Here are some great starting points and tips on environmental or eco-conscious travel. Hopefully, there are a few in here that you do already, but if not, no worries! You have to start somewhere. Pick one or two of these to implement on your next trip so you don’t get overwhelmed by all the things you can do to be more conscious in your travels.
Sustaining these changes over a stretch of time is much better than trying to do them all at once and then giving up. Once you have mastered a few changes, you can think about implementing some more! We have organised these into 5 handy headings to help you remember these travel tips on your own road to eco-conscious travel.
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Take it with you
Take your eco habits with you! We often switch off when on holidays and revert to less eco conscious ways of living. Remember to keep those habits going even when on holidays. Turn off lights and air conditioning when leaving your hotel and resist the urge to use those tiny plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner. We must admit we have only just started doing this last one as we find it so hard to say no to free stuff! It feels good to leave them sitting there and our shampoo bars and soaps are generally better quality anyway.
Take your reusable water bottle and keep cup. There’s no need for plastic water bottles or single use coffee cups on holiday! If you forget to take these or don’t have one yet, why not wait till you’re at your destination and buy one as a souvenir? We got new keep cups in New Zealand for this very reason.
We bring along our wax wraps and own cutlery as well! This helps you be prepared for a plastic free picnic lunch and you can say no to plastic cutlery when trying new street food. We now have a set of chopsticks each, and two straws that permanently live in Tiff’s hand bag so we’re never caught out.
Leave it looking better
Try to leave the place better than you found it; is a common piece of advice within the eco friendly travel community. The easiest way to do this? Pick up that piece of rubbish you walked past! Whether it’s on a hike, by the beach or in the city, if you see some rubbish, pick it up and dispose/recycle it correctly.
We have recently started putting an empty carry bag and some gloves (for the things you want to pick up but don’t really want to touch like doggie poo bags) in our hiking pack, so we have room for the rubbish we pick up. There have sadly been a few times that we simply ran out of places to carry the trash we found or didn’t feel safe picking it up before we started doing this.
Reduce your own footprint when travelling. Be aware that you are using valuable local resources on your travels. Keep water use down to a minimum and be sure to treat the land and people with care and respect. Instead of driving everywhere, why not take a bike or walking tour, if you can, make use of public transport as well.
Keep it local
Supporting local businesses and restaurants instead of big chains means your money is going directly back into the community and the places you’re visiting. Local restaurants often source produce within the region, which means your food has less of a carbon footprint too.
Go on tours run by local people instead of bigger worldwide enterprises. These tours are often much more insightful and give a better connection and understanding of the place you are visiting.
Shop at local markets for food and souvenirs. Don’t get meaningless gifts made of plastic when you can purchase something handmade and environmentally friendly! Try to purchase as direct as possible. If you are getting something from the maker themselves, you know they are getting paid correctly for their work and keeping carbon footprints down at the same time.
Support the independent book shops!! Perhaps Tiff’s favourite souvenir is that of a locally written book. Her favourite way to find the good ones is to ask for recommendations at the indie bookshops. She has learnt so much by doing this and you always get a good convo with the staff too! With the occasional local tip on other things as well, like the best spots to eat and hidden gems to check out.
Travel slowly
This is undoubtedly a hard one in today’s society but going slow really helps your environmental impact. Short, quick trips with flights all over the world create huge carbon emissions. Why not save up your leave and go for a longer time, especially if you need a plane to get there? If you have a small amount of time for travel, try staying closer to home with a road trip or staycation.
We know not everyone can travel slowly though, so a great way to combat this is to carbon offset your flights. You can even do this after the flight if you forget at the time! Don’t feel you have to go with the offset option provided by the airline either. Do some research and find one that works for you. This goes for choosing the airline you fly with as well. Some are a lot further along than others in taking some small steps to being more environmentally friendly.
Use The Road Less Written motto for Eco-Conscious Travel
Forge your own path when travelling! It’s best to avoid those tourist hotspots and write your own road. Places can get overrun and overwhelmed by masses of tourists, so go to the lesser known and less crowded destinations. If you really want to go to the tourists hotspots,try going in off seasons when there are fewer crowds and you’ll create less of a strain on the place you’re visiting.
Why not flip the script on travelling norms and create your own way of travelling? So many people are taking a much slower and more eco friendly approach to travelling whilst also kicking societal norms to the kerb. Take inspiration from others and then find what works best for you! This is exactly what we have done and we are loving it!!
Tiff’s job makes it very easy for us to travel and earn a little money along the way. But you don’t need to be a radiographer to work whilst you travel. There are so many industries that rely on travellers to help them out; not to mention jobs you can do remotely as well. Take it from us, it’s well worth creating the travel and life you want instead of following everyone else down the same beaten track.
See? It’s easy!
These are just some starting points that we have come across in our journey to being more eco-conscious in our lives and how we travel. The biggest thing to remember when travelling is that the environmental crisis doesn’t go on holiday when you do. Keep all those good habits you have at home going when you travel. If you do this, you are already well on your way to being an eco-conscious traveller.
When we talk about eco-conscious travel, it’s important to note that we aren’t just referring to being environmentally friendly. We also focus on the cultural aspect of travel, being respectful of the people and land you are on. When we travel, we are guests in someone else’s home and we must respect their ways of living.
Make sure you are informed of cultural differences before you go, to make sure you don’t come across as disrespectful. And always read the signs! If you are visiting an area that has great cultural significance, there are often signs helping to guide you in your actions and behaviours so use them and follow their advice.
Want an extra tip for Eco-Conscious Travel?
Look for tours that have been accredited for low environmental impact and giving back to the communities they operate in. We have found these kinds of tours to be amazing! They can often be the more culturally guided tours as well, which gives a more in-depth look into the place you are visiting.
We would love to hear from you all about your thoughts on eco-conscious travel. What tips do you have? We are continually growing and learning about all of this and love to do it with you. So let us know here, on our socials or get in contact through our email.
Keen for more inspo?
Be sure to check out:
- Top 10 Things to do in Busselton & Surrounds
- Margaret River Caves Guide
- 5 Must Visit Auckland Beaches
