Many people try to live a sustainable lifestyle, but they don’t care about what they do outside the radius of their house. If you truly want to live an eco-friendly life, you need to make sure that your commitment extends to all aspects of your life. If you are someone who gets to travel a lot you should make sure that even your travel is eco-friendly. Here are a few tips to make your travel more environmentally friendly:
Always carry a travel mug or flask
One of the best things about traveling is that you get to try different types of delicious teas and coffees in different parts of the world. However, most of the time you will find yourself getting takeaway coffee which contributes to the global plastic pollution that has ruined our oceans and waterways.
This is where a traveling mug or flask can come in handy. Rather than getting your coffee in a plastic cup, you should get it in your flask that can be washed and reused every time. This way you don’t contribute to the growing plastic pollution all over the world.
Support the local economy
Travelers around the world spend millions of dollars on tourism every year. However, most of that money never makes it to the actual travel destination. Instead, it goes to massive corporate tourism companies which is why remote travel locations take so long to develop, despite getting tons of tourists.
If all that money started going to the actual destinations, the entire local community would benefit from that. Bigger tour companies run the most viral marketing campaigns to draw you in, but make sure you don’t pay your money to corporate tourism companies and instead opt for local tour operators. You should also eat locally and stay in local environment-friendly accommodation.
Do not use airline headphones
Most airlines will give you inflight headphones that you use only once. Have you ever wondered where all these headphones go? They are thrown away which means they eventually end up in our oceans. Over 2 billion people travel by air every year, this means there are billions of headphones that are filling our oceans and destroying marine habitat.
The best thing to do is to keep your own headphones with you. Plus you will get much better sound quality compared to the cheap headphones that you get at most airplanes.
Chose environment-friendly airlines
Airplanes use a lot of fuel which is why they account for more than 12% of all the co2 emissions by all transport sources. However, there are many airlines that use biofuels that can reduce their carbon emission by 80%.
These biofuels are made from renewable feedstock such as plant oils, agricultural waste, and wood chips. Some progressive airlines that use biofuels include Qantas, American Airlines, JetBlue, and KLM. So if you want to reduce your carbon footprint you should only travel with airlines that are using biofuels.
Don’t travel with big groups
Traveling with a big group of friends can be a lot of fun, however, it isn’t environmentally responsible. The larger the group the more accommodation space you are going to need, the more food you are going to require, and the more vehicles you will need to fit in everybody.
All of this combines to cause more harm to the environment. Smaller groups on the other hand have a much smaller impact on their surroundings. Your small group can travel with an environmentally responsible tour operator that will help keep your carbon footprint to a minimum.
Opt for environment-friendly traveling options
As mentioned earlier airplanes are one of the biggest contributors to Co2 production in the atmosphere. Plus, there aren’t many airlines that use biofuels, so the best thing to do is to avoid traveling by air whenever possible. Instead, you should take the bus or train to travel whenever possible.
In situations where you have to travel by air, you should try to get a direct flight to your destinations rather than getting connecting flights. This will be much more fuel-efficient and will also save you a lot of time.
Use environment-friendly hotel hacks
There are a number of hotel hacks that can make a big difference when it comes to reducing your role in harming the environment. Your towels don’t need washing after every use. So make sure that you hang your towels after every use, this is a universal sign that you are willing to reuse them and they don’t need to be washed.
If you put the don’t disturb sign up, housekeeping won’t have to rewash your lines, vacuum, or use other cleaning chemicals. And finally, you should take your toiletries with you so that they don’t end up in the trash after a single-use.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, there are going to be some things that you just can avoid. However, you should try your best to reduce your carbon footprint by adopting eco-friendly techniques while traveling. Follow the above-mentioned tips and you will be good to go. Best of luck, my friends!
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