By now you’ve heard how bad air travel is for the planet and how poorly some animals are treated in tourism. If you want to make your holiday as socially and environmentally sustainable as possible, here are five more tips that will get you thinking:
1. Travel by train, boat, bike or foot… not plane
Much of the country can be reached by train to keep your emissions down, so before jet setting off to Europe or your favourite Hawaiian resort, why not consider your own backyard? Australia has so much on offer: explore an ancient world in the Daintree rainforest, look out into the costal abyss from the Great Australian Bite, see the stars from the desert in the Northern Territory, or cycle through the vineyards along the Margret River.
2. Support your local
Once you’re at your travel destination, choosing to support local restaurants, shops and travel businesses can help reduce your carbon footprint even further because they are more likely to source locally and care about the community than the mega-chains. Think in particular about supporting communities hit by fire or drought.
3. Think outside the box (and the busy season)
Travelling outside of peak times will help sustain local economies in the quiet times while balancing things like foot traffic in a way that is kinder to the natural environment.
4. Avoid waste, bring your own
Take your reusable cup, container and cutlery. Bring your own bag, your own water bottle. Not only will you save money as many places now charge for single use items, but you will reduce your waste. Try not to go overboard on ordering food to further reduce your waste.
5. Take more photos, not souvenirs
It can be tempting to buy all the cute and colourful bric-a-brac to remind you and your loved ones of your trip, but if you can’t sincerely see yourself keeping these items a year in the future, perhaps it’s better to take a photo and commit it to memory rather than landfill.
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