10 eco-friendly actions to adopt while traveling
Published on December 17, 2024
Responsible tourism means leaving a positive impact not only on the environment, but also on the people who live in the places we choose to visit. This results not only in a more ethical and responsible trip regarding the impact of travelers, but also a more authentic, exciting, and culturally immersive journey for them as well. Here is a quick guide to some of our best tips on how to be a responsible traveler. 10 eco-friendly actions to adopt on your next vacation... Small, simple green tips to avoid waste, recycle as much as possible, and limit damage to nature and people—in short, responsible consumption that will only benefit our planet.
#1 Travel locally
Traveling with a local guide will allow you to learn more about the local population, its culture, the landscape, and its wildest and most wonderful places by hiking, cycling, or sailing with a local expert. And it’s a fantastic way to support the local economy. In many countries, from Kenya to Sri Lanka, poachers have changed their way of life by becoming reserve wardens or guides.
#2 Reduce means of transport
Think usefully, so let’s reduce greenhouse gases. Favor, if possible, train travel over flying, you’ll enjoy the scenery more... Find out about carpooling platforms that will allow you to meet new people and reduce polluting gases...
Finally, don’t forget that short trips are very pleasant on foot or by bicycle, combining pleasure with physical activity...
#3 Save energy
The price of your accommodation includes electricity consumption, but that doesn’t mean you should go overboard, leaving the window wide open and the heater unnecessarily on full blast... So consume intelligently and only use air conditioning, heating, and electrical appliances when necessary and in moderation. Finally, don’t forget to unplug them...
#4 Reduce your water consumption
Save water! It is precious, it gives life... Water is a vital resource and often scarce in tourist destinations. During your vacation, prefer showers to baths (taking a bath is roughly equivalent to taking three showers), avoid letting the tap run, and prefer drinking tap water (when possible) using water bottles. If you stay in a hotel, don’t have your towels washed every day! One of the simplest eco-friendly actions to adopt!
#5 Minimize your waste
Bring environmentally friendly products with you, especially if you travel off the beaten path. This means eco-friendly sunscreens, soaps, deodorants, etc., if you want to keep the environment as intact as you found it, especially if you’re going to spend a lot of time in the water. Only take what is necessary with you, leave unnecessary packaging at home. In many destinations, waste sorting does not exist. If it does, find out about the waste sorting instructions at your vacation spot (bin colors, collection times...) and follow them as much as possible. Remember that locals do not appreciate tourists coming to destroy their environment, so adapt yourself. A tip: try to reduce your household waste as much as possible, for example, prefer a water bottle to a plastic bottle, use rechargeable batteries, and remember to keep a reusable bag with you.
In Japan, there are very few public trash bins, do as the Japanese do, take your waste with you!
#6 Respect the environment around you
Act out of respect for others and especially for the beauty of the sites. Make sure beaches remain pure, picnic areas are clean, and preserved sites stay that way. Do not throw anything into nature, not even your organic waste (peelings, tissues, toilet paper...) which could disrupt the ecosystem. Invest in a portable ashtray for your cigarette butts and reduce your consumption of toxic products such as insecticides, aerosols, suntan oil...
#7 Consume local and buy with awareness
If you act eco-responsibly at home, then why not on your vacation spot? Systematically refuse plastic bags by always carrying a reusable tote bag. Think about buying from locals and consuming seasonal fruits and vegetables, necessarily favoring organic and short supply chains. You will discover new flavors and often have memorable encounters.
In more distant destinations, be careful what you buy. Do not buy products made from endangered species, hardwoods, or ancient artifacts. Shells and corals should also stay where they are, and if you plan to buy gemstones locally, check the legality and ethics of this practice before you go.
#8 Travel off-season
The attendance of major tourist sites varies according to the seasons, some sites suffer from mass tourism and the ecosystem pays the price. So, if your schedule allows, why not travel during the off-season? Some sites will even offer you unique services, only possible in the off-season. You’ll enjoy the local charm more...
#9 Favor eco-friendly structures
Don’t forget that tourism professionals are increasingly offering equipment and services combining comfort and ecology, indicated by the ecolabel logo (in Europe), ATES or ATR worldwide. Through small actions like waste treatment, the use of low-energy bulbs, they seek to raise our awareness and change our behavior. Don’t hesitate to ask them if they offer bike rentals, biodiversity discovery walks, or unusual types of accommodation... They can also guide you to developed walks, marked trails that will allow you to enjoy the fauna and flora while remaining respectful of the environment. Some destinations are pioneers in this area, such as the Galapagos (to learn more), Costa Rica, or Patagonia.
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A post shared by EcoCamp Patagonia (@ecocamp) on Nov 8, 2018 at 12:44 PST
#10 Try participatory tourism
And if you feel like it, why not get involved in an environmental protection or social action? Find out about gatherings organized by local associations offering participation in specific maintenance tasks: picking up waste and plastic bags on the beach, cleaning the seabed, raising awareness among tourists, or supporting a popular education project... You will have great encounters and enrich your knowledge in the field.
You get the idea, nothing is too good for our blue planet, so rich in wonders but terribly threatened. So let’s act for the environment, or rather react, we just need to develop our civic sense a little more and add a few actions and the result will be even more beneficial. Environmental issues are huge, it is by adopting these eco-friendly actions and eco-citizen behaviors that we will act faster against global warming and best preserve our natural resources. If discovering these new natural spaces and superb aquatic environments opens our minds, let’s not miss the essential, let’s adopt the right actions, let’s think of future generations.
Photos (c) Mana Amir – unsplash (c) Sasin Tipchai – pixabay (c) fancycrave – unsplash (c) Zhang Dayong – unsplash (c) Agathe & Mathieu – #WeCanGoAnyWhere (c) Muriel D (c) Hasan Almasi – unsplash (c) Antoni Socias – unsplash
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