7 Tips to Keep Your Travels Green

With arms being poked by vaccines, and as travel around the globe very slowly reopens, vacations will follow.

Please consider your travel habits as having a healthy impact on the planet. In honor of Earth Day, 2021 here are a few travel tips for your next far-away adventure. These green practices are best practiced and perfected right here at home.

Carrying a reusable water bottle is a huge contribution to eliminate single-use plastic bottles and is one of the kindest ways to honor planet earth. In countries where tap water is not safe for travellers to drink many hoteliers have installed water filters to fill re-usable bottles. YAY!

Drink safe water, recommend this hotel to your travelling friends AND respect the planet. Everyone wins!

Check your sunscreen. If it contains oxybenzone and/or octinoxate (say that 3 times really fast), it’s time to swap out your brand of sunscreen. Whether you’re SUP’ing, surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, or frolicking at a local lake or faraway beach, these chemicals bleach reefs, affect fish, turtles and the wonderful creatures living in and around H2O.

Hang your hotel towel on the rack after using and reuse the same towel. This is likely the easiest earth-friendly practice going and keeps the salle de bains nice and tidy.

You want the memories of your holiday to last for years, although 500 years is too long. Plastic bags can take that long to biodegrade so take a re-useable shopping bag with you. It’s almost as easy as putting your used hotel towel back on the rack.

Tasting new foods, trying authentic local dishes and exploring local markets is a big part of almost every travel experience. Choosing local restaurants and purchasing locally produced food supports local jobs and the macro-economy. Indulge in local and specialty dishes knowing your yummy consumption is not at the expense of consumptive transportation.

Purchasing handicrafts, souvenirs, art, clothing and goods supports the livelihoods of individuals supporting a family. ‘Buying local’ in many cases supports and keeps cultural and indigenous traditions alive and healthy. Your purchases large or small, few or many, have an enormous effect on the lives of others.

Remember your handy reusable shopping bag!

You’re travelling, why not drink the local beer and imbibe in the regional wine? In doing so you are being greener plus you’re supporting local breweries and wineries. Cheers to that!

The summation of these few green travel tips is sustainability. It’s true. Simple earth-friendly practices help our planet to rejuvenate and supports cleaner, healthier air, water, lands and cultures. And, you’re likely to feel good knowing you’ve made a favorable difference.

On a closing note, I’d like to share an example of a talented individual making a difference, being kind to planet earth in her unique way.

Terry is a seamstress with an environmental conscience. She designs and creates remarkable clothing and bags. When I became aware of her earth-friendly, styin’, one-of-a-kind, water-resistant handcrafted bags I was thrilled when she agreed to make one for me.

This naturally turmeric-dyed, paraffin-beeswax-treated canvas, trimmed in faux leather bag easily and stylishly carries shopping treasures, a water bottle, and a local white vintage. Her highly functional bag is purposeful at home and perfect for my one-day-I will travel again ‘maleta.’

Be good to the planet today and every day, at home and when you are far away. Mother Earth will return the favor tenfold to you and all those who follow.

Yours in Respectful & Earth-Friendly Travel,