Tips to Become a Green Traveler

Eco-friendly travel means more than just finding the nearest recycling bin or making your car as fuel efficient as possible on road trips. There are several ways you can help protect the earth when you’re far from home. Here are just a few ideas to make sure you travel green.

• Consider alternative transportation. Don’t rely on your gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle. Instead use public transportation, rent a hybrid vehicle, ride a bike or even walk – sometimes it’s more about the journey than the destination.
• Stay in a green hotel. Search specifically for these hotels that are devoted to reducing waste and saving energy.
• Respect the local area’s environmental concerns. Some areas suffer water shortages, others polluted air. Find out what environmental challenges the local area faces, and do your part to protect these precious resources.
• Plan a trip specifically for ecotourism to promote conservation. And while you’re there, do a bit of volunteering to help the local community.
• Check your souvenirs. Do they really support the local community? Or were they made in a foreign factory and shipped to the destination? Make sure they aren’t made of any plant or animal products that are endangered or illegal.
• Become a carbon-neutral traveler. You can purchase green tags to offset the emissions you create during your journey. Check out www.terrapass.com to calculate the carbon footprint of your next trip and purchase carbon offset credits.
• Travel light. Less weight can mean fewer emissions. It can also mean less waste since you won’t have as much stuff to worry about.
• Listen to the organizations who know. There are any number of organizations interested in conservation. The National Aquarium has an excellent list of tips to make everyday Earth Day. National Geographic has the Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Travel. The Nature Conservancy has a special section on green living.
• Follow the maxim: Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.

Do you practice sustainable travel? Share your tips with us in the comments below. 

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.