More than ever, travelers are choosing eco-friendly and sustainable hotels. They are becoming more inclined to make purchases for eco-friendly and sustainable travel. According to booking.com, 87 percent of the travelers they interviewed said they would prefer to travel sustainably.
We’ve got you covered if you’re looking for a place to begin your sustainable and eco-friendly travel. Here are eight easy ways to travel and feeling ashamed of the impact of your carbon footprint.
Why Should You Travel Green?
Let’s first look at a few reasons for environmentally friendly travel. One obvious reason is that this will be better for the planet. CO2 emissions from vehicles, aviation, and other transportation forms significantly contribute to global warming.
The effects of global warming can be catastrophic. There are many reasons to be concerned about this, from the loss of biodiversity to the flooding of cities,
In the same booking.com research, respondents also provided another reason why they’d like to be more eco-friendly when traveling. Six out of ten travelers (60 percent) claimed that their personal experiences in the outdoors encouraged them to improve their care of the environment. This includes:
- After having seen the stunning coral reefs and rainforests (60 percent),
- After having observed the effects that tourism has on the place they visited (54 percent),
- Witnessing the positive impact that sustainable tourism has on the population (47 percent)
- After having seen the adverse effects that non-sustainable tourism can have on a country (42 percent),
Besides booking a sustainable hotel, many other ways to lessen your travel impact on the earth exist. Here are eight simple methods to travel sustainably.
1. Do Not Fly!
The most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions is not to fly.
If you have to fly, only fly for a short distance in one row. Short-distance air travel causes the most pollution for each mile of all the transportation methods. Of course, a shorter flight is better than a long one, and it’s also more efficient to travel by train instead.
Avoid stopping at stopovers. Stopovers only make your journey longer, which means more miles, fuel, and CO2 emissions.
Instead of taking a cheap flight, spend just a few euros more for a direct flight, and you’ll be grateful when you get there.
2. If You Fly, Reduce Your CO2 emissions
If you are planning to book your flight, you should use an engine for searching flights that offsets the CO2 emissions of your flight entirely for no cost.
3. Get Economy Class And Pack Light
You’ve probably never considered this, but flying in economy class can be more enjoyable when compared to flying in business class.
Business-class travelers leave more environmental footprints compared to economy-class fliers. First, business class occupies plenty of space, and economy class can carry more passengers and is far more efficient.
Second, consider the requirements for running all airport lounges for sustainable and eco-friendly travel: business-class spas, luxurious facilities, and luxury lounges.
They use a lot of water, and the volume of waste they produce is considerably higher than that of the economy class.
Additionally, it would help if you took a light bag. A heavy bag will cause the plane to use much more fuel than a lightweight backpack. You’ll be doing it yourself by helping them out, too.
5. Travel With Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Travel Agencies
The choice of sustainable and eco-friendly travel agencies and accommodations is another method to ensure your trip is as environmentally sustainable as possible.
Although staying home is better, you may need to venture farther away. If that’s the case, you should stay in an eco-friendly hotel. This is the most popular eco-friendly accommodation in Indonesia.
For a custom-designed itinerary, you should work with a green travel agency like Amour.
They provide high-end, sustainable travel experiences and deal with local travel experts. While travel contributes to carbon dioxide emissions, it may positively impact the well-being of communities in the local area.
6. Don’t Eat as much Meat
The meat business, particularly beef, has been the world’s biggest polluter.
According to a few experts, quitting consuming animal products (beef) may reduce the carbon footprint more than automobiles.
If you’re traveling, eat as few animal products as possible. You don’t have to keep the amount of food you consume for your vacation. It significantly improves when you drink more or eat no animal products at home.
7. Never, Ever Do Something Touristy With Wild Animals
Have you ever seen photos of tourists who pose with tigers?
They are semi-sedated and typically live in poorly kept cages. If they claim that the orphanage, like that animals are treated well, that they let them out into the wild, or that they aid in conserving the animals, make sure to conduct more research to find out what’s happening.
Don’t go on the rides. Elephant rides can be among the most unattractive tourist attractions available.
Wild animals exist for a reason. They cannot be used as an attraction for tourists. The only way to use them as a tourist attraction is if you encounter them in their natural habitat.
8. Bring Your Bags, Bottles, And Eco-Friendly Items
Bring your shower items in reusable bottles for sustainable and eco-friendly travel so you don’t have to rely on the hotel’s mini shampoos or body lotions.
So you don’t contribute to the waste pile on your trip. Bring water bottles to refill, and take your bags with you so you can say goodbye to plastic!
