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Travelling green is not simply a passing trend but a lifestyle choice. Vacations are often taken for pleasure, to relax, explore new places, and meet new people. However, we often overlook or are unaware of how our travel practices and choices impact the places we visit and on a wider lens, the environment.
We are making conscious efforts in taking up green practices in our everyday life, in order to reduce our environmental footprint; it is also essential to extend our efforts and practices while we are on a vacation.
A green vacation not only attempts to save resources and reduce our carbon footprint while travelling but also leaves you with a deeper understanding of the places that you have visited. It also allows you to enjoy your travel without attaching any guilt of possible harm to the environment.
So, how can you go on a green vacation? Here is a list of ways you can undertake to go green while travelling!
Some countries and cities demonstrate a deep commitment to environmentally friendly policies and practices. You can always choose to support these initiatives by choosing to visit these places.
This means choosing destinations that focus on caring for the indigenous population and the environment.
You can minimize your carbon footprint by choosing sustainable modes of travel. Though travelling by road is usually better for the environment than flying, it may not always be feasible. hence, you can find flights with fewer stops and check their pollution before booking tickets.
Lighter baggage translates to lesser fuel consumption and lower emissions, so you should also attempt to pack light. Upon reaching the destination, use eco-friendly transportation options like biking, walking, and choosing public transit for local travel. These alternatives are also often cheaper than taking a cab or renting a car.
You can choose hotels that are conscious of the impact they make on the environment and thereby take up green practices such as rainwater harvesting, responsible drainage and disposal, and the use of natural energy sources in their functioning.
There are hotels that are built using natural, sustainable and recycled materials. You can always support these initiatives and choose these environmentally responsible hotels.
In case you can’t find an eco-friendly hotel, you can undertake certain practices yourself. You can cut down on your water and energy consumption, Use water judiciously and switch off all the lights, fans, and other electrical appliances when not in use.
Before staying at a hotel, make sure you ask about their recycling program, Then thereby, sort your trash accordingly. If there isn’t a recycling policy in place, take your bottles and items elsewhere to do so.
You can carry chargeable batteries for your cameras or other electronics.
you can either carry a reusable container or drink locally sourced water when you’re on the go to minimize the use of plastic.
Find eco-friendly activities that provide you and your family the opportunity to learn and enjoy without causing harm to the environment.
These activities can be horseback riding, sailing, snorkelling, scuba diving, or trekking. while hiking, remember to stay on regular trails to avoid destroying delicate plant and animal life. Never leave any trash lying around or litter in public places.
One must make conscious efforts to make sure that they do not make any negative impact on the places they are visiting.
Always buy local products instead of important and shipped ones. Another important thing to look out for is that there’s no use of elements from endangered plants and animals. Try to support local handicraft hawkers and artisans by buying their products.M
One of the easiest and most efficient ways to support the community is to eat locally, pick restaurants that use locally sourced ingredients, and shop at the farmers’ market.
When you travel, always bring along a reusable bag. if you go shopping, whether it is for food, clothing, or souvenirs; you can hence avoid creating more plastic waste, hereby acting responsibly by not contributing to littering or causing any harm to the marine life.
By taking up small but significant steps, one can not only enjoy their travelling experience but also can be guilt-free by reducing any carbon footprint in the process! Always a win for all!
The true pleasure of travel is enjoying your vacation without causing harm to the planet. Hence, a go green vacation is essential for us to ensure that our future generations can have vacations to visit the beauty of nature just like we do!
