Whether you’re a frequent traveller or seasonal explorer, adopting sustainable travel habits are not only helpful for the environment but considerably beneficial when it comes to reducing costs and improving convenience.
How do we define sustainable travel?
According to UN World Tourism, sustainable travel fully considers the current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, when engaging in tourist activities that involve locals, visitors, and the environment.
Here are some sustainable travel tips to consider for your next trip:
Support locals
Buying products and services from locals will help to increase the local economy as well as save the environment since you’re not having to drive to and from faraway locations that require high-fuel consumption.
Use your ‘do not disturb’ sign
If you’re staying at a hotel, your room will be cleaned daily, which will include a change of bed linen, towels, and floor cleaning such as vacuuming. While a clean hotel room is totally the way to go, if you don’t need fresh towels and bed linen, place your do not disturb sign on your door handle and skip a day of housekeeping, to help reduce unnecessary use of washing machines and vacuums.
Go slowly
This is certainly not the most convenient tip to share, but it’s likely the most beneficial for the environment – slow travel. This means taking a bus or train rather than flying since planes use more fuel and produce more air pollution.
Choose sustainable products
Opt for biodegradable products that can be reused and discarded safely.
Pack your own toiletries
Hotel toiletries may be cute but the amount of waste produced by each guest’s tiny bottles and toothbrushes can be reduced if each of us used our own. Unless you’ve forgotten them, in which case, use the hotel toiletries rather than buying additional products.
Avoid animal tourism
As exciting as it may seem to lay eyes on animals that are indigenous to the places you’re visiting, avoid supporting and engaging with companies that sell experiences with animals unless you are certain that the activities are ethical.
Have a tip to add to the list? Share it with us on social media where we will be able to repost it.
