Why is Sustainable Traveling Important + Tips

Why does green travel matter?

It is widely known that tourism can have a significant impact on the environment, including carbon emissions from transportation, water, and energy use in accommodations, and waste generation. By traveling sustainably, we can reduce these environmental impacts and help to protect the natural beauty and resources of the places we visit. 

What's more, green travel can provide economic benefits for local communities, such as supporting local businesses and creating employment opportunities. By supporting local economies, we can help to improve the well-being of the communities we visit and contribute to their long-term sustainability.

Let's not forget social and cultural sustainability. Tourism can also have social and cultural impacts on local communities. By engaging in responsible tourism practices, we can minimize negative impacts such as the displacement of local residents or the erosion of local cultures and traditions.

By considering the environmental, economical, social, and cultural impacts of tourism and taking steps to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive contributions, we can all contribute to a more sustainable and responsible form of travel.

What should we do? 

Well, we recommend slightly change traveling habits. There are the most common and easily applicable green travel tips:

1. Choose low-carbon transportation options. When planning your trip, consider using public transportation, biking, or walking instead of flying or driving. In fact, traveling by train emits the least amount of carbon dioxide emission that other transport. If you do need to fly, try to offset your carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits or supporting renewable energy projects.

2. Stay in eco-friendly accommodations. Look for hotels, hostels, or vacation rentals that have eco-friendly or sustainable practices in places, such as energy-efficient lighting and appliances, water conservation measures, and recycling programs. There are sustainable online travel agencies (OTAs) that focus on eco-friendly accommodations such as Ecobnb, Bookitgreen, Bookdifferent, etc. Moreover, since last year Booking.com has been using sustainability badges to showcase the variety of sustainable stays.

Are you worried about overpaying for these kinds of hotels? Then use our browser extension - Ratepunk. It scans hotel booking sites to ensure you always pay the cheapest price.

3. Support local businesses. Try to eat at locally-owned restaurants, shop at local markets and stores, and stay in locally-owned accommodations. This helps to support the local economy and keep money in the community. The fun part of this tip may be that you'll truly understand and experience the differences between spicy and locally spicy food. 

4. Minimize waste: Travel with reusable water bottles, bags, and containers to reduce the amount of single-use plastic you consume. Some countries have water stations so tourist could refill their water bottles. Refillambassadors’ website shows apps for guidance on where are those water stations. Also, don’t forget to dispose of trash responsibly and recycle whenever possible.

5. Be mindful of the impact of tourism on the local community. There are many environmental-friendly organisations that arrange volunteering projects: such as beach clean-up days, helping assist homeless shelters, planting trees, etc. Showing some kindness to our planet and doing a good deed for a few hours instead of reading a book at the hotel. 

By following these tips, you can enjoy your travels while also minimising your impact on the environment and the local community. Green travel can also be personally enriching and allow us to connect with and learn from the people and cultures we encounter. By doing that, we can have a more meaningful and authentic travel experience.