[Travel Better] How Conservation Travel Can Save the World with Court Whelan

In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Michael and Robyn talk with Court Whelan, an exhibition leader, guide, photographer, author and conservationist whose mission is to inspire us to do our part in protecting our planet and the amazing people, cultures, places and wildlife that call it home. Court discusses eco-tourism, photography, conservation and how they benefit each other. He also shares some statistics regarding the economic benefits to a community dedicated to conservation as well as clues us into some easy things that we can do to be better stewards of our earth.

 

"Something I still say to today is influencing the influencers of our world. I think travelers tend to be a bit more extroverted, a bit more involved, a bit more active, a bit more outspoken, a bit more conscientious, and so if I can turn those people onto conservation via travel, I have this great disproportionate impact on saving the world and stuff." - Court Whelan [17:24]

 

What You Will Learn:

• [00:01] Intro
• [01:42] Trying to see through the crystal ball
• [02:59] Revisiting photos
• [05:39] Balancing photography and being presence in the moment
• [08:30] How his sense of wanderlust played into his pursuit of ecotourism and entomology
• [14:59] Traveling after college
• [17:50] What is conservation, ecotourism, sustainable and regenerative travel
• [21:16] Working with local communities
• [29:31] What Court does to ensure minimal impact and maximum contribution to a place he’s visiting
• [32:58] Some sustainable best practices for travel and day-to-day life
• [38:39] How photography came into Court’s life
• [41:34] How conservation, travel and photography come together
• [44:20] Photographing the monarch butterfly migration
• [47:48] What caused the greatest impact in the evolution and growth of the travel industry
• [49:34] What has he learned about himself, the world and life through traveling
• [54:27] Rapid fire questions
• [57:48] Court’s self-care habits at home
• [59:19] His advice to the listeners
• [1:01:45] Where to contact Court
• [1:02:14] Outro

 

Resources: 

• Court Whelan’s website
• Court Whelan on Instagram
• The Wild Photographer podcast
• The Monarch Migration: A Journey through the Monarch Butterfly's Winter Home by Court Whelan
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Anna Rosling Rönnlund, Hans Rosling, and Ola Rosling
• The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100 by Dan Buettner