Top Eco-Friendly Travel Tips

How do you travel when you’re also trying to save the planet? That’s a question many eco-conscious travellers ask as we prep for travel in a world where we need to do what we can to lower our impact. The good news is there are certain things you can do to cut your carbon footprint and travel in an eco-friendlier way.

Before you plan your holiday, take a little time to think your travels through, from how you get there to what activities you do while you’re there.

By implementing some quick and easy sustainable travel hacks you can still do your bit for the environment. Here are our top eco-friendly travel tips.

Pack lightly

If you’re flying to your holiday destination, pack what you need, yes, but don’t overpack. Every bit of weight added to your case causes more CO2 to be emitted from the plane in flight – and if every passenger on the plane travels light, the difference adds up. So keep it efficient and fly knowing you played a small part in lowering the plane’s carbon emissions – especially if you’ve also paid to offset your carbon emissions. An added bonus is that packing light also avoids you having to lug a heavy suitcase around on hols and takes away the risk of you going over your baggage allowance.

Travel by land

If you have a choice, choose land travel as it’s most often the less-polluting option. We’re all so used to hopping on and off of planes without a thought, but travelling by land is more environmentally friendly and can also add to your holiday. Europe is set up to be easy to travel through by train, and it’s a great way to see a bit of the countries you’re passing through. You can even plan your journey so you get to stop off in another destination before you reach your main stop, giving you another place to discover on your trip.

Make your hotel your home

A great tip for being sustainable while on holiday is to act in your hotel as you would at home – in other words, don’t be wasteful just because you’re on holiday. Turn the lights and TV off when you leave the room just like at home, take shorter showers so you don’t waste water, and don’t toss your towels for washing after one use. Think of your hotel room as your home and if you wouldn’t do something wasteful at home, don’t do it in your hotel.

Take your own tote bag

A tote bag is a small thing with big potential. These cloth bags fold up neatly and fit easily into your luggage. You can buy them with a design that suits your style and you can use them in multiple ways. When you get to your destination, you have a shopping bag handy so there’s no need to use any plastic bags for buying gifts and souvenirs – then leave your gifts back at your room and take your empty cloth bag out with you again the next day. Also, your tote bag is also great for storing your dirty laundry in your luggage on your return journey home.

Watch where you walk

Walking has to be the most environmentally friendly way to get about. It won’t always be possible, but where you can, take a walking tour of the city or area you’re staying in. Walking is a great way to see the city, you’ll see things you wouldn’t see by car or bus, you’ll be more immersed in the culture of the place, and you’re keeping your carbon footprint low by not using transport.

Cut water bottle waste

We’re all used to buying those plastic water bottles when we’re on holiday. It’s important to stay hydrated especially in the heat, but all that single use plastic is disastrous for the environment. So a reusable water bottle is a great addition to your packing list. Then you can check with your hotel if your tap water in your destination is fine to drink. If not, they may have onsite water filters to provide you with drinking water, or you can even buy water bottles that have a filter in them, so you can drink the local water safely wherever you are.  Also lots of airports provide water stations in departure lounges so you can fill up after you’ve gone through security – again saving the purchase of a plastic bottle.

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