Here, we will discuss some of the best travel tips for eco-friendly tours. We all love traveling, don’t we? But, do we take our environment into account while preparing our itinerary. Most probably no, not at all. Well, traveling is fun but expensive for the environment, believe it or not. We travel because we find it pleasant or sometimes cheap due to all those low-rate flying companies and tour packages. But, it is exactly the opposite in the case of Earth. More flights mean more carbon emission, waste, fuel consumption, and so on.
Apart from that, our luggage materials, food, etc. also contribute to environmental pollution and waste. But, we can reduce all these environmental harms by taking some basic and small measures. This is why I have decided to compile a list of the best travel tips for you to start your eco-friendly tours.
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Best Travel Tips for Eco-Friendly Tours:
I have divided the eco-friendly travel tips into 4 sections named, Luggage, Traveling, Stay, and Return Home. Now, let us take a look at each of them in detail.
Travel Tips for Luggage:
- Don’t wrap your luggage in plastic films – Airlines don’t really care for your luggage and are always in a hurry. I agree with them, but at the same time, it’s far cheaper and easier if you invest in a good suitcase once instead of spending money and effort on wrapping with plastic films every time you fly.
- Take only carry-on luggage – It might seem weird but if you travel only with carry-on luggage it will be cheaper for you and nature. Checked-in luggage adds more weight to the plane which requires more fuel burns. So, ultimately it leads to more air pollution. This is also a way to be more practical and pack only the things you will really need. And on top of all that, it will definitely save you money.
Travel Tips for Traveling:
Airplane:
- Pick direct flights – This is a win-win for you and the planet. Studies have shown that stops can increase emissions up to 35% per person and that they use the most emissions during takeoff. You don’t lose your time waiting at different airports but you also don’t pollute more.
- Choose airline wisely – Pick airlines with modern aircraft and higher seat occupancy rate.
- Choose airlines with carbon emission compensation – Choose environmentally responsible airlines. For example, the airlines that allow you to offset your carbon emissions from the flight by including it in the cost of the ticket or by adding a small amount on top.
- Bring your own cutlery – The cutlery you will receive in the plane is most likely wrapped in plastic, so be prepared and bring your own in more sustainable packaging. This will help you remain plastic-free when you get off the plane too. Just heads up, metal forks aren’t allowed in some airports so take a wooden one for example.
Train:
- Trains are the best way to travel since they are the most sustainable. There are countries like the Netherlands which work only with electric trains. The drawback of this kind of transport is that it’s not exactly the cheapest one and it is limited when it comes to destinations.
Bus:
- Traveling by bus is a good option because it’s not as polluting as the plane and it’s not as expensive as the train. There are two major issues though – limited when it comes to destinations and kind of slow so you will need to have the patience and the will power to endure the trip.
- If you decide to not fly and choose a bus – there’s the same possibility of offsetting your carbon emissions there.
Travel Tips for Stay:
- Eco-hostels – We can be happy that today there are eco-hostels that are completely sustainable on their own. They use renewable energy and are in favor of the three R’s. By staying in such a hostel, you are clearly supporting the idea that we need to take care of our planet which will help in the creation of more eco-friendly hostels.
- Act as if you are at home – It means to economize even if you are in a hotel. Say no to change of bed linens, avoid long showers and clean towels when not needed, turn off the TV and the lights.
- Shop locally – This means buying local products and supporting small local businesses. By doing this, you support the economy of the country but also help reduce the imported products which as the result reduces pollution in several ways. You definitely could do that at home too and it would be better for your health too.
- Public transportation – I doubt you will be surprised by that one since it’s a major one in the tourist’s playbook. But, using public transport will be better for your pocket and your planet. The alternative is walking which is pretty nice too but sometimes hard to come by when your destinations are in opposite parts of the city.
- Pick up litter – That probably wasn’t in your list of holiday to-dos, but I assure you it will make your holiday much better. In the end, you want to enjoy the beauty of your destination and this would be quite difficult if it’s full of trash. So, take the matter in your own hands and pick up the trash every time you see it. This will also give a good example to others.
Returning Home:
- When buying a souvenir try to buy something that will be useful no matter if it’s for a gift or just for you. Such souvenirs are much more appreciated because they are not exactly the typical ones.
- You can also try to buy things that aren’t in a plastic package. I know this will be difficult but give it a try – you might be surprised.
Hint: almost all locally produced products serve as a good souvenir, are useful and some of them aren’t even packaged.
Conclusion:
So, I think you have got some ideas before you go for your next trip and how to keep it an eco-friendly trip. I think these are some of the best travel tips which you can apply to minimize the harm you cause to the environment while traveling.
Guys, do let me know what you think in the comments below.
