Sustainable Travel: How to Minimize Your Carbon Footprint

When planning transportation for your trip, consider every available option. Is your destination close enough that you could drive there? How about taking a train or a bus? As you've probably guessed, avoiding air travel is key to sustainable travel.  Of course, for many destinations, flying is the only practical option. In these cases, the flight you select can have a huge impact on your carbon footprint. How might that work? If you are chartering a flight, FlyGreen is an example of a plane chartering company that is making an effort to be more sustainable in their operations and impact. They are planting trees to reconcile the carbon emitted by their flights, and are working towards launching an all electric fleet.

Planes give off most of their emissions during takeoff and landing, so be sure to select the most direct flight possible. And don't knock those economy tickets —  business class seats take up as much as 5X the space, thereby using 5X the emissions. While none of these are "perfect" solutions, they willhelp you balance travel with making a dent on your carbon footprint.

When it comes to the environmental impact of traveling, resorts and hotel chains play an outsized role. And while many hotels and hotel chains have begun putting more effort into sustainability, there's still a lot of room for improvement. Hotels in the United States alone create 60 million tons of CO2, generate 1.9 billion lbs of waste and use 219 billion gallons of water every single year.

When traveling, look for green-certified hotels and lodges whenever possible. And don't forget about locally owned accommodations, which have the added benefit of directly supporting local economies. It's a great time for the eco tourism and sustainable travel industries — and many destinations are stepping it up when it comes to protecting the environment. Encourage this shift by doing your homework and supporting "green" hotels and resorts whenever possible.

 “Voluntourism”, or when travelers volunteer their time abroad to help a community or the environment, has its pros and cons. But when done ethically and responsibly, it can be a great way to travel sustainably. Done right, it can be hugely beneficial for both the destination community and for the travelers themselves. But how can you be sure the project you’re signing up for is going to actually make a positive impact? Research the project and the organization thoroughly beforehand, and make sure to sign up for work that's within your expertise and skill set to avoid doing more harm than good. When done correctly, voluntourism can be an opportunity to learn closely about global cultures and communities while simultaneously empowering them through helpful and necessary labor. With good intentions and diligent research, there’s no reason why voluntourism can’t be a great way to travel sustainably.

When traveling, it’s important to try the local foods. Not only will it help bring you out of your culinary comfort zone, it can be great for the local economy. And just as important as what you eat is where you eat for a sustainable diet. Local restaurants are the best option as this keeps your money within the community. Eating local cuisine also gives you a chance to experience authentic cultures through their food, one of the cornerstones of sustainable travel. If your stomach is brave, try the local street vendors and purchase groceries in the local markets. Or better yet, take a cooking class to expand your repertoire and have fun doing it! We travel to expand our comfort zones and our world views, so why not experience the world through your taste buds?

If you’re passionate about sustainable travel, it’s important to advocate for it whenever possible. If airlines, hotels, or popular destinations ask for customer feedback, let them know that sustainability is your biggest priority. Ask them before and during your stay what they’re doing to maximize their sustainability to ensure that they are actually committed to sustainable travel. Once you return home, share your experiences with friends and family. Recommend your favorite sustainable accommodations and destinations, inspire them to reconsider their own traveling carbon footprintsand push them towards greater sustainability efforts. Sharing your experiences on social media and advocating for sustainable destinations is a great way to support the best and greenest places on Earth.

One of the best and most direct ways to support sustainable travel is through donations, but choosing the right way to donate your money can be difficult. There are so many options available, but choosing the right organization to support is key to making sure your money goes out to people and projects who need it. To this end, avoid curated or boutique experiences that pose as sustainable travel. Instead, look for organizations that make sustainable travel accessible to anyone, work directly with the local communities they claim to be helping, have a low overhead cost (most reputable nonprofits subscribe to the 80/20 rule, which means that 80% of funds raised go directly to the program and 20% go towards administrative and fundraising needs) and are transparent about their environmental and social impact.

When you consider the millions of tourists that travel the globe each year, little decisions can add up to have a huge impact on the environment. When traveling, it’s important to continue following as many of the sustainable lifestyle tipswe live by at home as we can. Things like turning the lights off, cycling instead of driving, taking short showers, recyclingand avoiding single-use plastics are great places to start. Don’t overuse linens, as this is a huge source of wastewater, and try to avoid ordering room service in favor of pursuing local dining options. As with most things in life, it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference when it comes to sustainable travel. 

There are endless cities and countries worth visiting in the world, yet certain cities dominate the most visited lists year in and year out. Cities like Bangkok, Barcelona, and Paris are so overcrowded with tourists that it can become impossible to differentiate tourist traps from authentic experiences. Instead, skip the beaten path and check out places like Ljubljana, Slovenia (recently voted the greenest city in the EU), Palau, (which requires visitors to make a sustainability pledge before entering the country), and Costa Rica, which is well regarded for its sustainable tourism. By choosing options that are less "popular", you can have a richer experience while also supporting smaller, more sustainable communities.

No sustainable travel list would be complete without mentioning planting trees.  As they grow, trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere, accounting for as much as 45% of all land carbon. And healthy forests provide habitat biodiversity, improve human and ecosystem health, and more. Volunteering to plant trees within your local community or abroad is a valuable service that benefits the environment, wildlife, and local communities. Don't have time to plant trees yourself? Not to worry: donating to reforestation charitieslike One Tree Planted can help reduce your travel impact and ensure that iconic travel destinations across the globe can continue to support sustainable tourism.