How to Travel More Sustainably

How to Have an Environmentally Friendly Holiday

When you're thinking about booking a vacation for you and your family, it can often feel like you need to put all attempts at a sustainable, or eco-friendly, lifestyle on hold. Not so! While you may not be able to duplicate your at-home habits (composting!) there are definitely ways to continue to act sustainably, repurpose and upcycle while travelling. Here are a few ways to ensure that you're able to enjoy a vacation while still choosing to protect the environment and reduce your waste.



Choose Environmentally-Friendly Accommodation
When researching possible accommodation, eco-friendly options really do exist! How to figure this out? Most importantly, research the company that you're booking with. Take a look at their Corporate Responsibility or Mission statement - it should include specifics regarding their environmental and sustainability initiatives.

An almost sure-fire option? Rather than stay in hotels, consider booking self-catered villas instead. This gives you greater control over the amount of waste that you'll be creating, with the option to cook your own food (using locally grown ingredients) rather than eat at restaurants. At James Villas, they offer a selection of luxurious self-catered 2021 holidays for you and your family that can help you to travel sustainably.

Repurpose Your Travel Clothes
When you prepare for an exciting vacation, it's tempting to rush to the nearest clothing store and purchase new clothes. Unfortunately, these travel clothes tend to go to waste, with many of them ending up in landfill sites and being a waste of both material and money. A better option? Pack really light and splurge on one unique item when you get to your destination.

If you really need new gear, think second-hand first! And if you do return with items you'll never wear again, consider repurposing your clothing into cushion covers and blankets or using them for art projects. Or have some fun redesigning items by adding pockets, patches, and other accessories that can make items more wearable for daily life.

Choose an Eco-Friendly Transportation Method
Unfortunately, flying has a devastating impact on the environment. Although no other human activity pushes individual emission levels as fast and as high as air travel, most of us don’t stop to think about its carbon impact. So here's an invitation to stop and think. When considering vacation travel, consider destinations accessible via boat, trains and other public transport options.

You can also think about swapping driving your car with trains, trams and rideshare options. If you must fly, you look for companies that offer efficient aircraft options or choose longer haul flights, which are less wasteful.

Do Eco-Friendly Activities
Adopt an experience-over-stuff mindset! And consider your impact on the natural habitats you're visiting. Think about ways to be respectful of the environment that you are immersing yourself in and ensure that you leave no litter or waste behind. You could even decide to make a positive impact before you leave. For example, pick an afternoon to volunteer at a natural site, or help with a beach clean- up in the local area, ridding the beaches of waste left by other visitors.

Create Your Own Holiday Souvenirs
Rather than reinforce the creation of more waste products by spending on plastic souvenirs, you can create your own souvenirs by upcycling maps, creating art from local flora or simply by taking pictures versus buying stuff.

Thanks to guest writer, Delicia Warren, for this great post! Delicia is a freelance writer, passionate about the environment, organic farming and food production. An advocate for a holistic approach to the world’s problems, she has a particular interest in the small changes individuals can make to their lifestyle to minimize their environmental footprint.