Sustainable travel is making smarter choices in every aspect of the trip. It starts from the beginning, when booking transport and accommodation, and comes into play when seeking out local experiences and being conscious of where you’re investing your tourist dollars. But that doesn’t mean you need to overhaul your vacation. We’ve put together a list of practical tips that will help you along the way, even if you’re just getting started on your sustainable travel journey.
Some of the Sustainable Travel Tips
Book your trip with a sustainable tour operator
One of the best sustainable travel tips is to make sure you invest your money in a company with sustainability at its core—not just surface-level tactics, like offering eco-friendly hotel options. Also, you can become a Sustainability Member with Bound International. This type of organization provides critical sustainable travel tips, country profiles, instructional videos, and an advocacy guide for when you return home. Do study abroad and do it right!
Pre-shop for eco-friendly travel items
Prepare for an eco-friendly journey with sustainable travel gear, including a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated while reducing carbon emissions. Further, you can use reusable items like bamboo or stainless steel cutlery and leak-proof food containers minimizing disposable waste. Opt for vegan leather or natural fiber sandals for warmer climates and recycled material sneakers or ethical fabric footwear. Try to complete your eco-travel kit with green toiletries such as reusable makeup pads, bar soaps, and toothpaste tabs.
Take the bus or train wherever possible
Countless organizations are offering carbon offsetting schemes for travelers. However, you should look into which specific projects are supported, and whether these projects are sustainable. There’s no point in planting a tree if it gets cut down again a few years later. Two ethical and certified carbon offsetting companies, which calculate CO2 emissions very accurately, include myclimate and atmosfair.
Research and be respectful of the local culture
Sustainable travel means resisting the instinct to impose your own culture or perspectives on the society and country you are visiting. Ask locals whether you can take their photos before clicking the photos. Not only does this relax them but also increases the chances of getting a smile from the person you are taking photos of. It shows that you value and respect the person in front of the lens.
Buy souvenirs at small local stores
While buying gifts for your family and friends, be sure to buy the items at small local stores to support the local economy. Also, check whether the restaurants you eat at are run by locals or not! Buying local items and foods provides people with economic opportunities, it also reduces the negative environmental impact of a product. Shipping products causes air and water pollution, so support local stores and purchase handmade products whenever possible.
Conclusion
To implement these eco-friendly travel tips, you don’t need to be an environmentalist or climate crisis activist. Just keep an eye out for tour operators that think global but act local, By implementing these sustainable travel tips, you will harness all that incredible excitement of travel. So, what are you waiting for? Change the way you travel and apply these sustainable travel tips to support tourism.