As I mentioned in the previous post, the pandemic has changed the world. And one of the biggest parts of our lives that has been impacted has been travel. Many of us have had a rude awakening to the fact that we need to make traveling more sustainable.
Even before the borders were shut down last Spring many of us struggled with the guilt over the amount of pollution that flying creates. The perfect proof of it all were blue skies being seen in big cities in India and China after decades.
Payment for the harm that over-tourism, aviation pollution and basic disregard for others’ countries has created has been long overdue. So, for a while now I’ve been trying to come up with ideas on how I could make traveling more sustainable.
Since I know I’m not the only one trying to find ideas to make traveling more sustainable, I thought I’d reveal what I’ve come up with so far. And in case you have more ideas, please feel free to chip in at the comments below or via e-mail! The more ideas, the better! At the end of the day we can make big changes happen with minimal actions.
9 Easy Ways To Make Traveling More Sustainable
Local Adventures
Right now venturing out of your own country is more risky than ever before, so we’re all encouraged to stay in our countries. Preferring local travel is one of the easiest ways to make traveling more sustainable.
Especially Europe is a dream continent travel-wise because there are interesting places to be found everywhere. Hundreds and hundreds of castles scattered across the continent (there’s one near you!), mountains, lakes, seaside, beautiful little towns, etc, etc. Just hop in the car and get exploring!
If you happen to be living in Central Europe I have a brilliant travel tip for you! In Czech Republic, close to Brno, there is a town with 2 castles that face each other with an immense amount of art and intriguing sights between them. It’s called Lednice-Valtice.
For those who do not live near Czech Republic, fret not! There are plenty of incredible sights near you. Just ask around! Talk with your friends, neighbours, colleagues and I bet you anything they will know places close by that are worth seeing and that you didn’t know about.
That’s exactly how we found the amazing Keila waterfalls and Rummu quarry in Estonia. Nobody talks about these places, so you need to ask around. Unexpected adventures await, so open that mouth of yours and get exploring!
Avoid Flying
Of course, if you’re going to travel to places like Hawaii or Australia, there really isn’t any other way to go about it than flying. But as long as you’re staying within a single continent think about what other vehicle options might be available.
Again, I count my lucky stars for living in Europe, because traveling around the continent has been made superbly easy. I can take a train from Slovakia to France, or a boat from Finland to Germany.
There are no day-long queues at customs when you travel by train and you get to stop in different countries and cities on the way. All things you miss out on when flying. And in the process you’ve made traveling more sustainable because trains/buses don’t pollute anywhere near as much as flying.
Get Your Sustainable Picnic Gear
No matter where you travel, one of the best ways to spend a chill day is to pack along a picnic bag and settle yourself in a park. The thing with picnics is that they tend to create a lot of trash. A lot of the food you take along tend to be packed in plastic, and cutlery and plates are the throwaway kind.
But since the world really can’t take any more of this ‘single use culture’ we need to do better! Starting TODAY! And there is a simple solution for making picnics much more sustainable. Just get yourself a picnic set of plates, forks and knives that are reusable.
Most of them are made out of wood, and they’re very small, so you don’t even need to worry about fitting them in your suitcase. I’ve even seen some that can be folded or taken into pieces, so that you really don’t need to worry about weight and space restrictions.
Choose Eco-Friendly Accommodation
There are plenty of hotels, hostels and even Air BnBs that promote themselves as making traveling more sustainable.
In reality this can mean that a hotel might not change your sheets every day (because why should they?) and thus they save on water and chemicals consumption. Or it can mean that the hotel runs on electricity created by solar panels.
There are so many options to making a building sustainable these days, and more and more hotels are implementing these technologies and values in their daily operations. The more of them do this, the better!
Changes like this may happen slowly, but they are happening.
Non-Chemical Sunscreen
When preparing for our trip to Hawaii, I googled some dos and don’ts. One of the don’ts that really caught my eye was the fact that Hawaii is making sunscreens, that include chemical oxybenzone, illegal.
Oxybenzone is a chemical used in most sunscreens, and it’s very harmful for the coral reefs. And since there are countries that literally live out of their gorgeous coral reefs, they need to make sure they don’t die. Like so many coral reefs on the planet have already done.
So, you might just as well change your sunscreen from chemical ones to mineral right now. Because even if you’re not planning a trip to Hawaii, mineral sunscreens are better for you and for the environment everywhere on the planet.
Who Needs Straws?
We all know the story of turtles suffocating in plastic straws. Nowadays the amount of plastic floating in the ocean has increased alarmingly and that amount of waste will never disintegrate. Thankfully, just like with the sustainable picnic kit, you can get a pack of straws made out of metal or bamboo.
But there’s an even better and more cost-effective option. Leave straws out of the equation altogether. Because let’s face it, who needs a straw? Who came up with such a useless stick anyway? You can totally drink that iced latte, mojito or a smoothie without a straw.
And another thing; sucking on a straw creates wrinkles! I read this years ago and somehow it stuck in my head, because obviously it does. So, leaving straws out of your life altogether you also do a beauty favor for yourself.
Clean Up After Yourself
Many of you probably do this without even thinking about it, and that is great! This is here just to remind you to keep up the good work. And to remember that even if it might not feel like such a big deal, imagine if we didn’t clean up after ourselves.
We’re only humans and there’s only so much we can do on a personal level to make traveling more sustainable. But big rivers start with little droplets.
Eat & Drink Local
One of the most awesome things about traveling is food! Local cuisine and taste experiences. And who would know better where you should book a table than the locals. Stay away from the restaurants at tourist traps, they are without fail over-prized and very low in quality.
Instead, venture a little bit out of the city center and find a little restaurant filled with locals. Such places may not be furnished with the most current trend furniture or look like much at all, but don’t judge a book by its cover.
Eating local foods in small local restaurants isn’t just sustainable. It’s also a chance to learn more about the local customs, flavours, and maybe even make new local friends (been there, done that).
Avoid Throwaway Products
In addition to getting a sustainable picnic kit, you easily make traveling more sustainable if you stay away from any throwaway products during your travels.
These days you can replace everything that is throwaway with a reusable alternative. Raincoats, razors, plastic cups, plastic bags, everything is available in a sustainable form. And they’re usually designed to fit in the smallest of suitcases. So, let’s get to it!
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When I first thought about sustainable travel, I felt a bit lost and like there’s nothing I can do. But with a little bit of effort I came up with these 9 things. Imagine how many more things there are that we can do!
Sustainable travel is easy and affordable. And it only takes minimal effort to change our consuming habits towards a better future for all. After a little while traveling sustainably becomes a lifestyle.
I’d love to know if you can come up with extra points to add to this list, so please comment below or e-mail me, or DM me on Instagram ♥
