Do you consider yourself a sustainable traveler? If so, you’re in the majority.
According to Statista, around eight in 10 global travelers say sustainable tourism is essential.
Whether you want to travel in the state, somewhere else in the country, or internationally, there are things you can do to build sustainability into your vacation or road trip plans.
If you want to make your next trip a more eco-friendly one, consider these seven suggestions.
1. Take Advantage of Efficient Transportation Options
To travel more sustainably, you must focus on transportation options. In some cases, you won’t be able to avoid taking a car or plane. Unfortunately, these modes of transport are responsible for a lot of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
One option is to take trips closer to home and travel by bus or train. If you’re going to travel by car, try carpooling or using an exceptionally fuel-efficient vehicle. What should you do if you want to travel by plane? Research airlines and see which ones are most committed to sustainability. However you want to travel, try to make it as sustainable as possible.
When you arrive at your destination, consider walking as much as possible. You’ll get to see the lay of the land more intimately, meet people, and notice and experience things you otherwise wouldn’t. Limiting your use of vehicles will lower your carbon footprint.
2. Explore the Unbeaten Path
Source: worldpackers.com
If you want to go on a trip that lowers your impact on the environment, go somewhere off the beaten path. Don’t visit the types of places that attract hordes of people. You’ll enjoy your vacation better if you visit a location that doesn’t typically attract many tourists.
It’ll take time to research and plan such a trip. But the effort will be worth it. You don’t want to be one of those tourists flooding into a major tourist destination, overwhelming the local population, and harming the environment. So, plan trip destinations more carefully.
Who knows? You might like it so much that you want to make a return trip in the future. An off-the-beaten-path destination is also the sort of place someone might want to move to. Someone who wishes to get away from it all and start over might be tempted to sell their home, book a one-way ticket to the United Kingdom, change their name at UKDeedPoll, and live happily ever after.
3. Conserve Energy and Water
It’s also important to take steps to conserve energy and water. You might be accustomed to a lot of energy and water at home. But people in your host country might use it much less. So, you might have to make adjustments. Will you be staying in a hotel? Don’t leave the lights or TV on when they’re not being used. When taking a shower, don’t stay in there for too long.
You don’t want to put too much demand on the resources of your host nation, so be mindful of the need to conserve and be more moderate with energy and water use. It won’t hurt if you find a hotel or motel that operates in a sustainable way.
4. Steer Clear of Single-Use Plastics
Source: idareu2bee.com
It’s a good idea to avoid using single-use plastics. Bring a refillable water bottle while enjoying the sights and sounds. That way, you won’t have to buy bottled water. It would help if you also considered getting reusable shopping bags rather than plastic shopping bags. Don’t be part of the problem. Refusing single-use plastics will help lower your impact on the environment.
5. Stop and Smell the Roses
Instead of going on multiple short trips yearly, why not take one longer trip annually? You won’t only get to cut down on carbon emissions by reducing the number of flights you take. You’ll also thoroughly enjoy your vacation if you can stop and stay a while.
When you plan a single, longer trip instead of multiple shorter trips, you’ll have the chance to go beyond the tourist hotspots. You’ll have a chance to explore the unbeaten path, explore the region, and immerse yourself in the culture and traditions of your host nation.
You might even want to book a stay with a family local to your vacation destination rather than at a hotel. Doing so will give you a unique insight into the people, culture, and traditions.
You’ve probably heard before that it’s good to stop and smell the roses rather than always be on the go. Those are good words to live by whether you’re at home or abroad. You’ll get more out of your vacations when you stay long enough to truly enjoy your trips.
6. Use Local Currency
Source: moneysavingexpert.com
If you’re going to stay in one area for a while, ensure you convert your money to the local currency in your host country. Is the country you want to visit dependent on tourism for revenue? You can help by supporting businesses where you’ll be setting up base for an extended stay.
You can pay for someone to be your tour guide or to take you where you’d like to go, eat culturally authentic meals at restaurants, shop for souvenirs and other things at retail outlets, visit museums and other sites, and use your money to support the community in other ways.
7. Travel During Off-Peak Season
Another way to make your trip a more environmentally friendly excursion is to travel during the off-peak season. Doing so means you’ll be able to avoid contributing to the problem of overtourism — something that can jeopardize ecosystems and infrastructures in destination communities.
Off-peak travel can also be cheaper, so you can save money and protect the environment. Another advantage of traveling during the off-peak season is that there’ll be fewer visitors, which means you’ll be able to enjoy your trip more. It’s no fun to vacation in a crowded tourist hotspot. Explore less-visited areas during off-peak periods.
These are some things to remember if you want to travel more sustainably. Getting away from it all is an excellent way to enjoy rest and relaxation, familiarize yourself with different cultures and ways of life, and much more.
But traveling in a more eco-friendly fashion will help you be a good steward of the environment wherever your travels take you.
