I talk about travel sustainability on the blog, and I stand by every word. But lately, living and working in a destination that is both loved and overused, I feel the need to say something louder and simpler.
Responsible travel is not only about carbon footprints, refillable bottles, or choosing the “eco” option on a booking engine. It is also about how you behave in a place that is someone else’s home, on a trail that someone has to maintain, and in a community that keeps functioning long after you’ve posted your photos and left.
I learned this in a very practical, almost banal way, during a winter afternoon in 2017 on a snowy trail in Japan. And, honestly, I see the same dynamic on the trails of the Cinque Terre far too often.
The day a “small mistake” became everyone’s problem
In 2017, on the path to Jigokudani Monkey Park, a girl slipped on the snow. She was lucky. She stopped against a tree a few metres below and only got a few scratches.
But what happened next is the point.
A few of us formed a human chain to pull her back up. A Japanese guy hurt his back in the process. I injured my shoulder, which I had dislocated a few months earlier. We all did it instinctively, because that’s what decent humans do, but it left me thinking.
This wasn’t a freak accident. It wasn’t “bad luck”.
At the entrance, there were multiple signs and clear drawings explaining that the trail was not meant to be walked in loafers, ankle boots, or Converse. They even sell and rent proper boots and crampons for people who arrive unprepared.
And yet, like I often witness in the Cinque Terre, many visitors shrugged, laughed, and carried on anyway.
If it only affected the person taking the risk, I would still disagree, but I would also accept it as a personal choice. The problem is that it doesn’t stay personal.
When one person slips, everyone stops. Flows freeze. People behind are forced to wait on exposed, slippery sections. Somebody always tries to help. Sometimes it’s a local. Sometimes it’s a volunteer. Sometimes it’s a stranger who ends up injured while doing the right thing.
That day in Japan, it was not the only fall, and it was certainly not the only moment when the entire path slowed down because someone’s footwear forced everyone else to move at the speed of fear.
And a friend of mine, Claudio, reminded me of something closer to home: a young girl who joined a night hike in flip-flops, forcing him to stay behind to help her.
Different countries, same pattern.
Cinque Terre taught me that “careless” has a cost
The Cinque Terre trails are not a theme park. They are real paths, with real erosion, real cliffs, real heat in summer, real storms in shoulder season, and real people trying to keep them safe.
When travellers walk the trails in unsuitable shoes, without water, without checking closures, or treating the route like a quick stroll between gelato stops, the consequences spread quickly:
- rescue services are called for preventable issues
- civil protection volunteers and local teams lose hours and energy
- other visitors get stuck, delayed, or pushed into risky overtakes
- trail damage increases, especially when people step off-path to bypass crowds or muddy sections
And yes, there’s also the emotional cost: the quiet frustration of those who live here, work here, and watch the same preventable scenario repeat itself every day.
Responsible travel, to me, begins exactly here: with the awareness that your choices create ripples.
What responsible travel really means (in real life)
Sustainability matters, but responsible travel is broader and, in some ways, more immediate. It’s a mindset made of small decisions.
1) Respect the place as a living territory
Not as a backdrop. Not as content. Not as a checklist.
In fragile destinations, your behaviour can either protect the place or accelerate its decline. Staying on marked trails, following closures, and avoiding shortcuts is not “being obedient”. It is choosing not to contribute to damage that locals will have to fix.
2) Respect the people who live there
A destination is not only a service. It is a community with rhythms, work, school runs, elderly neighbours, deliveries, and real life.
Responsible travel means:
- keeping noise down in residential areas
- not blocking doorways, narrow alleys, and staircases for photos
- understanding that local life is not there to perform for tourism
3) Respect the people who keep you safe
Civil protection volunteers, rescuers, park staff, guides, maintenance teams. In many places, they are under-resourced and constantly stretched.
Every avoidable emergency pulls them away from other duties. Every unnecessary rescue increases risk for them too.
4) Respect other visitors
This is the one travellers often forget.
If you choose to hike in the wrong shoes, you are not “free-spirited”. You are turning yourself into a bottleneck, a hazard, and potentially an emergency that someone else must manage.
You don’t need to be an expert hiker to be responsible. You just need to be prepared.
A practical checklist for responsible travel (especially on trails)
Here’s what I wish more travellers did, in the Cinque Terre and anywhere with nature, weather, and crowds.
Before you go
- Check official trail updates (closures, weather warnings, alternative routes)
- Plan your timing: early morning or late afternoon reduces crowd pressure and heat risk
- Be honest about your fitness and experience: choose a route that matches you, not your Instagram feed
- Pack basics: water, light layers, sun protection, a small snack
Shoes are not a detail
If there’s one thing I’d put on a billboard, it’s this: footwear is safety.
- proper trainers with grip at minimum
- hiking shoes if the route is uneven, wet, steep, or rocky
- no sandals, no fashion boots, no smooth soles
- in snow or ice: rent or buy microspikes or crampons if suggested
On the trail
- Do not step off-path to let others pass if it damages vegetation or increases erosion
- Don’t overtake in risky spots just because you’re impatient
- If you’re slowing everyone down, step aside in a safe wide point and let people pass
- Carry your rubbish out, always
- Keep your voice low: nature is not improved by shouting
If something goes wrong
- Ask for help, yes, but also don’t be proud. Turning back is often the most responsible choice.
- If you see someone in trouble, help if you can do it safely, but do not create a second accident.
- In destinations like the Cinque Terre, know that calling rescue can be complex and slow. Prevention is everything.
The point I keep coming back to
That winter afternoon in Japan could have ended much worse. What stayed with me is not the fall itself, but the chain reaction: strangers injured while helping, the trail blocked, the tension of people trying to move safely around someone else’s avoidable mistake.
And it’s the same feeling I get when I watch tourists underestimate the Cinque Terre trails, dismiss warnings, laugh at signs, and then act surprised when things get difficult.
Responsible travel is, in the end, a form of respect.
Respect for a place. For the people who live there. For the people who keep it running. For the other travellers sharing the same narrow path.
And yes, also for yourself.
Because being prepared is not “less adventurous”. It’s what allows you to enjoy a destination deeply, safely, and with the kind of lightness that doesn’t become someone else’s burden.
Cinque Terre trails: a responsible mini-guide from someone who lives here
If you are planning to hike in the Cinque Terre, here is the simple truth: these are coastal mountain paths, not promenade strolls. They are absolutely doable for most people, but only if you treat them with the respect you would give to any real trail.
Before you lace up
- Check official updates before leaving your accommodation: trail conditions and closures change with weather, maintenance, and landslides.
Look for updates from the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre and local municipal notices. - Start early or late: if you can, aim for early morning or after 17:00, especially in peak season. It is cooler, quieter, and you will see the villages at their best.
- Plan a realistic route: do not string together “all the villages” plus “a long hike” plus “sunset aperitivo” if you have not hiked in months. Choose one main hike and let the day breathe.
What to wear (this matters more than people think)
- Footwear: proper trainers with a good grip at a minimum. Hiking shoes if it is wet, uneven, steep, or you are not used to rocky terrain.
No sandals, no loafers, no smooth soles. - Water: always. In summer, treat water like a safety item, not an optional comfort.
- Layers: even in warm months, you can get wind and sudden changes on exposed sections.
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, SPF, and something light to cover shoulders if you burn easily.
- A small snack: not because you are doing an expedition, but because low energy makes people clumsy.
Trail etiquette (the part nobody puts on Instagram)
- Do not step off-path to overtake or to let someone pass if it means damaging vegetation or crumbling edges. Wait for a safe wider point.
- If you are slowing the flow, step aside in a safe spot and let others pass. This is normal, and it keeps everyone calmer.
- Keep voices low in residential stretches and near vineyards and farm plots. People work here.
- Carry your rubbish out, always. If you can carry it in, you can carry it back out.
Safety basics for international travellers
- Heat is the main enemy from late spring to early autumn. A mid-day hike in full sun can be harder than you expect.
- Do not underestimate “short distances”: the vertical gain and the steps are what make the Cinque Terre feel demanding.
- Do not rely on phone signal as your safety plan. Some sections can be patchy.
- If a trail feels wrong, turn back. It is not a failure, it is responsible travel.
My favourite way to combine hiking and village life
This is what many locals do, and it is also how you avoid peak stress:
- Morning hike, then long lunch and a swim
- A quiet afternoon in one village
- Late afternoon village hop for aperitivo and dinner, when day-trippers leave and the atmosphere softens
If you love Vernazza the way I do, this timing makes a huge difference: it is glorious early in the morning and again from late afternoon onwards, just like the other villages.
A quick “do this instead” list
- Instead of hiking at the hottest hour, hike early and take a slow lunch break.
- Instead of doing every village in one day, pick one village to truly enjoy.
- Instead of improvising footwear, buy or pack the right shoes. It is cheaper than losing a day, or worse.
Responsible travel here is not about being perfect. It is about being prepared, considerate, and aware that your choices affect other people’s safety and the future of these trails.
