Travelling and being eco friendly is most definitely not the easiest given the carbon emissions from planes and those baggage tags when you fly. However there is a way to travel more green and give back to mother earth along the way. Here are our tips for reducing your environmental impact when travelling!

Offset your carbon emissions by planting trees

Flying is unfortunately not the most eco friendly form of transport, so avoiding plane trips where possible really helps! Always check for trains or buses to your new destination before looking at flights. But when you need to fly, back a project that plants trees to offset the carbon emissions. We like organisations such as Jane Goodall  who is helping chimpanzees and protecting habitats, Trees for the Future who plant trees which empowers families and changes lives forever & Sea Shepherd who help  conserve our oceans. Another way to help plant trees is by using Ecosia to search the web instead of google- they use their profits to plant trees! For every 45 searches you help plant one tree, how easy is that? Save the website to your chrome to become your standard search engine and download the app.

Get around like a local

Hiring cars can be expensive and not always needed. Learn to explore new cities like the locals! Hire a bike and ride around or get the local bus or train. Or just walk around and get los, sometimes we walk up to 24kms in a day! You will save money and the planet at the same time- win win!

Carry reusables!

This one is one of the easiest ways to minimise unnecessary plastic and waste. Carry some essentials and save loads of plastic! We carry a reusable water bottle, cutlery set, bamboo straw, napkin, coffee cup & shopping bag. We also have reusable containers that we use for storing leftovers. Say no to those pesky plastic straws and other unnecessary plastic. Together we can make a difference! For water, depending on where you are, you should have access to water stations to refill your water bottle. If the water is not drinkable from the tap, you could buy a life straw which filters the water as you drink it, killing any harmful microbes. You could also purchase a water filter jug or a charcoal filter to place in your bottle. Depending on the country you are travelling in, you can also just drink water straight from the tap!

Eco friendly site seeing & tours

Sometimes when you’re in a new city you might get sucked in to local attractions that are unfortunately horrible for the environment and animals. As a rule of thumb, avoid anything that involves animals for entertainment. They are usually treated cruelly as they have become a commodity to make money, not treated as a living sentient being. Aquariums take creatures from their natural habitats, destroying eco systems. Elephants used for rides are abused and used. Dolphins held in captivity are sad and depressed, usually travelling 100kms a day in the wild but living in a space the equivalent size of a bath tub compared to their natural habitat. Always do your research, if an animal is involved and someone is making money, chances are they are not treated well and it is not ethical.

Help clean up mother earth!

If everyone did their part to help clean up the earth, she would be shiny and new in no time! Josh and I participate in clean ups while we travel and pick up rubbish everywhere we go. We love the initiative of the instagram page @adventurebagcrew which encourages people who go on adventures or travels to bring back one bag of trash! What a simple way to help clean up our planet. Get involved, together we can make our home a greener and better place.

Recycle & compost what you can

Not every city is going to be great with their recycling and composting, so sometimes you have to make do with what you can. If you’re in a city that has composting, make use of it and compost those food scraps! Look for eco friendly hotels and accomodation that compost and recycle.

Eat a plant based diet

We sometimes don’t realise the environmental impact of our food! Did you know six months of showering is the equivalent water usage needed to make one beef burger? Eating plant based is also better for your health and the animals, so give it a try today. If you’re not sure how to start, I highly recommend Challenge 22! You will join thousands of participants for a 22-day vegan experience. You’ll receive fabulous recipes and personal guidance from their mentors and clinical dieticians.

Do you try and travel green? Share your tips with us for more eco friendly travel!