers to any kind of travel that promotes positive environmental and social impacts on host communities, travelers and home countries alike. But regenerative travel is different: It's all about leaving a positive impact on nature, as well as giving back to local communities through education programs or other initiatives that support sustainable development.

Sustainable tourism is about reducing your carbon footprint by using public transportation or staying in eco-friendly accommodations at hotels in order to minimize your dependency on fossil fuels (and therefore global warming). The main goal of regenerative tourism is reversing damage caused by past extractive industries—think coal mining or oil drilling—by restoring ecosystem health through improved soil fertility or tree planting projects like those conducted by Carbon Roots International (CRI) in Madagascar.

We need Placemakers - people who can take this knowledge out into the world and share it so that other people can go out and make a difference - not somewhere else but where they are, where they live."

As the world becomes more and more globalized and interconnected, we need to be mindful of how we travel. We can’t just change our own habits; we must also change the way we think about traveling.

This is where Placemakers come in. The Placemaker movement is all about “giving people access to knowledge that allows them to make a difference where they are, instead of somewhere else.” We need people who can take this knowledge out into the world and share it so that other people can go out and make a difference—not somewhere else but where they are, where they live.

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Traveling can also be about connecting with a place rather than just making memories in your Instagram feed.

You know what’s better than a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower? Living in it.

When you think about traveling, you may picture yourself jetting off to exotic locales and snapping pictures of your favorite sights. After all, social media has made travel look glamorous. So much so that at times it's easy to forget that travel isn't just about taking photos of pretty monuments or having memorable experiences for later on Instagram. Traveling can also be about connecting with a place rather than just making memories in your Instagram feed.

Traveling can be about learning about the culture, history and people of a place. That way you get more out of your trip than just some snaps from atop Machu Picchu or Venice's Rialto bridge—you'll have an experience that will stay with you long after your plane lands back home.

Conclusion

It's been great to see so many people starting to get into this new way of travel. It's something that's been in the works for a while now but it seems like now is the right time for regenerative travel to take off. We've got more people than ever before working remotely, living out of carry-on luggage and traveling around the world on a whim. And with all those Instagram posts showing off exotic locations or exciting adventures, it can be hard not feel jealous when we look at our own lives! But if you're feeling like there's no time left for anything but work then maybe it's time for some new inspiration?