EASY WAYS FOR YOUR NEXT VACATION TO BE SUSTAINABLE

Who doesn’t enjoy a good vacation? Vacations provide us with a welcome break from the daily grind and stressors. It is easy to make choices that are not sustainable while on vacation, without realizing it. Tourism has become unsustainable and often negatively impacts the people we visit as well as places. You’ve come to a good place if you want to know how to have a sustainable vacation.

We’ll show you 10 simple ways to travel sustainably so that you can have a great vacation without a negative impact.

What is sustainable travel?

Traveling sustainably means minimizing your impact on the place you are visiting. Sustainable travel is a way to help both people and the environment in any destination.

You can travel more sustainably in many ways, but the most important thing is to be aware of your actions. It can be as simple as choosing an eco-friendly boutique or staying in a sustainable hotel.

Sustainable travel does not have to be difficult. Try to make the same choices you do in everyday life while on vacation.

Why you should consider responsible travel

Overtourism has become a problem as travel is more accessible. Overtourism occurs when too many people visit a particular place at the same time, causing a negative impact. It is becoming more common for popular destinations to experience rising prices, environmental degradation, exploitation of labor and the eviction of locals.

What we do when traveling is important. What we do when we travel matters.

By choosing to be more environmentally friendly on vacation, we can ensure that the places visited are not harmed by tourism or altered and will be enjoyed for many years to come.

10 EASY WAYS FOR YOU TO SUSTAINABLE WHILE ON VACATION

1. Bring Reusable Items

Packing reusable items is a great way to reduce your plastic consumption while on vacation. It can be difficult to reduce plastic usage while traveling. You can accumulate a lot of plastic items on your trip, whether you buy water bottles or other single-use, plastic-wrapped products.

When traveling, it is a good idea to bring any items that you can reuse every day. You will reduce your plastic usage and travel more sustainably.

You could bring a reusable bottle of water and fill it up at your hotel or restaurant. You can also use reusable containers to pack your lunch or takeout.

2. Avoid buying travel-size items

Avoid buying items in travel size for your trip. This may seem more convenient, and it will reduce your luggage weight. However, this is a wasteful method. The majority of travel-size products are packaged in plastic, and they will be thrown away at the end of your journey.

If you need new items, purchase a data-uw-rmextlink=”” href=”https://www.sustainablychic.com/blog/zero waste bath and beauty products”>zero waste toiletries. If you want to buy new toiletries, consider buying zero waste toiletries. shampoo, conditioner, and cream are now available in zero-waste bar form, making them perfect for travel.

Since they’re not liquid, you can pack them in your carry-on. These bars are also lighter than liquid toiletries, and they don’t have plastic.

3. Pack sustainably

The items we take on vacation have the potential to increase or decrease our carbon foot print, particularly our microplastics. Pack sustainable clothes and bathroom products. If you have eco-friendly luggage , use it.

It’s not necessary to buy or bring a completely sustainable wardrobe in order to have an impact. Little goes a long ways. Prioritize sustainable alternatives for the items you wear most.

If you are going on a vacation to the beach, then your sustainable swimming suit is likely to be used more and make a bigger impact. When you are going on a mountain trek, sustainable activewear is the best item to bring.

Even if you only swap a few things for items made of sustainable materials, it will make a big difference.

4. Select eco-friendly methods of transportation

The best thing about vacationing is that the transportation itself becomes a way to see things. Eco-friendly transportation is actually more enjoyable. It’s not only sustainable to walk around the city, but it is also a good way to learn about your surroundings.

It’s easy to travel by train or bus while still enjoying your surroundings and reducing your carbon footprint. Choose locally owned transportation companies or hire local drivers if you are short on time.

Flying is unfortunately the least environmentally friendly form of transportation. Many destinations are only accessible by plane. Consider flying if you have the time and are going somewhere that is easily accessible by car, train or bus.

Most airlines offer an option to offset emissions when you fly. Google Flights can even tell you which flight emits the least emissions so that you choose it when feasible.

5. Support local businesses

Supporting local businesses is one of my favorite sustainable vacation strategies. Most travelers shop, eat and stay at the same chain restaurant as they do back home. This not only hurts the local economy but also keeps you from experiencing the real local culture while on vacation.

Choose to support local business over your comfort zone. Try local cuisine at restaurants owned by family members or those that serve locally-grown ingredients.

Locally owned stores are the best places to buy souvenirs. Look for handmade items, local boutiques that are sustainable, or thrift stores.

6. Select Locally Owned Sustainable Accommodation

As a traveler who is committed to sustainability, there are certain things you should look out for when choosing a place to stay during your vacation.

Locally-owned and family-run accommodation is the best choice. These are usually boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts or guesthouses. Avoid chain hotels and resorts. These properties are known to be a part of gentrification, which can lead to higher prices. These properties also don’t usually use sustainable business methods.

Avoid booking through third-party companies if you are looking to rent a property on Airbnb.

Look for accommodations that use eco-friendly practices like sustainable bed linen or water-saving showerheads.

You can filter your search by eco-friendly or sustainable properties on many booking platforms. Eco-friendly booking sites such as Fairbnb can be used to find sustainable accommodation.

You can avoid “greenwashing” by ensuring that the eco-friendly accommodations you are considering are transparent about their sustainable measures.

7. Travelling Off-Season

Locals are affected by the instability of a destination that is overcrowded during peak season and not enough during the rest. The off-season is a time when many businesses have to close, and this is not sustainable. The cost of living can also increase artificially in the high season. Meanwhile, crowds can make it hard for locals go about their everyday lives.

Traveling during the off season is an excellent way to become a more environmentally friendly traveler.

It also has many benefits, including fewer crowds and cheaper prices.

Plan your vacation to avoid peak seasons. This is a great way to fight overtourism, as you give destinations a rest during peak season and still get consistent tourism dollars throughout the year.

8. Locally Run Tours are the Best Choice

When you are on vacation, choose tours that are locally led and sustainable. In most popular destinations, there are large, chain, or internationally-owned tour companies. These companies are able to monopolize tourism by partnering up with hotels and having kiosks in airports.

It is not always convenient to book the first airline you come across. Take the time to compare your options.

Search for tour guides or companies that are locally led, and also those who run their tours sustainably. It’s especially important to consider this when choosing an activity which involves interaction with animals or the natural environment.

Research free walking tours if you are traveling to a city. These tours are offered by most major cities, and are usually led by local experts who are so passionate about the city that they will guide you around free of charge. You will gain local knowledge and, through your tips, support locals.

If you can, work with a woman tour guide. The tourism industry is largely underrepresented by female tour guides.

9. Stay Longer

Consider the length of time that you spend at each destination when planning a sustainable trip. You’re not likely to be sustainable if you plan to visit several places within a short period of time. We tend to only visit the most popular tourist destinations and don’t have time to support local business when we travel in this manner.

Stay longer if you can. You’ll be able to spend more at local businesses and reduce your carbon footprint if you don’t travel as much.

Consider choosing a single destination if you have only a few vacation days. If you want to travel around, pick places that are nearby or don’t require additional flights.

10. Consider Your Consumption

It can feel like we have a free pass when we are on vacation. You may feel tempted to soak in the hotel bathtub for hours, buy a new towel every day or keep the AC and lights on.

Sadly, the amount of food we consume while on vacation is still significant. You can minimize your impact by choosing eco-friendly accommodation that conserves resources. You can also reduce waste by packing your reusable items.

While on vacation, you should be aware of how much water, electricity and plastic you are using.