Planning Your Summer Vacation?

Right around this time of year, people are starting (or already have started) to think about their long-awaited summer vacation. Although it is only February, there is research to do, reservations to make, and trips to plan. But how can you ensure that your trip is sustainable as well?

First of all, there are some awesome tours around the world that have a focus on low-footprint tourism, or eco-tourism. And when I say around the world, I mean it-- you can catch a tour in South, Central, and North America, as well as Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceana, Europe, and the Middle East. You can start your search at http://www.ecotourdirectory.com/ or http://ecotours.com/.

Don't want to travel with a large group? Okay-- but there are still ways to make your trip more eco-friendly. Here is another one of my handy-dandy lists of eco-friendly ideas!:

Consider taking a train instead of driving a car or flying when you have to go long distances over land.

                        

• Avoid flying! Flying airplanes has a devastating impact on the Earth. Most of the time (if not all of the time), make your holidays close to home. Even for the wealthy, travelling the world need not be a yearly activity-- as long as you have a few special experiences overseas in your lifetime, that should be enough, don't you think? There may well be some interesting cities right near your hometown-- and there are wonderful campgrounds to visit in many countries.
• If you happen to stay at a hotel, check out their environmental policies first. http://www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com/ shows you which hotels around the globe are committed to sustainability.
• While exploring an area of the city, again, don't bother with the car-- it's always a hassle to park those things anyway. You can cycle, bus, walk, or take the subway to get around.
• If a car is definitely going to be part of your travel experience, rent a hybrid or electric car.
• Search ahead of time for vegetarian restaurants in the city that you are travelling to. After all-- veggie meals have a smaller environmental impact. See http://www.happycow.net/ for a directory of vegetarian restaurants.
  
• Souvenirs? Do you really need them? Ask yourself how many of your old souvenirs are currently gathering dust in the back of a closet. Remember the old saying: "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints." This applies to visiting cities, too! And remember that souvenirs that come from animals (including wildlife souvenirs) often are a product of cruelty.
• Pack any food that you'll bring along in reusable containers. Try to use what you already have on hand instead of buying new containers, but if you don't have enough, make sure to buy some metal ones, as opposed to plastic. If you don't think you have enough packing space, use some reusable sandwich bags (http://www.snacktaxi.com/).
• Treat the city or country that you are visiting as you would (or should!) treat your hometown. In other words: recycle, don't litter, don't trod on people's flowers, etc. Simple enough!
• Investigate ahead of time what sort of volunteer work you could do while on holiday. You may get some ideas from http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/eco-travel-volunteer-vacations-50022309. If there are no volunteer opportunities being offered, take matters into your own hands and organize a litter cleanup with your fellow travellers, plant a tree, give some of the locals organic vegetable seeds (especially in impoverished countries), and drop environmental organization flyers into mailboxes. Come up with your own ideas-- volunteerism can make you feel surprisingly inspired!

In summary: Green travel is possible, easy, and fun! So go for it. And come back next week for new tips!