Living a sustainable and eco-friendly life while working to prevent climate change doesn’t mean you must give up on traveling. There are numerous decisions involved with traveling, from what type of transportation to use, to where to stay while you are there. This article will help you plan a safe and eco-friendly trip while making decisions that will help the environment and the communities you visit.

Planning Your Trip

Planning an eco-friendly trip is not difficult and knowing that you are doing your part to protect the planet can make it an even more enjoyable experience! Nearly all aspects of travel will heavily impact the environment in some way. This includes the transportation you are taking to get to your destination and the type of businesses you are supporting while there. Let’s start with discussing transportation, including the different ways to travel, how each one contributes to climate change and what decisions we can make to reduce our carbon footprint while traveling:

Planes: If you must fly, it is important to remember that the shorter your trip is, the less efficient you are actually being. This is because planes expel a huge amount of fuel just by reaching altitude and descending. Try to book non-stop flights whenever you can.

Vehicles: Traveling in a vehicle is still harmful to the environment, however when using one vehicle to transport many people instead of a plane, you are reducing the carbon emissions being released into the air. This is because heavier loaded planes will release more. So, if you have a shorter trip to take or if you are traveling with friends, it is far more eco-friendly to just take a road trip instead.

Boats: Cruise ships might seem like a great alternative, but the truth is, they emit 3 to 4 times more carbon dioxide per passenger per kilometer than a commercial flight!

Trains: Whether electronic or diesel powered, trains emit the lowest levels of greenhouse gases out of all the options of transportation.

When planning for your trip, it is also important to be mindful of the places you are staying and making sure you a supporting an eco-friendly business. When choosing where to stay, look for a system of verification to help determine if a business is meeting standards set by sustainability councils or if they are simply greenwashing. This means they are only presenting an eco-friendly public image through false information. Try using an eco-friendly booking site that can calculate a carbon footprint based on your selection and even includes sustainability ratings from other people. It can also be helpful to seek out a sustainable travel agent to help make the best eco-friendly decisions for your trip.

Preparing for Your Trip

There is so much to do when preparing to travel that remembering to make eco-friendly decisions isn’t always so easy. It can be more helpful for you to create a sustainability checklist for your trip to ensure you’re not forgetting anything important. Provided below are a few things that we want to make sure get on your sustainability checklist!

• If you are planning to travel by plan, make sure to lighten your load as much as possible in order to reduce carbon emissions. For example, instead of bringing that huge book with you on your flight to read, try downloading the e-book to your phone instead.
• Avoid printing tickets, use e-ticket options anywhere you can.
• Bring reusable items on your trip that won’t contribute to waste, such as sustainable bags and water tumblers.
• Avoid contributing to plastic waste by bringing all of your toiletries with you instead of using the daily restocks of mini plastic bottled shampoo and soap provided by hotels.
• Remember to unplug your home if nobody is going to be there. Ensure all lights are off and everything is unplugged before heading off for your trip.

During Your Trip

The planning and preparation is over, and you have finally arrived at your destination! While you are on this trip, there are many things that can still be done to help protect our planet. It is important that you are not only making sustainable and eco-friendly decisions, but also showing respect while visiting other communities. Here are a few tips that make a huge difference during your trip:

Supporting the right businesses: While you are spending money on this trip, be mindful that you are supporting businesses that are working to combat climate change and not adding to it.

Avoid driving: Do not use a car to get around, opt for public transportation. If you must drive, look into renting an electric car instead.

Choose activities carefully: Avoid participating in recreational activities that are damaging to the environment.

Pick up after yourself: Dispose of all of your sanitary waste properly.

Don’t waste: Act in a hotel the same way you would in your own home and don’t be wasteful. (You don’t need a brand-new towel every day!)

No single use plastic: Avoid single use plastic provided by the hotel. Use the shampoo, conditioner and soaps you brought from home instead.

Shop locally: Buy locally made products when searching for souvenirs, not imported.

After Your Trip

There are still a number of actions that can be taken even after your trip has come to an end. Before leaving, remember to return any brochures, maps, etc. to hotel owners so other people can re-use them and prevent wasting paper. You can also offset your recent journey by donating to sustainability organizations such as carbonfund.com. Finally, end the wasteful cycle today by raising responsible young travelers who know exactly how to protect our planet from climate change.

Conclusion

Living an ecofriendly life doesn’t mean giving up on exploring the world and enjoying your life. It simply means remaining mindful of what businesses we are supporting and how much waste and pollution we are producing while traveling. Every small change we make towards saving the environment goes a long way and it doesn’t have to stop just because we are traveling! Next time you are planning a trip, be sure to try out the tips provided in this article and subscribe to our newsletter for more eco-friendly content!