What is Eco-Friendly Travel? Voting with your dollars.
When I quit my career to explore writing and consulting opportunities related to eco-friendly living, I had one main goal - I wanted to help people choose better with the money they spend, and use each dollar to vote for a cleaner, greener future. As I work to build Earth Regarded Travel, this is still one of my primary goals. So, I’m breaking down what that concept looks like when it comes to our travel.
We all know the term “put your money where your mouth is” and this is exactly what I’m talking about. When traveling (and always, for that matter), where you spend your money counts. To help streamline some decision-making, I’ve shared some resources and guidelines below that can help you make sure your dollars are going where it counts. Each one is a vote for a greener future!
Book Eco-Friendly Hotels — Lucky for us, thousands of hotels worldwide are making it a priority to be eco-conscious, and by supporting these hotels over those that aren’t, you’re telling everyone else to get with the freaking times. I’ve put together an eco-friendly hospitality map that I am constantly updating, so add it to your bookmarks and check it first when you’re thinking about your next destination!
Support Local Communities — There are a million and one ways to do this, and for more specific ways to ensure money is staying local, read this. The biggest reason to ensure that your money is staying local is because those community members are the best stewards for their natural environments. By allowing their communities to flourish, you are providing them an opportunity for a cleaner, greener future. A huge bonus is that supporting these communities is the best way to get an amazing, authentic experience. Click here for some of my favorite booking sites for local tours and experiences.
Book Non-Stop Flights (or Travel by Train/Car) — Air-travel is a major plague on the environment, but for those of us with the travel bug, it’s simply unavoidable at times. For those times, do your best to book non-stop, if you can afford it. That is literally showing airlines with your money that you’re prioritizing your environmental impact over saving a few bucks. For the times when flying isn’t your only option, choose otherwise. Drive or take a train — make a choice that supports more eco-friendly ways of travel, instead of purchasing a flight that isn’t totally necessary.
Purchase Carbon Offsets — To make sure that your travel is off-set, donate money to organizations that help reduce carbon emissions, specifically in proportion to the amount you are emitting. For three great places to purchase these, read this.
Choose Eco-Friendly Attractions/Activities — Like, duh! This seems obvious, but when you’re planning, it might be more challenging than you think to ensure you’re crossing off your bucket list and not harming the environment, particularly if you’re getting out in nature. You can choose to volunteer with a reforestation project, help restore a coral reef and always, always make sure you are booking any animal experiences through a reputable organization. I have some fantastic resources for planning all of these in this article.
These are basic, easy choices you can make while traveling that can have a huge impact on the industry. If we all choose to spend our money more responsibly (sustainability-wise, that is), we can make huge waves pushing the tourism and hospitality industry toward a greener future.
