Who doesn’t like traveling? You get to visit new places, eat new food, make new memories and whatnot. However, while on your travels, you should also give your best to stay eco-friendly in order not to harm other countries and to help our planet. Honestly, traveling green takes a little bit more effort, because you have to pay more attention to some things that you’re not used to, but it’s worthwhile. So, let’s see what you can do in order to travel green.
Choose a Green Destination
Many beautiful countries are beautiful just because they pay a lot of attention to what they are doing to the environment. If you really want to experience a true and unique green vacation, then you should look for such destinations. Look for countries that are all about sustainability, that are recycling their resources, countries that banned the use of plastic packaging, straws, and other plastic products, and so on. Such countries are sure to use the money from tourism to promote their sustainability and improve their country that way so you will know that your money didn’t go to waste. Some of the most eco-friendly destinations include:
- Costa Rica
- Rwanda
- Norway
- Slovenia, and many others.
Find an Eco-Friendly Hotel
When looking to book your accommodation, you should pay attention to what those hotels promote. Your goal here is to find an eco-friendly hotel that you are going to enjoy. If you already picked a green destination, chances are big that you’re easily going to find many green hotels. However, you should look for ones that promote sustainability by choosing eco-friendly materials to build their hotels, energy and water saving, who pay attention to indoor environmental quality and innovation in design.
Travel Eco-Friendly
As soon as you pick the destination and book the accommodation you should think about how you’re going to get there. If your vacation destination is a bit further than your home, then you might have to fly there. But, don’t choose just any company. Rather, fly with airlines that are eco-friendly. Some of the airlines have switched to a more sustainable jet fuel blend, which makes much less damage to our air quality.
On the other hand, if the destination is not that far away and you’re in a mood for a road trip, you can always rely on eco-friendly cars. If your own is not eco-friendly, you can always rent one. However, make sure you’re familiar with the types of eco-friendly cars and what makes them good for us by reading through Drivr Zone blog and have enough info for finding the right ride.
Additionally, once you’ve reached your destination, you don’t have to drive a car there as well. You can use public transportation or even rent a bike in order to go about the city. It can save you money, and more importantly, it won’t harm the environment.
Rely on Reusable Bottles
You already know that you’re going to need plenty of water on your vacation. Water is essential and it does good to your body, but you have to be careful with its package. Don’t buy tons of bottles of water and don’t just throw them away as you go; even if you’re throwing them in the trash. Rather, you should have your own traveling water bottle that you can reuse as much as you like.
Eat Locally
Visiting a new country is a perfect opportunity to try new and different food and products. That is one reason why you should buy local food and products wherever you are. You never know what amazing new things you’re going to taste and discover. Another reason why you should do this is because it’s part of green traveling. If you eat locally, you are supporting the local businesses and local farmers, which will provide you a more authentic taste of the cuisine. Plus, you’re helping the country cut the carbon footprint even more since you’re not eating imported food.
Leave a Light Footprint
To lessen your carbon footprint while traveling, there are a few simple things you can do. Don’t get your sheets changed daily at the hotel, shorten your showers, don’t use air condition too much and when you don’t need them, turn off the lights. Also, make sure not to produce too much trash, don’t use plastic cups, bottles or straws, and simply be careful how you’re disposing of the trash. If the locals are recycling, maybe you should do it too.
Traveling is great, you get to see many beautiful things, but you should take a step further and help our planet while on your vacation. If you’re visiting an eco-friendly country, simply do the same things the locals do, be careful with your consumption of things and you will have the best and healthiest time of your life.
