Sustainability Stories: The Green Rainbow – How Eco-Pride is redefining travel in Cape Town

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when environmental sustainability, inclusive tourism, and Pride collide – meet Rayan.

Traveller. Volunteer. Pride advocate.

After winning Hostelworld’s ESG World Tourism Day competition, Rayan travelled to Cape Town, South Africa. Not just to explore and celebrate Pride, but to help build something new.

Having previously heard Soul Fam Hostel’s founder, Chase King, speak at an internal fireside chat, Rayan was left inspired.

“He spoke passionately about building a genuine sanctuary where travellers can feel completely safe, seen, and celebrated, going far beyond just hanging a rainbow flag at the door.”

What followed was Eco-Pride at Soul Fam Hostel, a plastic-free, community-led Pride event designed to show that environmental responsibility and queer visibility don’t just co-exist; they strengthen each other.

Finding sanctuary beneath the mountains

For many LGBTQ+ travellers, there’s a learned instinct – scanning spaces before speaking, reading surroundings before acting, and meticulously vetting local laws before considering booking a flight.

“For a long time, I never pictured Africa as a place where I could fully let my guard down.”

Then he arrived at Soul Fam Hostel, and his preconceptions were shattered immediately.

The hostel hummed with a distinct, magnetic energy. The communal spaces were filled with local artwork, mismatched cozy furniture, and travellers from every corner of the globe sharing stories over coffee.

“Stepping through the doors felt less like checking into a hostel and more like arriving at a home I didn’t know I had.”

To stand in a physical safe harbour specifically carved out for the LGBTQ+ community was powerful.

“It reminded me that inclusive travel isn’t just a luxury; it is a vital lifeline.”

The duality of rights: Progress vs reality

South Africa is often seen as a leader in LGBTQ+ rights, being the first country to constitutionally protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

But legal progress and a unique socio-political landscape doesn’t always reflect lived experience.

While Cape Town is widely celebrated as a queer capital, outside of the city many local communities still navigate safety, inequality, and social barriers daily.

That’s why spaces like Soul Fam and the work of local NGO like the Triangle Project, are so important.

Sustainability here goes beyond the environment. It’s about safety, resilience, and long-term community impact – preserving human rights and ensuring that tourism directly uplifts the people who keep a destination’s soul alive.

When joy meets purpose: The Eco-Pride celebration

Eco-Pride brought everything together.

A plastic-free, community-led celebration that proved sustainability and Pride belong together.

From zero-waste talks to interactive workshops, the focus wasn’t just on ideas, but how they translate into real impact.

Local partners, including Nude Foods, the Triangle Project, and the Queer Food Growing Collective, shared how sustainability goes beyond individual choices – becoming a way to support local communities, create opportunities, and build safer spaces for marginalised groups.

What started as an idea became a shared experience that proved impact doesn’t have to be complex.

Rethinking sustainability and volunteering abroad

Months after returning from Cape Town, the experience has stayed with Rayan.

What once felt like individual choices – buying organic products or using the right reusable straw – has now become about community, resilience and shared responsibility.

“It’s completely turned my understanding and how I view my responsibility as a traveller upside down.”

The experience has also reshaped how he views volunteering. Rather than trying to “fix” anything, Rayan saw the importance of showing up with humility – supporting and amplifying work that local activists had been building for years.

Seeing queer travellers feel safe, connected, and fiercely proud in a space like Soul Fam – actively rewriting its story of inclusion – was a beautiful reminder of why we travel in the first place.

Not just to visit ‘bucket list’ destinations, but to discover and support the communities that are building the kind of world we all want to live in.

Your guide to conscious travel in South Africa

If you’re travelling to Cape Town for your next adventure, or if you’re feeling inspired to seek out volunteering trips abroad, here is how you can practice conscious travel:

🤝 Book with Purpose: Look for accommodations that actively invest in social sustainability, fair wages, and community integration.

🌱 Vet Volunteering Projects: Ensure the organisation you work with partners directly with established local NGOs (like the Triangle Project). The local community should always dictate what they need, not the traveller.

🏳️‍🌈 Fuel the Inclusive Economy: Tourism is a massive economic driver in South Africa. Intentionally spend your money at LGBTQ+ owned businesses, local craft markets, and neighbourhood vendors to help strengthen and protect vulnerable communities.

💛 Stay Mindful of Context: Enjoy the incredible beauty, nightlife, and progressive atmosphere of Cape Town, but remain aware of the ongoing socio-economic conversations around you. Travel with an open mind and a respectful heart.

P.S. Soul Fam Hostel is currently closed and searching for a new home, with plans to reopen soon. Wishing the team a speedy return, we can’t wait to see where this next chapter takes them 🙌🌈