Have You Considered … How To Travel A Little More Sustainably?

PSA for all you adventurers: here’s how to be a little kinder on your travels.

Travel, for a lot of us, is the thing we most look forward to. Be it hitting somewhere tropical and not moving from your deckchair of choice until you have finished a book greater than the size of Shantaram or exploring the streets of a new city, it’s what we save for and dream of.

The reality, though, is that our travel isn’t doing the world any favours.

As The Independent recently pinned, travel accounts for around eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are the findings of a paper – published in scientific journal Nature Climate Change – and the first attempt to quantify the industry’s total carbon footprint.

“Our analysis is a world-first look at the true cost of tourism – including consumables such as food from eating out and souvenirs – it’s a complete life-cycle assessment of global tourism, ensuring we don’t miss any impacts,” Dr Arunima Malik, a sustainability expert at the University of Sydney, told the masthead, saying they tracked everything for the paper, from flights to souvenirs.

Encouragingly, according to a recent TripAdvisor survey, nearly two-thirds of all travellers lean towards make more environmentally sound choices when on the road. So, how can you actively do this?

When travelling, we need to reach for the choices that are kinder to this world of ours. The UN recently reported that we don’t have much more than 11 years to avoid catastrophic global warming of more than 1.5 degrees. Seeking to reduce our footprints then is an imperative – where possible, go for eco-friendly transport and accommodation, BYO bags and avoid, wherever humanly possible, single use plastics.

In good news, too, there are plenty of destinations you can choose to adventure with who are also working on their footprint.

Case in point: the New York Times revealed that New York’s Hilton Midtown DIYs its own power with a 1.75 megawatt plant. Utilising natural gas, it powers a large portion of what’s needed to keep the hotel running, reducing its footprint by a whopping 30%. Similarly, the French Polynesian luxury resort, The Brando, has switched entirely to renewable energy, including solar and – wait for it – coconut oil.

Change, as always, starts with us? and the choices you make. The below might feel like small tips, but if each one of us makes the change in their own behaviours – that’s a massive, collective change.

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BYO bottle
Carry a BPA-free bottle with you on your travels. Most hotels and restaurants you hit will be able to fill this up for you. Always make sure you have the green light to drink the water before you go in search of a tap, though to make sure it’s safe to drink.

Be sure to have this hand on the plane, too, to prevent the hostie handing you a new plastic cup every time you need to quench your thirst.

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Press repeat
For other drinks on the plane, be sure to reuse the first cup they give you , again and again. There’s no need to get a new glass for every pinot.

Travel sized
Avoid the hotel shampoo and conditioner. BYO if you can. Or, if you forget, use the hotel’s but make sure you carry it with you until it’s drained and recycle the packaging. Same same with your hand soap - pack it to go! This way there’s only one set of plastics used - not one for every hotel you call home for the night.

Laundry day
Typically, hotel laundries wash each guest’s clothes separately. If you do need to use the laundry, be sure to tick an eco-friendly option where applicable, and make sure you have a full load before you hit the start button

Say no to turn down
As nice as it is to wake up in fresh sheets and use fresh towels, we tend to forget about the chemicals involved in the cleaning of your room. So, why not leave the Do Not Disturb sign on the door? Perfect excuse for a sleep in…

Avoid anything that’s single use
Plastic bags, maps, water bottles … Cocktails are just as good without a straw! Say no if you can or if not, be sure to return where possible or to recycle.

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BYO Bag
Always have a few tucked away with you so you never have to go the plastic option. We love these string options by Cloth & Co.

Travel light
Take public transport where possible to cut down on emissions, communally. Plus, you get a true taste of the location and meet interesting people along the way.

Dispose of your waste properly
Don’t flush anything that shouldn’t be flushed, treat the beach like your own backyard, clean up after yourself and recycle wherever possible.

Offset
Our first step should always be to reduce our carbon footprint … local beaches anyone? But where that’s not possible, carbon offsetting is an option to consider. Just make sure you are contributing to a credible scheme in line with the Government's National Carbon Offset Standard.