Every Journey Is a Series of Choices - I-DEST Helps You Choose More Consciously

Every day of a journey involves decisions that can affect the place you visit. You can choose the train or local public transport, refill your bottle instead of buying another disposable one, order food made with local or seasonal ingredients, and visit local producers, craftspeople or community initiatives.

Your choices also include whether you stay on marked trails, respect the peace of local residents, behave responsibly around wildlife, and pay attention to the use of water, energy and other local resources.

I-DEST does not use a single broad label to tell you what the right choice is. Instead, it presents specific criteria, options and measures, allowing you to decide what best fits your journey.

The aim is not to give up experiences, but to see and understand more of the place you visit. Raising visitor awareness and helping travellers recognise the consequences of their own decisions are fundamental objectives of I-DEST.

The I-DEST Blog offers practical travel tips, explanations, local stories and easy-to-follow examples to help you travel more consciously.

We show you what to consider while planning a journey, how to compare transport options, accommodation, dining offers and programmes, and what you can do to protect natural and cultural assets.

You can read about slower and more meaningful forms of travel, rail, public and active transport, local food, producers and craftspeople, as well as ways to save water and energy or reduce waste while travelling. We also explain how to visit natural areas responsibly, discover local culture and traditions, and what to look for when searching for accessible, family-friendly or otherwise tailored experiences.

The articles do not make decisions for you. They help you understand your options, recognise claims that are too broad, and ask the questions that support better-informed choices.

Looking for accommodation, a restaurant, an attraction, an event or a day-trip idea? On I-DEST, you can browse destinations, tourism services, programmes and routes.

Detailed filters allow you to specify what type of place you are looking for, how you would like to reach it, and what services you need. You can see, for example, where a drinking-water refill point, separate waste collection, local or seasonal food, bicycle storage, public transport connections or detailed accessibility information are available.

You can also search for services designed for families, cyclists or visitors travelling with pets. Where a certificate issued by an independent organisation is available, its details may also be displayed.

Icons linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals show which global goals a particular measure or commitment is connected to. On their own, however, these icons do not certify the service provider's overall operation.

I-DEST profiles show more than the services offered by an accommodation provider, restaurant or attraction. They also allow you to see what specific measures have been introduced and what options are available to guests.

On an accommodation profile, for example, you may see whether there is a bottle-refill point, whether guests can opt out of daily towel changes, whether renewable energy is used, or whether separate waste collection is provided. For a restaurant, you may find out whether local, seasonal or plant-based dishes appear on the menu, whether tap or filtered water is available, and what options are offered for taking leftovers away.

The profile may also explain how the place can be reached by public transport, on foot or by bicycle, what accessibility conditions are provided, and whether the business works with local producers, community organisations or nature conservation bodies.

A single measure does not characterise the service provider's entire operation. If an accommodation provider offers a refill point, the profile presents that specific option. It does not automatically mean that the provider performs highly across every environmental and social aspect.

Where the service provider holds an independent certificate, its exact name, issuer and validity may be displayed. An I-DEST self-assessment, participation in the challenges or a digital symbol is not the same as independent certification.

I-DEST requests operational information from its partners through a questionnaire aligned with the international framework of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). The service provider questionnaire contains more than 80 criteria and is publicly available on the I-DEST Service Provider Questionnaire page, enabling anyone to see which criteria are used in the assessment.

After completing the questionnaire, each business decides whether it consents to the public display of its sustainability data in the I-DEST system and whether it publishes its annual sustainability report. The results shown on the profiles therefore rely on answers provided by the service provider. I-DEST uses those answers to calculate a sustainability index, displayed as a percentage. For businesses, performance can also be viewed across 12 main criteria, while destinations are presented across six themes, making it possible to see not only the overall result but also the areas in which progress is stronger and those in which further development is possible.

Each criterion has been linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, so the profiles also indicate which global goals the reported measures relate to. The SDG icons are not a separate certification; they show the sustainability themes to which a particular answer or measure may contribute.

I-DEST also presents the overall sustainability index through an easy-to-understand four-level leaf system. One leaf, 40-60%: 'First Steps' - the site has already reported several sustainability measures in the I-DEST questionnaire. Two leaves, 60-75%: 'Conscious Progress' - the service provider or destination is working to improve its operation in several areas. Three leaves, 75-90%: 'Leading by Example' - the site achieved a high result in the I-DEST index and reported measures under numerous criteria. Four leaves, above 90%: 'Most Sustainable' - this identifies service providers and destinations in the highest band of I-DEST's own index.

The percentage index and leaf symbol are not a certificate and not an independent sustainability certification. The result only shows the percentage achieved by the business or destination on the basis of the questionnaire criteria it answered. It does not mean that every environmental, social and economic impact of its operation has been independently verified, and it does not replace official sustainability certifications. I-DEST uses the index to provide transparent information, support comparison and make the measures and development opportunities reported by businesses more visible.

More conscious travel does not stop at information. The I-DEST Global Sustainability Challenges help you put what you have learned into practice.

Refill your bottle, choose a meal made with local ingredients, try a plant-based dish, separate your waste, arrive by public transport, or explore the area on foot or by bicycle. You can also buy from local producers or craftspeople, discover a local tradition, or take part in community or nature conservation initiatives.

The challenges connect a wide range of themes, from saving water and energy to reducing waste, local food, mobility, nature conservation, equal opportunities, local culture and animal welfare.

Choose a challenge, then use the I-DEST map or service provider profiles to find where the required conditions are available. Complete the activity on site and scan the I-DEST QR code to record it. The digital stamp you receive will then appear in your personal profile.

A challenge can only be completed at a location where the service provider genuinely offers the relevant option. QR-code activation links the activity to the place and connects the guest's choice with the provider's specific commitment.

The digital stamp records that you completed a specific challenge at a particular location. It does not certify the environmental or social performance of your entire journey, nor does it mean that the service provider's full operation holds an independent sustainability certification.

The purpose of the game is to show new possibilities, raise questions and support the development of more conscious travel habits. The digital stamp is therefore a playful result connected to a specific action, not a general environmental rating.

A route can be more than a list of places visited one after another. It can connect locations, stories, natural assets, local service providers and communities.

I-DEST features cultural and heritage walks, urban discovery routes, hiking and nature trails, cycling routes, and itineraries presenting gastronomy, wine and local products. Routes may also be designed for particular visitor groups, such as families or active travellers.

The interactive map shows the route's stops, distances, related attractions and services available along the way.

Some routes include GPS-triggered audio guides, QR-code-accessible audio, images, video or other digital content. These help you understand not only what you are looking at, but why the place, story or tradition matters. I-DEST can connect cultural, natural and thematic routes with map-based and audio-guide content.

Travel at your own pace and stop wherever something captures your interest. Do not simply arrive somewhere - discover its story as well.

The I-DEST map helps you see which attractions, programmes, accommodation providers, restaurants and routes are nearby.

You can filter by service type, mode of access, family-friendly options, cycling services, places that welcome pets or accessibility features. You can also search specifically for places with audio guides, challenge locations, or service providers that have introduced measures described on their profiles.

The map can therefore lead you beyond the best-known places. You can discover smaller businesses, local initiatives and lesser-known attractions, while adapting your journey to your own interests and needs.

Accessibility cannot be described with a single yes-or-no answer. The same place may offer different conditions for different visitors.

I-DEST can therefore provide detailed information for visitors with reduced mobility, blind and partially sighted guests, deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors, autistic people, people with intellectual disabilities and senior travellers.

Profiles may include information about parking, the entrance, movement within the building or site, toilets, information provision, audio and visual content, and the availability of personal assistance.

The aim is not to use a broad 'accessible' label, but to explain exactly what conditions you can expect. This allows you to decide before travelling whether the place meets your own needs. I-DEST's accessibility module organises and displays information for different visitor groups.

When travelling with your family, I-DEST can show where cots, highchairs, children's menus, playgrounds, family rooms, children's programmes or audio guides designed for younger visitors are available.

Cyclists can find information about bicycle storage, rental and repair options, e-bike charging, drinking-water points and cycling routes in the surrounding area.

If you are travelling with a pet, you can see which places accept animals, the conditions under which their services may be used, and whether drinking water, resting places or other related facilities are provided.

Profiles should present the specific conditions reported by the service provider, not only a general family-friendly, cyclist-friendly or pet-friendly icon.

A destination is not merely a backdrop for your photographs. It is people's home, a functioning local economy, a living natural environment and shared cultural heritage.

The I-DEST Ethical and Sustainability Code provides simple recommendations that can be applied on every journey. It encourages you to respect local communities and customs, choose local services and products, and use water and energy carefully.

Avoid unnecessary waste, stay on marked routes, do not disturb or feed wildlife, and protect cultural and natural assets. It is also important to consider the needs of other visitors and local residents, and to join only those volunteering or community programmes that respect local interests.

The Code is not a list of prohibitions. It helps you be more attentive as a visitor and better understand how your behaviour may affect the place you visit.

After registering, you can track your discoveries in your personal I-DEST profile. You can review completed challenges, collected digital stamps, places visited, routes followed, distance travelled and results achieved in games.

Your previous travel plans can also be saved in your profile. This allows you to see later which new options you tried and how your own travel habits have changed.

The purpose of your profile is not to determine whether you are a 'better' traveller than someone else. It is designed to help you recognise your own progress and find new ideas for your next journey.

Read travel tips, explore the decision-making criteria and review the specific measures presented by service providers. Do not choose only on the basis of an icon or a short claim: check exactly what the information refers to.

Search for a place or route, use the interactive map and detailed filters, and select the attractions, services and programmes that match your interests and personal needs.

Follow the routes, listen to the stories, complete on-site challenges and collect digital stamps. Notice the choices available to you and try at least one new, more conscious option on every journey.

I-DEST helps visitors discover places, services, routes and related information in 20 languages.