Eco-Friendly Wandering: Expert Sustainable Travel Tips
The Beauty in the Eco-Friendly Journey: Expert Sustainable Travel Tips
Evelina Utterdahl is a sustainable travel blogger who quit flying when she learned about the massive impact aviation travel has on the climate. She now travels by land or boat, still with an adventurous soul.
Eve plans to visit all continents again – but without harming the planet.
Eve’s mission is to spread knowledge + inspiration so that others may live a more sustainable lifestyle (+ have fun while doing it!).
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Sustainable travel starts with avoiding air travel. But why, exactly, is air travel so terrible?
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Passenger airplanes emit significant amounts of greenhouses gases into the atmosphere, and a single round-trip flight from New York to Europe creates a warming effect equivalent to two to three metric tons of carbon dioxide per person. Although flying less (or not at all) substantially reduces your impact on the planet, many minimalists value vacations for their emphasis on moments of quality instead of trinkets of quantity. And while vacations create lasting moments with your family, traveling has a bad reputation as being decidedly un-eco-friendly.
Consider the following statistics:
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One round-trip flight from New York to Europe or to San Francisco creates a warming effect equivalent to 2 or 3 tons of carbon dioxide per person. (For reference, the average American generates about 19 tons of carbon dioxide a year; the average European, 10.)
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Take one round-trip flight between New York + California: You’ve generated 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over an entire year.
You’d need to dramatically drive less in the rest of the year to make up for that single air flight.
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The Bottom Line: If you travel by airplane, you’re emitting a significant amount of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.
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Airplanes by themselves are this amazing invention. But how we use them is bad. We use them too much + for the wrong reasons.
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Sustainable travel starts with smart planning.
The most impactful eco-travel decisions happen at home. As you plan your trip, choose a destination that does not require air travel, as the only way to make air travel sustainable is to avoid it.
Consider traveling to your desired destination by train or by another means of public transit that seats at least forty people. Alternately, seek out hidden gems in your area: doing so means you will spend less time traveling and more time vacationing.
If you must fly, fly smart. Thanks to extra legroom and bigger seats, business class emits approximately three times more emissions than coach.
Offset your carbon footprint by flying coach; fly direct instead of choosing an itinerary with layovers that boast excessive gas-guzzling takeoffs and landings.
Before booking your lodging, seek out and support sustainable accommodations. Support a holistically sustainable hotel, lodge, or bed & breakfast that supports environmental, social, and economic issues.
Such lodging will use renewable energy, conserve water, employ effective waste reduction measures, and give back to their local communities. Consider Airbnb’s too: having a kitchen will enable you to cook more and waste less.
Offset your carbon footprint before, during, and after flying:
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Before:
– Fly less.
If everyone flew less, airlines would fly fewer planes + would therefore burn less jet fuel.
– When planning your itinerary, choose direct flights.
– Pack light.
– Know that there are different kinds of fuels. Some airlines burn better than others:
United Airlines burns biofuels in all of its flights out of Los Angeles, which cuts 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular jet fuel.
According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, Alaska Airlines + Spirit Airlines are the most efficient domestic carriers.
American Airlines + Allegiant Air are the least efficient.
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During:
– Fly coach.
A study from the World Bank found that flying business class emits approximately 3 times more emissions than flying coach.
– Eliminate the need for single-use disposables on your flight.
Pack ear buds, a stainless steel water bottle + snacks.
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After:
– Support causes that plant trees, build wind farms + conserve forests.
How Eve incorporates sustainability into her eco-wandering lifestyle:
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– When traveling, she eats what’s in season for that location.
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– She doesn’t do much shopping but, when she does, she supports local artisans.
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– She realizes that not all countries have systems for waste in place; therefore, she forgoes plastic at every turn.
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– She reaches out to the locals. She mentions her sustainability efforts + has conversations about her eco-friendly lifestyle.
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– She walks everywhere. When walking proves impossible, Eve relies on public transportation.
Sustainable travel is also about packing smarter.
Oversized suitcases hold us back and slow us down. Embrace a smaller suitcase, instead, and pack just the essentials. Bring comfortable, versatile shoes you can walk long distances in; pack multi-purpose items that dry quickly, too. While a sarong can transform itself into a blanket, a towel, a scarf, a pillow, or a dress, a one-piece bathing suit can double as a shirt with pants over it.
Here’s how to pack like a minimalist:
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– Start with a smaller bag.
We tend to pack as much stuff that fits in our physical boundary. A bigger bag only means you have more space for unnecessary stuff.
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– Pack multi-purpose items.
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– Find the items you’ll need in smaller sizes.
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– Plan to do laundry on vacation.
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– Bring only comfortable, versatile shoes you can walk long distances in.
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– Pack clothes that dry quickly.
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