Going eco doesn’t have to be restricted to your own backyard, in fact you can even practice eco friendly habits while travelling for leisure or on business trips wherever you are in the world. The benefits of going eco are not just beneficial to Mother Nature but also to your wallet and luggage bulk. Read on for eco friendly travel tips:
REUSABLE CUPS
The concept is pretty similar to Starbucks’ reusable flask. While travelling most of us tend to purchase bottled water or drinks on the go but instead of adding to the waste, bring with you a BPA-Free Plastic Bottle which can withstand heat and impact. If you’re a coffee drinker, you can try those ingenious “I am Not a Paper Cup” porcelain cups for your lattes and ice coffees. The great thing is that porcelain cups will keep your drinks colder or warmer than the usual paper or cardboard cups.
GO PAPERLESS
Instead of pocketing all those free maps and travel guides at the airport or travel centres, use your smart phone or tablets instead for all your documents such as hotel invoices, e-books and maps. There are plenty of apps for you to download plus its much more convenient and you don’t have to worry about taking up too much space in your luggage bag. Ask your hotels in advance while booking if they’ll accept paperless billing, even if they insist you bring a hard copy but the more people ask about it, they might consider making the switch some day.
The same goes for newspaper, you can always read it on your tablets or laptops. Plenty of newspapers get thrown out at the end of the day unread!
KEEP YOUR BEDSHEETS ON
If you don’t even change your bedsheets everyday at home, why should you while on holiday? Every time you wash your sheets, a large amount of detergent and chemicals go down the drain not to mention water, electricity and manual labor. This is an unneccesary waste of energy and resources so keep your sheets on and shower before hopping onto the bed after a long day of sightseeing!
REUSE YOUR TOWELS
Just like your bedsheets, don’t throw out your towels in the laundry everyday. Air dry them after every use on a hanger or on the shower rails in the bathroom for the next time you take a shower.
USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Using public transportation is a much greener choice compared to cars so if you can take the bus or train, it’ll be quite an experience, we promise! Get an all day or weekly pass depending on the duration of your trip and you’ll save more for the shopping. You can also choose to live closer to central locations to save you time and transportation costs.
RENT A HYBRID CAR
If you can afford it, opt to rent a hybrid car instead and keep emissions low while saving on gas as well. It’s also great to try out what they feel like so that you know if they’re worth switching to once it’s time for you to get a new car.
SWITCH OFF THE LIGHTS
Some people have the habit of leaving one keycard in the hotel room’s card slots to ensure that the room will remain cool when they get back. The problem is, you’ll be out for most of the day and this will result in wasted energy so switch off all lights including the air conditioning and all charging devices as well.
CONSERVE WATER
It’s tempting to use the bath tub and it’s easier to conveniently leave the water running because… you’re not paying the water bill! Water is scarce in different parts of the world and it’s a finite source so remember to save water whenever you can by only using what you need.
The tourism business is huge and if every one of us did our part in recycling and conserving, it’ll do plenty of good to the environment! Remember to always make a conscious effort to stay green while travelling and if possible, choose to stay at eco friendly hotels that recycle their waste and use biodegradable products.
