Travel expands our minds, promotes cultural understanding & provides a lifetime of memories. Unfortunately, being a traveller can also have damaging effects on the environments we visit.
With over 10 million Australians ALONE travelling every year, it’s more important than ever to ensure every traveller is doing their part to protect the world we visit.
No, this doesn’t mean spending a lot of money or making a lot of difficult changes. On the contrary, being an eco-traveller is easier than you realise because it simply requires you to be mindful.
International gap-year travel experts, The Global Work & Travel Co., are an eco-friendly company who here to help you on the path to cleaner holidays with their top tips to help you minimise your environmental impact and become a conscientious traveller:
1. DITCH THE BUCKET-LIST MENTALITY
Do your bit to combat over-tourism by ditching the bucket-list ‘things to do before you die,’ mentality and blaze your own trail somewhere less obvious.
Travel to places who are leading the way in sustainability such as Peru, Iceland, or Finland.
To find a destination that’s officially certified as taking sustainability issues seriously, click here to visit the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) website.
2. OPT FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION
Image: Luiz Centenaro/Unsplash
More environmentally friendly accommodation options are available to travellers than ever before. This types of accommodation offers renewable energy and often has an effective waste management system in place.
And they’re popping up everywhere! Among them is a boutique hotel opened in Peru that’s entirely environmentally friendly and aimed at people “who want to stay in non-chain properties with modern facilities and a sense of place”. Click here to read more about it.
The Global Work & Travel Co. can help source eco-friendly certified hotels, but if you stay in a regular hotel, you can help the environment by minimising your towel usage, and ask the staff if they can only re-make your bed every two or three days instead of each day.
3. STOP USING ‘ONE-USE’ PLASTICS
Image: Ishan @seefromthesky/Unsplash
Plastic waste, especially in developing countries is an enormous problem. These underdeveloped countries do not have the facilities to dispose of waste properly and safely. For countries where water is safe to drink, purchase a reusable water bottle and fill it up along your way.
There are also so many other ways you can reduce the waste you leave behind. For example, when you go shopping, take your own vegetable and shopping bags, or carry a backpack to store them in. When flying, you can help reduce one-use plastics by refusing to use the headphones and amenities on board as these are often wrapped in plastic.
4. CHOOSE SUNSCREEN WISELY
Image: Mohamed Nashah/Unsplash
Yes, harmful chemicals from sunscreen can leach into our oceans and damage coral.
The Great Barrier Reef especially draws millions of visitors to the area from all over the world each year. Snorkelers and scuba-divers alike can swim alongside the thousands of species that call the reef their home.
However, the ecosystem is fragile and when you swim with sunscreen on, chemicals like Oxybenzone can seep into the water, where they are absorbed by coral. The best way around this?
Wear biodegradable sunscreen, or wear sun-protective clothing instead.
5. TOTE AROUND A REUSABLE STRAW
Image: SWZLE/Unsplash
Reusable straws are popping up everywhere as bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and others choose to eliminate them, and cities across the country begin to ban them.
Pack a reusable one in your carry-on if you’re not sure about your destination’s stance on the straws.
6. WALK OR TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WHEN POSSIBLE
Image: Natanael Vieira/Unsplash
Taking public transport in a foreign country is an adventure on its own.
When it comes to the environment, travelling by bus, subway or tram is a much more eco-friendly option than taking a short-haul flight or car. A positive is that you’ll save money by walking places or buying a pass. Walking also means you’ll get to see way more sites, ships, and hidden treasures you would otherwise miss while travelling in the back of a car.
While most of these suggestions are applicable to your daily lives, these are particularly helpful to make sure you leave the smallest impact when you’re travelling. Before you head on your next adventure, consider these tips.