What is Green Travel?

Few things beat the excitement and thrill of travelling. However, with travelling comes a responsibility. How to leave nothing behind but your own footprints? That is where Green travel comes in. Green travel is all about adopting and embracing green methods and practices to help reduce carbon emissions, save energy and to preserve our natural resources.

That sounds like a huge responsibility but to be honest, if you practice green methods already at home, then this should not be a problem. Staying green whilst on the road is very easy and here you will find tips for a green travel.

Tips for Green Travel and easy methods to practice.

Green travel starts at home. There are a couple of things that you can do before leaving the house.

• Do not print tickets if electronic tickets are accepted. Many Airlines use electronic tickets and even if they don’t, save your tickets to a folder on your Smartphone or tablet. They can be easily downloaded when needed.
• Before leaving on holiday, make sure you have switched all the lights off and unplugged all the electric appliances. Did you know that electric appliances can still consume power even if they are switched off?

The most important contribution to a greener environment, starts when you are on the road.

• Walk where possible or use bicycles. Not only is it fun but you will make a wonderful contribution to a less polluted city.
• If walking or cycling is out of the question, use public transport or fill up a taxi with fellow travellers. It is a great way to take care of our planet as a group, tend to make less of an impact on the environment.
• Always carry an eco-friendly bag when purchasing goods at the supermarket. Plastic bags are not good for the  planet unless the bags can be recycled. Even if you can’t bring your hoverboard with you, you can still make a decison not to buy a plastic bag that is not environmentally friendly.
• Ask the Hostel or Hotel about their recycling program. Flatten plastic bottles and dump them in the recycle bin.
• If the Hotel or Hostel does not have a recycle program, mention Green travel to them. The more people we can educate the better.
• Never dump your garbage in the street or leave it in nature. Always clean up after yourself and dump your carbage in a bin.
• Use re-usable water bottles for drink water. This will eliminate the use of disposible environmentally-unfriendly plastic or glass bottles.
• When hiking try to hike only on marked trails. This way you will preserve nature.

Wherever your feet may take you, always make sure you leave nothing more than your own footprints behind. Remember, green travelling takes a little effort in the beginning but it soon becomes a second nature.