8 Incredibly Easy Tips To Travel More Eco-Friendly

We made a list of the 8 easiest things you can do to travel more eco-friendly. They will not reduce the quality of your trip in any way but will help to save the planet.

Don’t print out e-tickets

On average 8 million people fly every day around the world. The majority book their flight tickets online and get an e-ticket and itinerary sent to their email address. And almost everyone prints it out before the trip. Although we don’t have to do it at all! The e-tickets are issued for passengers information only, so they don’t forget the date and time of the flight.

At the check-in counter, you will need only your passport to register for your flight. And no one will ask for your printed e-ticket.

Moreover, in the majority of the airports, you don’t even have to print your boarding pass. So if you checked-in for your flight online, you need to save your boarding pass on your phone. Then you just show it from your phone when dropping your baggage, going through the customs and boarding a plane.

If you need to print your ticket and boarding pass for some reason, then choose an eco-friendly paper. Look for FCS sign on the paper. It means that the paper was produced according to ecological standards with minimal damage to the environment.

Don’t warp your luggage in a plastic film

Many travelers want to protect their luggage from damages or from being open and they wrap it in plastic film. Some people use special services at the airports, others do the wrapping themselves.

But think about it twice before doing it next time. The plastic film will be used just for several hours, but after that, it will take almost 200 years for it to degrade. The best alternative would be to buy a reusable luggage case.

Not using any protection for a suitcase at all is also not a completely right decision. Without cover, your luggage case can easily get damaged during the flight or handling at the airport. Production of a new case takes a lot of resources and energy, thus if you have to change your suitcase regularly you increase your footprint on the planet.

Nowadays you can also find suitcases made of recycled materials, such as recycled water bottles. If you are in need of a new suitcase, this would be a great option. Remember to use a reusable cover to protect it to make this side of your travel eco-friendly.

Walk more

Walking is the most eco-friendly way of getting around. Cycling can also be called an eco-friendly way to travel, however, its production involves a large number of resources and energy. While walking doesn’t require production or resources. 🙂

We cannot recommend stopping flying at all. But here are some tips for you to make your flight more eco-friendly.

• Take direct flight — a large volume of fuel is burnt during the take-off.
• Choose airlines with modern aircrafts and higher seat occupancy rate. The more people aircraft carries, the less negative impact on the environment it has per person.
• Fly with carry-on only. The less baggage you have, the less fuel the aircraft will use. This reduces CO2 emissions during the flight.
• Bring your own cutlery set and refuse the disposable plastic fork and spoon provided on board.
• Choose environmentally responsible airlines. Some airlines offer to offset your carbon emissions from the flight, by either including it in the cost of the tickets or adding a small amount on top.
• Offset your carbon emissions. If your airline doesn’t offer such an option, you can always calculate your carbon footprint yourself and then offset the emissions through one of the special organizations.

Buy local produce

This is one of the nicest “duties” of a responsible eco traveler. You are in France and having croissants for breakfast? Enjoying Jamon in Spain and mozzarella in Italy? You are doing everything right! The most eco-friendly product is the one made locally as it involves minimal transportation.

The biggest part of our ecological footprint comes from transportation of food items. This is why it’s best to stop buying imported products. Instead, we should purchase seasonal and locally made products. This way we help to cut on carbon emissions that come from the transportation industry.

Say no to daily change of your bed linens in hotels

Let’s be honest, no one changes their bed linens at home every day. Don’t forget about it when you travel. Say no to daily cleaning of your room if there’s no actual need. Hang a sign “Don’t disturb” outside of your door and the hotel staff will not come into your room.

Also, pay attention to the “Eco Tips” in your hotel. Many hotels will provide a card explaining the “signal” you can give to the staff if you want or don’t want your linen and towels to be changed. For example, if you want your towels changed you need to put them on the floor or in the special basket. Otherwise, you should keep them on a hanger.

Use eco-friendly sunscreen

Did you know that conventional sunscreen contains a chemical that destroys coral reefs and marine ecosystems? Its name is oxybenzone, and many sunscreens contain it. According to experts, approximately 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in the oceans every year.

If this doesn’t convince you to make a change, then you should also know that this and other chemicals containing in the sunscreen are harmful to your skin. If you want to protect yourself and the environment, you need to use organic sunscreens that use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as a base.

Also look for the QAI, BDIH and EWG signs, that certify that only organic components were used in production and the sunscreen is safe for use.

Refill your water bottle

Make sure to take a reusable water bottle with you wherever you go. In many countries around the world, it’s safe to drink tap water. In others, you can get your water bottle refilled in the hotels, cafes or special water stations. This way you will avoid buying bottled water every day, cutting down on your plastic waste and saving money.

If you forgot your bottle, then you can buy a bottle of water in the shop and then reuse it till the end of the trip. A reusable water bottle is the must-do during your eco-friendly travel.

Don’t take ANY bags at the shop

We used plastic bags on average for about 15–20 minutes. After that, they end up in the trash bin and later in a landfill. Some of them will end up in the ocean.

At the same time, we should also refuse biodegradable bags. This is just another marketing trick, greenwashing. Unfortunately, most of these materials fall apart to microparticles, a.k.a. microplastics. The particles continue traveling around the globe, polluting the environment.

The situation with the paper bags is not so easy as well. During the production of paper bags, the air and the water get polluted even more than during production of the plastic bags. At the same time, a large volume of trees needs to be cut for this purpose.

The best solution would be to always carry your own reusable bag!

Originally published at https://awareimpact.com on August 4, 2019.