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Nowadays everyone understands the need for environmental consciousness, and gradually more people are beginning to realise that the actions of each individual can add up either in positive or negative ways. When more people adopt eco-friendly habits, there will be a net positive gain for the planet.

Travel is one of the activities where we can easily change our habits to be eco-friendlier. In this article, we will share the top tips for eco-friendly travel.

  • Consider public transport

Almost all major cities across the world have abundant means of public transport; including buses and trains to chauffeurs and taxis. If you’re not staying a long time in the place where you are travelling, car rental is probably an extravagance. Car rental costs more, increases your risk of liability, reduces your personal safety, and makes you have to think about parking. Using public transport is not always the most convenient option, but it is a eco-friendlier option and does not have the drawbacks of using a rental car.

 

  • Spend as much time “out and about” as you can

The more time you spend in your hotel room, the more energy you’ll most likely be consuming. By going out you’ll not only make your visit more interesting and memorable, you’ll also be avoiding the need for climate control in your room which is a major source of energy consumption.

 

  • Reuse your hotel towels when possible

It’s unlikely you wash your towels every day at home, so why expect the hotel to wash towels for you every day if you don’t need that level of service?

Most hotels have a policy that if your towel is hanging up, then you don’t want it washed. Why not start hanging it up rather than leaving it on the floor for them to change it for you from now on?

Washing towels uses a lot of water and heat energy and creates more pollution from the detergents and other chemicals used in the laundry process.

 

  • Consider the carbon offset option on your airline ticket

Many airlines offer an option to add a carbon offset to the cost of your flight. Yes, they probably should be using their own money for this purpose, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t contribute if you can. The offset is usually less than €5 per flight, so you won’t really feel much of an impact from it.

 

  • Choose service providers that are environmentally oriented

This one isn’t always easy, but if you have a choice between two service providers and one is labelled as eco-friendly, it’s more likely that you’ll have less environmental impact by choosing that service than by choosing the competitor.

You may sometimes pay a little more, but if your patronage is supporting conservation and sustainability, then it will be worth it in the long-run.