Tuesday 11 May 2021

Sustainable travel: how to be a more sustainable traveller

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With people all across the globe looking at their individual carbon footprints and changing their lifestyles to be more eco-friendly, many are looking at ways to improve the impact their travelling has on the globe. 

Whilst one of the simplest ways to cut back on emissions and reduce carbon footprints is to reduce car travel and fly less, if you want to explore the world or have to do so for business that cannot be avoided. With that in mind, if you travel for work or are a globetrotter it is worth looking at ways to make trips more sustainable. 

How you travel

When thinking of a trip look at how you are going to get there. If flying can’t be avoided carefully choose your airline and opt for those improving their eco credentials. Whilst cruise ships can be high carbon polluting if you have time on your hands and love to brave the seas a sailboat is a great choice. Another great choice for slow travel is a train as they emit the lowest levels of greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants plus they are a great way to take in the landscape.


Local travel

When you’ve arrived at your destination consider how you are going to get out and about. Put your best foot forward and explore your local surroundings on foot, consider a bike, enjoy walking tours and take public transport where possible which is also a great way to meet local people. If renting a car consider an electric car or at least the smallest vehicle to suit your needs and if you are on water sail instead of taking a power-engined boat.


Business travel 

If you travel for business by car consider car-sharing which can lower emissions compared to two or more cars on the road and it can also help save money on travel costs. Other ways for making business travel more sustainable include switching to an electric vehicle, having an organised itinerary with back-to-back business trips going from client to client without the extra travel back to the office in between and if you have to fly for business travel, fly direct. 

Location, location, location

When selecting the location of your holiday choose destinations working to ease their footprint. Barbados has a ban on single use plastics, Italy’s Trentino region is home to the world’s first plastic-free ski resort and Copenhagen, Denmark is set to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.


Look at your luggage

Help reduce your overall emissions footprint by having lighter luggage. A great way to lighten your luggage is to pack a capsule wardrobe. When thinking about sustainability and holidays, avoid buying a holiday wardrobe as often this is part of throwaway, fast fashion as they are not worn after the holiday. If you do have to buy new for your holiday try to buy items you will wear again afterwards too and consider how eco-friendly and sustainable the items you buy are. Also look at other items you pack such as toiletries and opt for reusable and environmentally friendly options.


Skip the souvenirs 

As it is important to lighten your luggage, think carefully when buying on holiday so that your suitcase is not overflowing with items that will make the return journey much heavier. Also often items bought on holiday lose their sparkle once home, ending up in landfill and souvenirs can sometimes be cheap items that have an exploitative background. If you want to shop, look for local businesses and locally made items.


Have you thought about how sustainable your travel is?

1 comment:

  1. After spending so long not travelling I'm definitely going to consider my travel more in the future, it's good to hear that some destinations are doing their part to ease their footprint x

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