Everyone practices the green approach differently. Some use greener fuels, some use less plastic, and some invest in scientific research.
The list of bad things for the world around us traditionally consists of agriculture, plastic, forest fires, and, alas, travel. Here's how to make your travels less harmful to the world around you.
Ecology-friendly flights
The most difficult (and so far unfeasible) was not to travel by airplane. The only saving grace is that flights can be quite different from the ecological point of view.
Let's start with simple arithmetic: the carbon emission from one flight will be less than from two flights. So the easiest way is to avoid connecting flights in favor of direct flights. Of course, a direct flight is often more expensive than a connecting flight, but if you buy your tickets in advance, the difference is not critical. Furthermore, with connecting flights, you have to spend hours in the airport. Of course, it's possible to read a book, play at the TonyBet casino Canada, or watch YouTube videos there, but it will be more enjoyable to get to your destination faster.
Giving up the desire to see everything at once on a trip is a great eco-friendly solution. So, instead of three or four flights across South America (Rio, Iguazu Falls, Cusco, and Patagonia) fly to one point and explore everything around it, moving by public transport or car.
Which airline you fly on also plays a big role. Everyone practices the green approach differently. Some use greener fuels, some use less plastic, and some invest in scientific research.
Housing
There are more and more green hotels. And while 10 years ago they were mostly seaside bungalows, now they are huge modern hotels in the middle of big cities.
Like airlines, the eco-themes of hotels can be different. For some it's complete recycling, for others it's working with local farmers, for others it's rejecting plastic, and for others it's working with the local community. Unfortunately, at the moment there is not one convenient service in the world to find such hotels. So the easiest way is to google the destination you want and add "sustainable hotel" to it. Sometimes you can set up filtering on the booking platforms for eco hotels, but this is not the case for all destinations.
By the way, you can lead a sustainable lifestyle in the most ordinary hotel. The main thing here is to monitor the consumption of water, always turn off the electricity, and never leave the air conditioning on. And of course, if possible, drink water from the tap, not from plastic bottles.
Entertainment
Look for ethical excursions and activities. If walking around the city, find a local. If you attend a workshop, only a local artist or a cool, ethical brand. Airbnb Experiences is a great way to do this, and you can find something inexpensive and fun to do there. For example, in Bali, you can visit a family that has been making coconut oil for generations, and in Latvia, you can visit a local artist's pottery studio.
If you visit zoos, choose only those that conduct serious scientific activities and are engaged in breeding endangered species. Try not to be photographed with the animals and do not pick them up. This is a huge stress and torture for animals. The situation is especially deplorable in Asia and Southeast Asia, where huge numbers of elephants are kept in terrible conditions.
Less selfishness – More preparation
Perhaps the most important thing in eco-travel is preparation. Don't be too lazy to research, read, write out and make a travel itinerary. Spontaneous travel is fine, but we all know what human carelessness leads to. Now every choice we make matters, whether it's an extra plastic wrap or spending money in a place where animals are tortured. The reward is not only a great experience, but a happy feeling that you've done something important and useful for yourself and the world around you.
