As travel continues to evolve, we take a look at some eco-friendly tips to help reduce your carbon footprint when you’re on the road.
Travel is ever evolving. The more frequently we head off to destinations around the world, the more we should be aware of our effects on the environment while traveling. Eco-friendly travel is a trend that everyone should consciously implement when embarking on their next adventure. Here are a few eco-friendly travel tips to help you preserve the environment throughout your travels:
1. Transportation
The way that we travel has major effects on the environment, so being aware of these effects is a great place to start when striving towards. We can reduce the harmful impact on the environment when traveling between destinations, and while getting around the city itself.
Traveling by plane emits lots of carbon waste, so one of the best ways to reduce this is to use alternate forms of travel when possible, like a train or bus. Sure, it may take a bit more time to reach the destination, but we can use it as an opportunity to discover a country’s landscape and interact with locals along the way.
Many modern cities have major traffic issues that add to pollution. Instead of renting a car, take advantage of public transportation or use popular ride-sharing applications. Or better yet, walk around. There’s no better way to experience a city than by taking a stroll or a pleasant bike ride.
2. Accommodation
We can incorporate a lot of eco-friendly ideas into the things we do inside our accommodations. Nowadays, many hotels, especially major chains, implement recycling programs to help reduce waste. Some ways to support these initiatives are to reuse towels and not change the sheets every day. Washing these daily creates an astonishing amount of waste, especially when considering all the other hotel guests. Using the same towel for two days instead of one can cut the waste in half!
We can also treat our room in an eco-friendly manner. Simple actions such as turning off the TV, lights, and unplugging electronics when they’re not in use can create considerable changes in the amount of energy used while traveling.
3. Shop Local
To genuinely immerse ourselves in the local culture, we should shop locally as much as possible for food, clothing, souvenirs, etc.
For instance, we can check the product tags to see where the products were made. Shipping goods or foods from the originating factory or farm to stores around the world can create lots of additional waste along the way. Shopping local is a way to guarantee that what you are buying didn’t have to travel far, and therefore minimized the waste created. It’s also an excellent way to support the local economy.
4. Minimize Personal Waste
When traveling, we should always be conscious of the personal waste that we may be leaving behind. Trash, for example, is a major problem everywhere. When we shop or buy food, what we throw away only adds to the global issues of increased trash.
The best way to reduce our personal waste is to utilize re-usable items, such as water bottles. Instead of purchasing plastic water bottles, which do not decompose well, carry a refillable bottle. You can even find collapsible containers to save space. Also, a reusable shopping bag can avoid the hassle of discarding plastic bags every time that you make a purchase. And most importantly, when we do have trash, we should be mindful of how we discard it by making sure it ends up in a garbage can instead of in the streets or on the beach.
5. Attractions
One thing that many travelers don’t consider is their effects on the environment. The attraction or the simple act of being there can be causing significant harm to the environment without you even realizing it. Natural attractions, such as hiking to viewpoints or exploring caves, should be visited with care. Natural Parks are established to preserve the landscape so we should treat in a manner that keeps it as close to its natural form. Also, some animal attractions use brutal tactics to be able to have animals around visitors, so we should research animal attractions in advance to ensure that they are safe and provide excellent conditions for the animals.
