Traveling sustainable

What exactly is sustainable travel and how can each of you contribute?

Adjusting destination and duration of stay 

A weekend in New York or a flight overseas for a stay of one week are not exactly what you call economic if you think about how much greenhouse gases a plane blows into our atmosphere. So please before planning a trip, adjust the duration and the destination and choose travel agencies, which care for the environment.

 

Buying souvenirs

I always by souvenirs at different dealers and not in a big shopping mall. That way besides a nice good, you might have a unforgettable memory about how you bargained for it, about the contact with the dealer, the cup of tea they offered you or whatever made the souvenir so special. Also you support local families  and you take care that the small dealers survive. Please take care before shopping that you don´t buy any protected species like corals, shells, tropical wood e.g. 

Please visit this website for more informations: http://www.worldwildlife.org/

 

Buying food

I love to by fresh fruits and vegetables on a market at different spots. You get in touch with the local people and also give money to different families and not just one. It´s much better than to buy it in a big supermarket. I also avoid buying goods that are sealed or even carried there from abroad.

 

Accomodation

Of course I also have already booked all-inclusive vacations in a big hotel. Most of the times I avoid that and for longer travel I prefer to look for a campground, a bed & breakfast, hostel or a small hotel owned by private people. Also I really can recommend Eco-Hotels which have a certificate of some kind. Please use your towels in the hotel for a few days and don´t throw it on the floor after just one use. You would not do that at home, would you?

Tours and Excursions

I book my excursions with local providers. They know their country best and most of the time have valuable and interesting informations, which you don´t find in a travelbook. Also if booking with locals you support the people there.

Water consumption

Please take care, especially in dry countries, that you don´t take a shower for too long or even take a bath. Please use biological soap and shampoo and don´t use the  free samles of small bottles provided from the hotel. You never know, what kind of stuff is mixed together. You don´t do anything good for your skin and for the environment neither. Please take all your carbage with you when leaving a nice spot, the weight of your luggage will still be reduced significantly. Even if there are carbage cans on the beaches, you never know if or when they will be emptied. With strong winds and if they are full, all of the carbage gets blown across the beaches.

The best thing to do is to act environmental friendly like you were at home.

Read more about it: http://sustainabletravel.org