With the world looking at a serious climate crisis, sustainable travel is something more of us are looking at. But, is it really possible to be an eco-traveller?
If you’re looking at your global footprint and wondering how sustainable your travel habits are, you’re not alone. Many travellers now are looking at the amount of flights we take and wondering how we can enjoy travel but keep our planet safe…
But luckily, eco travel doesn’t have to mean zero travel. Travelling eco friendly means bearing a few things in mind, minimising your impact in as many areas as possible and curtailing a few bad habits.
Our tips for sustainable travel cover a broad spectrum, from actual travel to your behaviour and consumption.
1. Minimise your flights
OK, this is a big one. Yes, you will probably need to fly at some point in your travels, especially if you’re heading somewhere far flung or you need to be there quickly. Sometimes it can’t be helped and that’s fine, you can fly a couple of times a year no biggy.
If you’re travelling long term, or you’re doing a multi stop trip, the sustainable travel way to do it is by working out how to use alternative transport. Buses, trains, boats, your feet, paraglider… If there is a way to get where you’re going without a plane, use that.
The best way to do this is plan ahead and book your trains and buses in advance. These are often cheaper and can even be quicker, especially in places like Europe where the train infrastructure is very good.
2. Carbon offsetting
This buzzword is something that airlines use to make you feel better about booking flights. Does it work? Well, your CO2 still goes up into the atmosphere… But, the idea is that the airline then carries out a carbon offsetting plan to minimise their impact on the environment as a whole.
These programs are growing in popularity, and there are even options for people to offset their carbon individually. The truth is that although you’re putting some money to a program that plants trees, invests in renewable energy or cleans up the ocean, you’re still flying.
Put simply, it’s not the ideal solution, but it’s better than nothing. If you have to fly, try and choose an airline that uses carbon offsetting programs to maximise your eco friendly travel.
3. Travel less
A travel mag telling me to travel less? Well… Yes and no. By travel less, I mean take your time to enjoy one place rather than zipping around all over the place.
Visiting Southeast Asia? Don’t feel like you have to cram in EVERY single destination to get those selfies. Take your time in one place, enjoy it, and don’t run off to some random town because you think you have to. You’ll also get to relax more and see more of the city/region you’re visiting as well as being environmentally friendly.
Sustainable travel really means enjoying our earth for what it is and aiming to minimise your waste. And, to that ends…
4. Use water purifiers
Bottled water is one of the biggest producers of plastic waste and is one of those things all travellers can help to minimise. In some places, drinking the water is pretty much a guarantee that you’ll get the squits – fact. The best way to avoid it? Bring your own water purifiers or filters.
There are a range of portable water filters and water purification systems, so if you’re serious about eco-friendly travel, take a look at these.
If you’re in a resort or major city, the water is normally potable, so check before you go. Ask staff what they recommend, and if you can get them to fill up a few bottles from the in-house filtration system, all the better.
Check out our blog Is it safe to drink the water in...
5. Don’t buy tat
Seen an authentic flamenco outfit for your niece back home? Maybe you’re going to fill up your rucksack space with trinkets and clothes to take back…
Look. We’re all for supporting the local economy. But, a lot of the time, souvenirs are shipped halfway round the world so they’re not even authentic. It’s estimated (by me) that over half the stuff that’s bought at souvenir stands around the world is never used, or is chucked into storage not long after it arrives back home.
Add to that the fact that we buy too much crap globally anyway, so if being a sustainable traveller means just not buying that pointless knock-off handbag, you’ll save the world AND save yourself some money.
Are you gonna wear that shirt? Fair enough, buy it. Do you genuinely think that hand carved mask will look good over the fireplace at home? Cool, buy it. Is your best friend really going to think that statue of the guy with the big willy is funny – for more than 1 minute? No. No put it down…
6. Enjoy local food and drink
You’ve travelled halfway around the world, so why seek out the familiar? Finding an imported snack from home in the supermarket, or ordering a big brand beer like Heineken in Asia, for example, means you’re consuming something that’s been flown halfway around the world.
Enjoying products that have been produced in the same country, or at least the same region, is much more eco friendly. And, why travel if you’re only going to go to Pizza Hut or McDonald’s when you get there?
As another point to add to this, if you’re aware of a local practice that is unsustainable or damaging to the environment, try and avoid eating it. As an example, beef in Brazil is pretty much guaranteed to be from cleared rain forest. Brazilian beef is also exported to a lot of countries, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa – so bear that in mind if you’re trying to keep your global footprint down.
Talking of which…
7. Minimise your fish and meat intake
We’re not a vegan blog, so we’re not going to tell you what to eat or anything. But… We can hit you with some facts about meat and fish production which might make you think twice about how much you eat.
The global production of meat and dairy is responsible for more pollution that all the travel and fossil fuels in the world combined. If you’re worried about your impact on the world, this is where you need to look.
Fish is also a tremendously damaging industry, environmentally, and there is no such thing as sustainable fishing. Sorry.
Here at Gone Travelling, we’re not vegan (yet), but we don’t eat meat for every meal, even when travelling. Yes, some of a country’s best dishes are often meat or fish based. But, it is becoming easier to find more sustainable plant based (or at least vegetarian) alternatives, all around the world.
If you truly want to be a sustainable traveller, try and make the majority of your meals meat free…
8. Take only photos, leave only footprints
Meaning, don’t deface or vandalise anything, and take your rubbish home. People have been arrested for carving their names into ancient rock paintings… Who does that?? And as for the people carving their names into the rock of Machu Picchu, or the Colosseum in Rome… Why?
Take photos, but make sure you don’t annoy the locals (see our annoying tourists article for more on that).
9. Avoid animal exploitation
If it involves wild animals in captivity, it’s probably not eco friendly. Travelling sustainably means definitely not going to Tiger Temples, and absolutely not going on elephant rides. These animals are WILD and are often treated badly to get them to behave for tourists.
Camels and horses are beasts of burden that have been domesticated over the millennia, so there is slightly less stigma attached to this. But, animal welfare in many countries is often of a pretty low standard. If you want to be an eco friendly traveller, stick to watching animals in the wild.
10. Pick up waste if you see it
If you’re going on a short country walk, take a bag with you and pick up any waste you see. Likewise, if you’re at the beach for the day, when you leave grab an armful of whatever you can. It’s pretty much a given that any popular tourist trail will be lined with litter, so a really easy eco friendly travel tip is just to pick up what you can…
You don’t have to clean the whole beach, but just by picking up a few bits of crap, you can make a big difference.
Read more about being an eco friendly traveller and how you can help save the world in our recent post.
11. Bring your own bag/bottle/cup/straw
It’s becoming increasingly commonplace to for people to carry their own cups and bottles. If you’re carrying a day pack, it’s easy to have a reusable shopping bag to hand, or a reusable coffee cup.
You can even get reusable straws – because yes even the paper ones are not perfect when it comes to sustainability. It might sound like a hassle to carry these extra bits, but being an eco friendly traveller involves thinking ahead.
And, of course, say no to single use plastic wherever you are…
12. Avoid toxic lotions/potions etc
Avoiding sunburn and insect bites is a major hassle for any traveller. But, unfortunately, most products for sunscreen and insect repellents are pretty bad for the environment. In fact some sunscreens are known to bleach coral and pollute the water.
There are a growing range of eco friendly travel products for sustainable travellers. Check out these eco friendly sunscreen options:
And these eco friendly insect repellents:
- Moskito Guard
- Mosi Guard Natural (spray or roll on)
- Neals Yard Citronella Formula
- Eco Sonya Personal Outdoor Spray
Being more eco friendly
It’s one thing to read these lists about how to be a more eco friendly traveller, but it’s all about how you act. Everything you can do can help, so the more things you can do on this list, the better.
If you have any of your own sustainable travel tips, we’d love to hear them, so share them in the comments below.
