The Right Path

How to Travel Responsibly in Monterey County

Responsible travel minimizes negative impacts, brings economic benefits to host communities and preserves the cultural and natural resources of the destinations. Responsible travel is about more authentic holiday experiences that enable you to get more out of your travels and give more back to the destination and local people; maximizing the benefits and minimizing the negative impacts of travel.

Are you expecting more from your holiday than a brief stay somewhere? Perhaps you need to completely disconnect from your routine life and escape into nature. Maybe you are looking for inspiration from a new environment. Contributing to the preservation of your host destination helps you tap into the benefits of altruism. This is all a part of traveling responsibly. In Monterey County, we understand the importance of this practice and are here to guide you toward taking the right path.

In Monterey County, we are always striving to protect and preserve our destination’s pristine landscapes and natural beauty. Responsible travel reduces negative impacts on our county, supports our local businesses and communities, respects our residents' and travelers' health and safety, and preserves the cultural and natural resources that draw people to Monterey County. We've put together a few easy tips and tricks to travel responsibly and help maintain the beauty of our destination so it’s just as pristine and inspiring for the visitor of tomorrow.

EXPLORE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Monterey County is full of Instagram-worthy bucket list destinations. The breathtaking Big Sur coastline and the iconic Lone Cypress in Pebble Beach are just a few examples. But consider exploring the lesser-known hidden gems, while still experiencing authentic Monterey County. Take a trip over to the River Road Wine Trail in the Salinas Valley, dotted with award-winning wineries and picturesque valley views.

Continue to Palo Corona Regional Park, one of Central Coast California’s most significant undeveloped open spaces. The park stretches for about 10 miles in length, across more than 4,500 sprawling acres of rugged, spectacular country that boasts an extraordinary mix of ecosystems and wildlife species including rare amphibians, deer, California condors and more. The trails are friendly and the views are plentiful. You’ll be glad you ventured off the beaten path.

PLAN AHEAD

Plan ahead and research the best insider tips to make your trip easier and more sustainable. For instance, make sure you’re following the rules and guidelines of the area and know your options when it comes to public transportation for getting around and best practices for camping and hiking. 

Coming Summer 2022, Monterey will be offering a free trolley that runs between downtown Monterey and Cannery Row. For more information on the MST Monterey Trolley, including a map of all stops and hours of operation, visit the MST website.

SHOP LOCAL

Take home a special Monterey memento. Not only will you go home with a unique gift, but you will be supporting local artisans and entrepreneurs as well. Carmel-by-the-Sea is full of boutique art galleries and unique shops, it's a great place to find the perfect souvenir and give back to the small businesses in the area. If you are committed to supporting Black-owned businesses, we’ve gathered some great ones here. And explore some of our amazing Woman-owned businesses in Monterey County here. The goodies you’ll find at these unique businesses are a great way to bring Monterey County back home with you. Shop local and give back to our community when exploring the destination, our businesses appreciate it! 

PROTECT & CONSERVE

You can help preserve the beauty of Monterey County for generations to come by adhering to practical habits. Remember to stay on designated trails and keep out of closed parks, trails and private property. Make sure to dispose of waste and recyclables in designated receptacles and take a moment to pick up loose trash to leave the land better than you found it. Just like at home, conserve water when brushing your teeth or taking a shower and turn off the lights before leaving your room for the day. And don’t forget your reusable shopping bag and refillable water bottle!

TRAVEL MID-WEEK OR IN THE OFF-SEASON

Luckily, it’s always ON season in Monterey. No matter the time of year, Monterey County is a great place to visit. Consider traveling during the winter months to see the sights with fewer crowds and enjoy shoulder season lodging discounts. Or, take a midweek vacation for similar benefits. It’s a great way to experience the magic of Monterey County while saving time and money.

Travel responsibly on your next trip to Monterey County. Our residents, businesses, wildlife, flora, lands and seas appreciate it! Find more tips and information at SeeMonterey.com/Sustainable.

Be a Kind Traveler

Give+Get Hotel Booking Platform

See Monterey and partner hotels are proud to partner with Kind Traveler, a responsible travel initiative that empowers travelers to make a positive impact through charitable donations with every hotel booking they make. Learn more about how this Give+Get hotel booking platform works and how you can support the important work of Rancho Cielo Youth Campus in investing in all young people in Monterey County facing challenges for success by booking with participating hotel partners here.

Regenerative California

Regenerative California is an initiative devoted to making the Golden State the first regenerative economy in the nation – an economy that benefits our diverse populations and epic natural environment while generating economic prosperity now and for generations to come.

Learn more and watch the video here: https://www.regenerativecalifornia.org/

Avoid a #TravelFail

Enjoy our natural beauty and endless activities and be safe. Here's your handy cheat sheet to help avoid a #TravelFail on your next adventure. Learn more here.

Sustainable Whale Watching in Monterey

Sanctuary Cruises Whale Watching has been operating in Monterey Bay since 1998. We care deeply about the health of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and we demonstrate that with the way we operate our business.

Here are just a few things we do to protect the environment and our Marine Sanctuary:

• We use biodiesel to fuel our boat, The Sanctuary. Biodiesel is produced in the U.S. and is made of recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats. It is less toxic than table salt. Instead of smelling like stinky diesel fuel, our boat sometimes smells like french fries! It costs more and takes more maintenance, but we are proud to be doing the right thing. We are the only boat in the Monterey Bay that runs on biodiesel.
  
• Owner, Dorris Welch served on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council for 10 years. This was ages before she owned Sanctuary Cruises. Dorris has been committed to ocean conservation and education since high school when she led the first recycling center in Santa Clara County and ran the first Earth Day festival. Dorris was also the Education Director of UCSC Long Marine Lab in the 1990s.
  
• We are committed to education. We must educate the youth of today in marine conservation in order to inspire tomorrow’s ocean stewards. We offer discount rates for field trips and summer camps. We have a mission to get low-income kids aboard our boat at a low cost.
  
• We have marine biologists aboard every trip. Our naturalists are a wealth of information and enthusiasm about Monterey Bay and its inhabitants. The more our passengers know about the ecosystem, the more they will want to preserve it and support it.
  
• Our crew fishes litter, especially balloons, out of the bay whenever we see it. Simple actions such as this can save an animal’s life. Picking up litter also shows our customers what it means to be an ocean steward and hopefully will inspire them to do the same on our beaches.

Sanctuary Cruises Naturalist Vicky Stein pulls balloons out of the bay in order to protect wildlife from ingesting them or getting trapped

• Our crew calls in injured animals to the appropriate organizations, such as the Marine Mammal Center and the Whale Entanglement Team. We are first responders and stay with entangled whales until rescue boats arrive.
  
• We give animals their space. Whenever we approach a whale, we stop before we get within 100 yards. When possible, we turn the motor off and bob in the water, letting the whales themselves determine how close they want to come to us and how much interaction they desire. Oftentimes they are curious about us and approach us.

Sustainability and Monterey Bay Food Tours

As a mother of four, I have a responsibility to leave behind a world in which the next generation can live and enjoy the way we have been lucky enough to. After moving to Monterey and deciding to start Monterey Bay Food Tours, I have tried to incorporate partners who share this vision, are environmentally conscious and want to preserve the beauty the Central Coast has to offer.  

Revival Ice Cream, one of our original partners, epitomizes this ideology sourcing their products locally from the likes of MEarth, a middle school garden sharing the vision with future generations. Revival uses reusable tasting spoons and sells reusable stainless steel pints that get you a $2 discount on pint refills. All of their cleaning products are 100% natural as their philosophy includes “living within the resources of the planet without damaging the environment now or in the future.”  

Schoch Family Farmstead, one of our more recent additions, follows the same philosophy and provides the only Monterey Jack cheese still produced in Monterey County. Their cheese aging cellar relies on the naturally cold and high humidity in the air that they capture every night, which almost eliminates the need for artificial cooling and humidification. Most of the runoff from the operation is captured and utilized as irrigation water later in the season. The irrigation for the entire operation is mostly gravity-fed eliminating the need for electricity. One of the most unique practices is “spoon-feeding” the nutrients the cows produce into the irrigation system to naturally fertilize the pastures without the need for synthetic fertilizers.  

Ratel Cider, a local cider producer who makes ciders with close to zero residual sugars, sources most of their fruit from orchards that use no fertilizers, but instead leave fallen fruit on the ground to go back into the soil keeping it fertile and nutrient-rich.  

One of our most unique spots is the historic Joseph Boston Store, run by volunteers from the Historic Garden League. They are very committed to sustainability by offering an array of hand-made, artisan products and organic food products made by local residents of Monterey County.  

Another extremely unique partner that defines sustainability is Green Pedal Couriers. They deliver Heirloom Pizza to Fieldwork Brewery during our walking food tour. Green Pedal Couriers deliver food from 12 various restaurants around Monterey all the way to Carmel by bicycle.  

Join us on a Monterey Bay Food Tour to try some of these local sustainable offerings, reducing the carbon footprint and learning more about our partners while taking in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, the California Central Coast.