Planning on visiting someplace new? How about keeping it eco-friendly this time?

Traveling can be stressful and expensive, but there are ways to make your trip more eco-friendly and sustainable. Check out some of the things to do for your next eco-friendly vacation.

How to Plan A Eco-Friendly Trip

What’s Eco-Friendly Travel?

Being environmentally conscious is more than just a buzzword. It’s an important part of living in harmony with the earth, and it can be practiced in many ways. One way to do this is by using eco-friendly travel options when planning your next trip.

What Are the Benefits of Eco-Friendly Travel?

Eco-friendly travel involves using methods that minimize harm to the environment and its inhabitants—whether that’s through reducing waste or making use of renewable energy. Some people are more interested in greening their transportation habits than others (e.g., riding bicycles instead of driving cars), but anyone can make small changes toward a greener lifestyle by opting for eco-friendly modes of travel whenever possible.

Why’s Traveling Sustainably Important?

Traveling sustainably is good for us, our health, the local economy, and the environment. As a traveler, you can do your part by making smart choices about how you travel. By choosing to travel in a green way, you are supporting sustainable businesses that help protect the environment from pollution and preserve our natural resources for future generations.

How to Plan An Eco-Friendly Trip

Planning an eco-friendly trip doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it can be quite simple, and the benefits of doing so are numerous. Planning ahead is the key to a successful trip. It will save you money and help you enjoy your vacation more by avoiding wasting resources in areas such as transportation and food.

Here are some tips for planning an eco-friendly vacation:

Book your flight in advance.

Booking your flight in advance is one of the easiest ways to reduce your environmental impact, as it allows you to choose a cheaper flight. In addition, booking ahead of time allows you to select the seat and time of your flight. If you are traveling by air, this way of planning can also help reduce pollution and congestion at the airport.

If possible, try to choose flights that fly on direct routes instead of connecting ones; this will reduce fuel consumption because planes don’t have to go back and forth between destinations as often as they do when flying with multiple stops along a long route.

Choose a sustainable airline.

Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is by choosing a sustainable airline. You can do this by looking for airlines that have a commitment to sustainability, and asking about their policies on recycling, carbon emissions, and sustainable practices. Some airlines are committed to using biofuels only when they are more environmentally friendly than jet fuel; others offer discounts on flights that are partially powered by solar panels. In general, it’s good practice to choose an airline with a low carbon footprint.

What to pack

1. Bring a reusable water bottle.
2. Bring a reusable coffee mug.
3. Bring a reusable bag for shopping and for bringing your lunch to work (or wherever you may be eating).
4. Pack your own snacks and lunches.

Bring a reusable water bottle.

One of the easiest ways to reduce your hotel’s carbon footprint is by bringing your own drinking container. You can also use it to store leftovers from the buffet, or just to keep things in your room that don’t need refrigeration (like cereal bars). It will save you money too: most hotels charge $2-$5 for a single-use plastic bottle, which you probably won’t even drink all of before it goes stale and makes its way into a landfill.

Bring a reusable coffee mug.

Next, you’ll want to bring a reusable coffee mug. If you love your morning cup of Joe, this is the perfect way to reduce waste and save money on disposable cups. You can even get creative with your mug by using it as a signal of solidarity with the environment or with your favorite causes. For example, many people use their mugs to show support for causes they care about like climate change awareness or animal rights.

If you’re not into coffee but do enjoy tea and hot chocolate on occasion, try bringing along an insulated travel mug instead! It will keep your drink nice and hot while eliminating the need for paper sleeves or plastic lids—and after all that hot liquid has been consumed (or spilled), it’s easy to clean and reuse again in the future!

Since so many products at supermarkets come in disposable containers made from single-use plastic bags, another great way you can go green on your trip is by bringing along reusable shopping bags when grocery shopping or heading out for breakfast at a local café. These bags are great for storing items in between uses too—you can buy them online here if you don’t already have them lying around!

Bring a reusable bag for shopping and for bringing your lunch to work (or wherever you may be eating).

If you’re going to buy something, bring a reusable bag for shopping. And if you’re taking your lunch to work, bring a reusable bag for that too. The good news is that most major grocery stores now carry these bags. This is an easy one to implement in your daily life without costing anything or even taking up any extra space in your bag!

Pack your own snacks and lunches

The next step is to pack your own snacks and lunches. Whenever you can, bring your own lunch or try to pack a healthy snack from home instead of buying food at the airport or on the plane. It’s not only better for the environment but also for your wallet!

Other things you can easily do:

• Pack water in a reusable bottle instead of buying bottled water;
• Use reusable utensils rather than plastic ones; and
• Bring reusable shopping bags with you when going grocery shopping so that you don’t have to use as many plastic bags (which typically end up in landfills).

Minimize plastic and styrofoam use.

In addition to the obvious waste you’ll make by using disposable items, these materials are often made from non-renewable resources. If you must have a plastic water bottle, at least bring your own and refill it when necessary.

If you like to drink coffee on the go, consider bringing a reusable mug instead of bringing along more disposable cups. And if you need something to carry those mugs around in (or anything else), try swapping out plastic bags for mesh totes or canvas totes that can be used for multiple purposes.

When it comes time to dispose of garbage, use biodegradable or compostable bags so that your trash can decompose naturally.

Pick a hotel with green practices.

Look for hotels that are eco-friendly.

This may seem like a given, but it’s not! If you’re going to spend your hard-earned vacation time in a place with green practices, why not make sure that the hotel you stay at has them as well?

Check out the hotel’s solar panels.

Getting power from the sun is a great way to reduce energy consumption and save some money on electricity costs. Some hotels even partner with local solar panel providers so that guests can learn about investing in clean energy themselves!

Ask about recycling programs.

Most hotels have recycling programs of some kind—but if yours doesn’t (or if it only recycles paper), ask what else can be recycled or composted on-site so that nothing goes to waste! And don’t forget: biodegradable products are good too because they break down into nutrients instead of taking up space in landfills forever.

Conservation programs.

Ask about water conservation programs too; these tend to be less common than other types but still exist! Hotels continue to offer more sustainable options to help them make their vacation a little greener. Here are some of the latest programs from major hotel brands:

Hyatt’s new “Hyatt Earth” initiative will bring together the company’s sustainability efforts under one umbrella, and it includes an environmental policy that lays out goals for reducing waste and water use, as well as plans to reduce emissions from transportation and power generation. Hyatt also plans to phase out plastic straws and stirrers globally by March 2020.

Marriott’s new “Travel with Purpose” program allows guests to connect with social impact organizations on a local level during their trip. Through this partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International, Marriott’s hotel brands will offer discounts on trips through its booking engine for guests who want to support conservation efforts around the world — from saving tigers in India to protecting sea turtles in Costa Rica.

Be mindful of energy use in your hotel room.

It’s easy to forget, but you’re leaving an eco-footprint at every hotel and motel you stay in. The most obvious way you can reduce that footprint is by turning off the lights when you leave, keeping the AC or heater turned down as low as possible, and using energy-efficient appliances like a microwave and hairdryer. Be mindful of what kinds of food you buy too: if it comes wrapped in plastic packaging, don’t buy it—it’ll just end up in a landfill anyway!

Eat at local restaurants. Take public transportation or rent a bike whenever possible.

One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint during your trip is by eating at local restaurants. Don’t feel like you have to spend every meal at a chain or hotel; instead, choose eateries that serve local cuisine and support the community. And if you must eat at a popular chain, consider making reservations in advance so that they can prepare food with less waste.

When you’re on foot, take public transportation whenever possible—or rent a bike! If public transport isn’t available where you want to go, consider taking an electric scooter instead of renting one with an internal combustion engine (ICE). If none of these options are available near where you’re staying, consider renting an electric car through Zipcar or another service instead of driving yourself into town every day.

You should also avoid driving cars if possible—and definitely don’t rent one! There are so many ways to get around without using one: take taxis and ride-sharing services like Lyft or Uber (which uses electric vehicles), or use ride-sharing apps like BlaBlaCar for long-distance trips between cities. You can also walk wherever necessary—just remember not to litter along the way!

Leave only footprints – don’t take souvenirs from the beach and forests.

When you’re traveling, it’s tempting to bring home a souvenir or two as a reminder of your trip. But there are so many things that can go wrong with this sort of thing. For one thing, souvenirs are often made by children who are forced to work long hours in terrible conditions. Also, souvenirs can be an excellent way to spread disease and invasive species around the world (for example E. coli).

Finally, the most important reason not to take home any souvenirs is that we all have limited space in our homes and lives! Leave some room for nature!

With some extra planning, you can travel while being environmentally responsible.

Planning ahead is the key to a successful eco-friendly trip. As you prepare for your journey, it’s important to plan for the environment so that your travels don’t negatively impact the places you visit. You can do this by researching what types of accommodations are available and which ones are best suited for sustainable tourism.

The destination might be your first choice when planning a vacation, but it shouldn’t be your only consideration when choosing where to go. There are many factors beyond location that play into how much impact a trip will have on the environment: transportation methods, activities, and lodging options all play key roles in minimizing environmental damage while still allowing travelers access to unique experiences.

You may find yourself spending more time planning than actually traveling during an eco-friendly getaway because there are so many factors involved in making sure that everything goes smoothly—but don’t worry! Planning an eco-friendly trip doesn’t have to be daunting or difficult; it can actually be fun! In fact, if done correctly, planning for sustainability can even lead you on an adventure as exciting as any other type of travel experience out there

Conclusion

With a little extra planning, you can travel and be environmentally responsible. There are plenty of resources out there to help you plan your trip, but the most important thing is to start by thinking about what types of activities are best for you and your family, then work from there. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is when you make sustainability an important part of your trip-planning process!

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