Those who enjoy travelling have to have the irony of it not being the best activity for our environment. But staying inside is no solution, so this article has put together some ideas of how to have a holiday with a minimal carbon footprint.
Put your best foot forward with walking holidays
There’s nothing more eco-conscious than walking your entire trip. To say we should avoid taxis and hire cars for the sake of the environment is going to convince no one, but to celebrate the beauty of hiking just might.
Beyond the obvious carbon savings, walking holidays are the most intimate way to immerse yourself in a culture and climate. You’re not just seeing it whizz past through a car window, but genuinely living and breathing every second of the trip. Every architectural detail and every cobblestone you misstep is felt, while it’s a chance to stumble on those hidden cafés that escape car-based tourism.
When booking through specialist companies like Orbis Ways, you’ll often find they go the extra mile (sustainably, of course) by offsetting emissions. They promise to compensate the CO2 emissions of your trip.
Become a citizen scientist by reporting species sightings
Whilst you’re out and about eyeing up architecture and sampling the local wine, why not contribute to something rather more scientific? Reporting sightings of monitored species isn’t just about minimising negative impact, but increasing your positive impact – it will be used as valuable conservation data.
Numerous apps and organisations welcome observations from amateur naturalists. It might be that you’ve seen a red squirrel in Scotland or a basking shark in Cornwall. Or, perhaps you’ve seen a Hermann’s tortoise in Southern France. Your sighting could help researchers track population trends and that’s a good feeling. It also gives you a reason to pay closer attention, and this improves your trip experience as you resist the temptation to blitz through your environment in a daze.
Take the train and spare the plane
The Eurostar transformed London-to-Paris from a dreary schlep of airport queues and recycled air into a civilised journey with legroom and lovely sandwiches. Better yet, taking the train slashes your carbon emissions by up to 90% on popular routes.
It’s not just the environmental benefits anyway, as train travel is amazing. You’re either in a tunnel under the sea or looking out towards forests, and this is time to read, drink, work… All with better connections and less turbulence.
Avoid chains and choose eco-friendly accommodation
That McDonald’s in Barcelona serves exactly the same burger as the one at home, including the extrapolated profits and farmer exploitation. Choosing a local, independent restaurant isn’t just going to support the regional economy, but it reduces the food miles of your dinner – the ingredients are more likely to be fresh and local.
The same principle applies to accommodation. Eco-certified hotels and family-run B&Bs are more likely to have solar panels, water conservation systems, and even just use eco-friendly products like hand soaps. Soulless chain hotels are more inclined to take cost-cutting measures which hurt the planet, and they’re more of a sterile experience regardless.
The greenest holiday isn’t about deprivation but intention. As we can see in most examples, it’s not a sacrifice to take the greener route, but a luxury.
