7 Simple Steps for Green Travel

We know that Natural Habitat Adventures travelers are passionate about our planet’s wild places, because that’s where you find your inner sustenance. Well, there are plenty of things you can do as a traveler to help sustain those very places!

In honor of Earth Day coming up on April 22, 2016, here’s our list of seven sustainable starting points – if you’re not already taking these simple resource-saving steps, get going!

7 Simple Steps to Lighten Your Traveler’s Footprint

1) Choose an active vacation
Natural Habitat Expeditions get you there by foot and kayak. No big motorcoaches or 4,000-passenger cruise ships that burn literally tons of fuel per day. Whether you’re hiking and kayaking in the Galapagos, trekking through the wild high country of Durmitor National Park in Montenegro or paddling Portugal’s River of wine, you’re saving energy while expending your own.

© Deron Shields

2) Eco-prep your home before you go
Don’t just switch the lights off and lock the door: you can save lots more energy by adjusting your water heater to its lowest setting, turning off appliances and unplugging electronics. TVs, computers, toasters, and lamps continue to use power when they are turned off, but still plugged in.

3) Get there conscientiously
Jet flights are one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. If you have to fly, pay a little extra to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of your flight through an organization like Sustainable Travel International; choose nonstop flights whenever possible (the majority of fuel use occurs on takeoff and landing), and take public transportation to the airport. For shorter trips, consider taking the train if it’s available.

4) Pack light
The lighter your travel bag(s), the fewer resources you burn while transporting your goods, and the more money you save by avoiding additional baggage fees. A plane, car or train burns less fuel when it’s carrying a lighter load, and you’ll be less encumbered when you’re traveling, as well. All sorts of lightweight travel gear, clothing and accessories can help lighten your load, as can strategic packing approaches.

5) Stay at a “green” hotel
More and more hotels around the world are greening up their practices. Make a deliberate choice to find an eco-conscious hotel by checking out websites such as the Green Hotels Association, I Stay Green, or BnBscape.com, an association of eco-friendly bed and breakfasts and inns. You’ll find properties committed to saving energy, water, and reducing their solid waste output through the use of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), low-flow toilets, in-room recycling, building with recycled materials, and much more.

6) Save water wherever you stay
Whether or not you’re stating at a “green” hotel, you can still take your own conservation measures. Reuse towels and advise housekeeping that you don’t need your sheets changed daily. Doing one less load of laundry a week can save as much as 2,000 gallons of water a year—imagine that figure magnified in the hotel industry. And opt for shorter showers: the average U.S. showerhead spits out about 2.5 gallons per minute, which means that an indulgent 15-minute shower uses nearly 40 gallons of water.

7) Take reusable bottles & utensils
A reusable stainless steel or plastic water bottle should be the norm for travelers these days. But also take reusable utensils, such as the handy bamboo sets from To-Go Ware that come with their own wrappers made from recycled plastic bottles. And while you may not want to pack a cloth napkin if you lack easy washing access, use fewer paper napkins.

While these may seem like minor measures, imagine the collective impact if we all committed to doing even these seven things. Are you in?

Here’s to getting greener,

Wendy

This guest post was written by Wendy Redal, Editorial Director at Natural Habitat Adventures.

© Cassiano “Zapa” Zaparoli