How To Reduce Your Environmental Impact While Traveling

Do you have a bucket list? Mine includes all types of countries from around the world. Anywhere from South Africa to India, I want to explore it all. As good for the soul that travel is, it can be horrible for the environment. As we know, plane rides emit enormous amounts of toxins into the air. Have you thought about the many airlines that only provide single-use plastics and don't dispose of them properly? Hotels can be a huge problem too. You've noticed those small plastic bottles for shampoo, conditioner, lotions, etc. Well think about how many you use in just one trip, let alone how many the hotel uses throughout the year per guest. Luckily, there are steps we can take to eliminate our waste while traveling. In this post, you'll find tips and tricks that I use almost every time I travel to minimize my environmental impact while making eco-conscious decisions that benefit my wallet as well.

I recently was on a flight from Charleston, SC to Palm Springs, CA. I noticed something very different about the flights that I was on. Before takeoff, they aired a commercial on the TVs showing how they were reducing their carbon footprint by recycling on flights and looking into alternative methods for fuel. For the first time, I was excited and didn't feel guilty about my flight. The airline was trying to recycle their single use plastic cups given out during the flight. Even though they didn't eliminate the plastics completely, they separated the cups and straws from the food waste. This gave me a sense of hope, until I went on the next flight with the same airline who aired the same commercial and instead of recycling, they just threw all of the trash in the same bin. This is when I realized that we can't just rely on the airlines to make better decisions. It's up to us, the passengers, to ultimately reduce or eliminate our impact while we travel.

Bring your own re-usable water bottle

When you are traveling, make sure to bring your own large reusable water bottle, no matter how long the flight. You can carry this onto planes and refill it at airports, just make sure that it's empty when going through security. If you are traveling to a foreign country and are worried about the water quality you can even get a water bottle with a built in filtration system to save you the hassle of worrying about getting sick. Fill it up before you board the flight and it should last you the entire flight until you land and can refill it again. This will cut down on plastic water bottles, soda cans, and cups used on the flights. Plus, you'll have much more water than they'd give you on the flight anyway so that's a plus as well.

Bring your own bamboo cutlery set

You can bring your own washable and reusable cutlery as long as it's bamboo and not metal. If you're on a long flight that serves meals, this will cut down on the plastic waste that is created by the silverware that they give you. You can even pack your metal straw if you need one for your water bottle that you brought, just make sure to wash them when you land, either at your hotel or at the airport. If you really want to cut down on waste as well you can even pack pre-made meals for your flights. This not only saves you money, but it also allows you to have healthier options then the carb and sugar loaded meals that many airlines provide. One thing to make sure of though, is to check the security requirements for food before you try to take it on the plane (I've done this a lot and so far have never had any issues). As long as it's in a sealable container you should have no problems.

Plant trees to offset your carbon emissions

No I don't mean literally go out and dig your own plot of trees for every flight or train ride you take. There are many foundations that you can use to purchase a tree that will be planted which will offset the emission of your ride on a plane depending on how long the flight is. It's not the perfect solution to the problem, but it will at least make a difference on your own personal impact while traveling. I always use the non-profit SeaTrees which plants mangrove trees in the ocean.

Stay at Eco-Lodges

I don't have as much experience with this one but I've heard great things about international eco-lodges and resorts that practice green initiatives. If you can't stay at an eco-lodge, instead opt to re-use towels for more than two days and don't ask for new bedsheets every day. This will cut down on water waste and decrease the amount of toxins released into the water.

Bring your own shampoo, conditioner, etc.

Purchase your own shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion before you go on the trip. Preferably use ones that don't come in plastic bottles and are created with ingredients that are naturally sourced and won't harm the ocean once it gets into our water system. Also, don't forget to bring your safety razor made of metal and not plastic, your bamboo tooth brush, and plastic free toothpaste (like Bites).

Use other methods of transportation

When you're finally at your destination think about other options besides taking a car. A lot of times if you're in a city you can take public transportation, walk, or even rent bikes. Sometimes you can even take a rickshaw or other ride sharing options if they are offered. These are great ways to see the area you are visiting and even meet new people along the way.

Using these simple steps, even just adopting one at a time, can help decrease your environmental impact tremendously while traveling. Most of these options even save you money while doing so. It's important to keep our impact in mind while we travel so that we can protect our planet for ourselves and future generations to come

*this post is not sponsored

#travel #planet #environment #impact