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The environment & humans face the immense challenge of climate change today. We have to tread carefully in every item that we buy and everywhere we go. In such a situation, travelling can often be faced with ethical and moral decisions. We all want to live in the world without leaving any negative impact on the environment. With climate change and other environmental crises, making ethical travelling choices has to be a part of our daily lives.
It is essential for us to practise mindful & sustainable travel in the terms of causing less harm to their footprint. Most searched topics you will find on the internet are things to do while or before travelling, but we are about to give you an insight about things NOT to do when you travel, which is equally important in today’s era.
Why should you travel eco- friendly?
Let’s discuss a couple of reasons before guiding through the steps.
- Tourism affects the ecosystem: CO2 emissions from aviation, cars & other means of transportation.
- Soil emission from garbage, litter & careless use of amenities, toiletries.
1. Fly As Less As Possible
The best way to reduce CO2 is to cut down on flying. Out of all different ways to transport, short aviation causes the most pollution per kilometer. Stopovers will only make the journey longer which involves more kilometers, more fuel, more bad emissions. Instead of choosing multiple short flights, try for other means of public transportation.
2. Travel Economy
You are probably wondering how it makes a difference when it’s the same flight both classes tend to travel in? Well, business class fliers create far bigger carbon footprints than economy fliers. It is because business class takes up loads of physical space, while economy class carries more people and is thus way more efficient.
3. Travel With Personal Reusable Items
All those little toiletries tubes are actually terrible for environmental use. They are not biodegradable & cause major distress to the environment. Now we see a change in hotels adopting more to containers instead of one time use plastics. Thus, bring your own shampoo, conditioner & lotion in reusable bottles.
4. Do Not Tease Animals
You must have witnessed tigers, lions, cheetahs posing with human travellers. It’s often because they are semi-sedated & live in poor maintained cages. The animal orphanages give false reports that they treat the sheltered beings well but try to research more on it, find the truth and report. The only tourist attraction should revolve around witnessing animals happy & free in their own habitat from a safe distance.
5. Choose A Green Destination
Supporting places that are working to combat climate change and preserve their local ecosystems is a big step in protecting the planet. Some of these destinations can include Netherland, Lake Tahoe, Ecuador which made it to top 100 sustainable destinations for the focus on going green in terms of innovation in sustainable tourism. Raise awareness to these destinations as much as you can.
6. Keep It Local Wherever You Go
It is important to consume local produce & in that way supporting the local economy. Eat in locally owned restaurants, stay in locally owned lodges, hotels & AirBNBs. Support indigenous artisans by buying handicrafts & products which are usually affordable & of good quality. Avoid buying items made from animal skin and recycle everything you can while on the road.
