4 essential green rules when holidaying in Maldives – How to be a thoughtful and considerate traveller

It is tempting to feed those colourful little creatures flapping about in the water, it may seem like the right thing to do, only it isn't. Many factors support the argument; firstly, by feeding them, you get them accustomed to having an easy feed thus making them a little lazy, they'd refuse to go on a food hunt, and in its stead, they'd wait for visitors to feed them. The other reason is that their digestive system is not formed in a way to break down human food – for instance, if you give them pieces of bread, they'd happily gulp it down, but it's not in their reservoir to digest bread which in effect would threaten their lifespan.

It seems a little farfetched that all the shells on Maldives beaches should run out, but it could happen, and it is happening. There are fewer shells than there were ten years ago. Let's put this in perspective; say there are about ten thousand people visiting the Maldives beaches each year, if each one of them takes one shell, the beaches of the Maldives will be short of ten thousand shells every year. It's much worse than what the example lets on, the country is visited by more than ten thousand people a year, and the damage that follows is much greater. So, try to dismiss the temptation to collect shells while on holiday in the Maldives.

Maybe you used your sunscreen to the last drop, now what might you do with the empty bottle? Just let it slide your hands while strolling down the beach? Granted, it is easier than taking it back to your Maldives resort, but it isn't the right thing to do. The beaches all over the world are littered by people's thoughtlessness. While it may seem okay to you, it is quite selfish. So, for your benefit and the sake of others and nature, take your empty bottles and things back to your hotel and dispose of them there. Also, if you can, when you leave your room at Kurumba Maldives, make sure you take an extra bag, so you can pick the trash off the beach and leave it cleaner than you found it.

This is one of the basic green rules you ought to follow when you visit any beach in any country. Corals are a marvel of nature which adds to the allure of any travel destination. But they are only for the seeing. It seems rather ridiculous that one would even contemplate that they can walk on them. Corals are brittle in nature, and they can't support the weight of a human being. More importantly, they grow only a few millimetres per year – in essence, corals are an element of nature that's hard to come by, so try not to bog down their growth by crushing them.