Going Green is a huge advocate for world travel, in fact we are heading to Peru in a few weeks to film an episode of Going Green. We met with Ally Archer, Founder of Go Seek Explore, to discuss how people who like to travel the world can do it in an environmentally friendly way. Ally, thanks for being here!
First and foremost, tell us a little bit about you and your background:
I started my travel website, goseekexplore.com, in 2014 as a creative outlet to inspire others to take the travel leap – and to continue exploring new destinations. My first experience overseas was studying abroad in Florence, Italy, where I briefly returned after graduating from college to do marketing and tour guiding for a travel company. Since then, I’ve held various travel jobs in the educational travel field before building a career where I can work online from anywhere. I’ve now worked in 26 of the 30 countries I’ve traveled to! In addition, I also run my own digital marketing agency.
What is a fun fact about you?
I love fitness! I grew up doing competitive dance and dance teams, and was a Zumba instructor in college. I also like fitness classes, rock climbing, and yoga!
What was your motivation to get into this industry?
Travel and education are two of my biggest passions in life. Before I started blogging and doing digital marketing completely full-time, I’ve worked abroad and in the US in higher education or for various study abroad companies. I love how I can “teach” and give advice through my blog, and make a bigger impact utilizing the power of the internet by reaching a wide audience.
Why do you think climate change/sustainability is such an important topic today?
As a traveler, I unfortunately see a lot of waste both at home and abroad. Some beaches in well-known tourist areas are covered in trash and you may find yourself swimming in the ocean with empty plastic bottles and other garbage right by you. Finding recycling bins is not common everywhere you go, and the amount of plastic we see both at home and abroad is pretty shocking. Seeing our beautiful world in this way can be disheartening, however, I trust that our conversations and actions about climate change will to shift things for the better in the coming years.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
Environmentally-conscious travel is already here! I use environmentally-safe shampoo and body lotion travel bars from a brand called Ethique, which is a no-waste brand that aims to reduce all the plastic involved in travel-sized toiletries. Options to off-set your carbon footprint from your flights are becoming more common, as well as cities around the world banning single-use plastics. I also have done some beach cleanups through Selina (a popular hotel/hostel chain) while traveling through Central America, which was a nice way to give back while enjoying the area. Choosing ethical travel, especially when it concerns animals, is a huge topic today: people are saying no to elephant rides, animal circuses, and anything that would put species in danger. For example, we went with a company that treats sea turtles well when we went to release them in Costa Rica. I only see all of this progressing in a positive way over the next decade.
What can the average person do to make a difference?
Do what you can, with where you are!
What are your social media pages so we can follow more of your journey?
goseekexplore.com; @allyarcher for IG, Twitter, YouTube; /goseekexplore for Facebook; “Passport Pursuits” Facebook group.
Thank you Ally for taking the time to meet with us. Keep up the travels!
Dylan Welch is the CEO and Host of Going Green, a podcast, website, and social media brand that highlights renewable energy, cleantech, and sustainable news.