10 Things You Can Do to Be More Eco-Friendly While Traveling

07.08.2019 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM 5.0 0

A lot of avid travelers know that the key to traveling with ease is living a minimalist lifestyle. On that note, living a minimalist lifestyle while you’re on the road is parallel to living a sustainable lifestyle as well, which is why you’ll find that a lot of travel junkies are also advocates for sustainability.

With that said, if you’re a budding travel junkie looking to be a better tourist, then you need to know how to travel in an eco-friendly way. To do that, you need certain items that may be able to help you achieve just that.

Below are some essential items to bring with you that will make it easier for you to be an eco-friendly traveler.

Water is life, use it wisely

When you’re traveling, you’re going to be doing a lot of sightseeing and walking, sometimes under the heated rays of the sun. You’re going to need to drink water to hydrate yourself.

Instead of buying bottles and bottles of water, you should bring your own water bottle and refill it instead. All of those plastic bottles end up in trash dumps and don’t degrade for hundreds of years after.

So do your part by packing a reusable water container with you in your travels.

Use energy efficiently

Even when you’re on your travels, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be energy-efficient while traveling.

Using public transportation instead of renting out cars when you’re someplace else is one way to be energy-efficient.

Another way is to avoid driving tours, or if you’re going to be doing a driving tour, then at least make sure that it’s with a group of people.

Energy efficiency means producing less waste when you’re consuming energy.

Make your pack lightweight

An eco-friendly trip means bringing only essential items so you would need to have a lightweight pack.

You’ll find numerous places where to buy luggage that’s lightweight and eco-friendly. Look at the materials and product information to know if your luggage is made through sustainable means.

By making sure that your pack is lightweight, you’re less likely to bring in single-use items with you and bringing your trash to the places you travel. If you do end up missing essential items, don’t worry because you are sure to be able to purchase them wherever you are anyway.

eco-friendly travel

Single-use plastics are not good

In some places and food establishments, they are likely to offer you single-use plastics for your use.

You should be vigilant and think of this beforehand and pack your own utensils. You can bring your own tote bag for shopping and your own water bottle for drinking. Even metal straws, spoons, forks, knives, and chopsticks are available.

By doing this, you aren’t only making an eco-friendly choice, but you are also sure that the utensils you are using are safe to use because you clean them yourself.

Become LocaVore (eat local)

One simple way to make sure that you travel in an eco-friendly way is by consuming food that locals eat.

Instead of trying to go to fast-food restaurants, dine in with the locals because they are more likely to use ingredients found within the locality.

This means that less fuel was used for the ingredients to be cooked and served on your plate. Plus, you get to have a more intimate look at the local scene when you eat local.

Planting trees is fun

If you’re going to travel to someplace new, you might as well leave a parting gift that is useful to that place.

Consider joining local efforts of tree-planting sessions while you’re in the area. If you want to do something outdoorsy in a foreign place, you might as well leave a tree in your place to commemorate you’re going there.

Plus, you can meet great people with the same principles that you have in events like these.

Join a wildlife tour

Going to zoos and other sorts of attractions with local wildlife is often a dubious activity because you are unsure of how well animals are treated.

Animals aren’t our playthings and aren’t meant for our entertainment. So, make sure that wildlife animals that you’re going to meet are treated as humanely and as ethically as possible.

Look up online before going so that you are sure that the place is known to care for the animals within their compound.

No littering, please!

There is a nifty little quote that says you should “leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, and kill nothing but time” when you go to a place.

When you’re traveling it’s a good reminder of how you should behave yourself in other places.

Even if you see others do it, it doesn’t make it right. So make sure that you don’t litter anywhere.

Every preschooler knows this, so you should make sure you set that example.

Consider cycling or walking

Plenty of tourists rent out a car when they’re in a new place to travel. By doing so you will not only be contributing to traffic, but you will also be contributing to the air pollution of the area.

If you’re only going to be traveling short distances, then consider walking. Better yet, try cycling to your location if you can.

Again, public transportation is much more preferable. Not only is it a cheap alternative, but it is also energy-efficient.

eco-friendly travel

Take nothing but pictures

As mentioned before, if you’re going to take anything, don’t pluck plants or pick up small animals. If you’re traveling to a new place, make sure that you take nothing else but pictures.

Traveling is a privilege, and so is living on a clean and beautiful planet. Make sure that future generations have the chance to see the beautiful world by contributing to maintaining the beauty of the planet through sustainable tourism.

Guest post by Geraldine Mills

About the Author

Geraldine Mills is a brand consultant and a travel writer from Australia. She is a self-confessed wanderlust and loves to share the allure of bag packing through her content. Find her works here.