You want to travel more sustainably but don’t know where to start? This guide is for you!
We need to change the way we discover the world and travel sustainably. But how?
How do you start to make better decisions when you travel? The first step is understanding sustainable travel and its importance.
Travelling sustainably means making changes that limit the negative effect on the climate and nature and ensure the long-term positive impact of the places we visit.
So, why is this important and what does it mean?
What’s the problem?
The industry, which has been one of the world’s fastest-growing since 1990, accounts for 10 per cent of the world’s GDP and employed one in ten people worldwide. So, it’s unsurprising that travel significantly impacts the environment. Global tourism accounts for roughly eight per cent of the world’s carbon emissions.
Sustainable travel and sustainable tourism
We don’t need to give up holidays. Instead, we need to change the way we travel, becoming more eco-friendly and sustainable travellers.
Sustainable travel is not just about reducing your carbon footprint—it’s about amplifying tourism’s positive impacts on the environment, society, and the economy while minimising its adverse effects. You actively contribute to a healthier planet and a brighter future by choosing sustainable travel.
How to become a more sustainable traveller?
Swapping your one-use plastic bottle to a refill one is great, but sustainable travel is to be continuously conscious about your choices and why. It is about how we travel, where we spend our money and how we interact in the places we visit.
How do you travel climate-smart and sustainably?
Make conscious actions before and during your travels with these three tips:
- Getting to the destination
How we journey matters. Most of us are well aware of the impact that flying has on the climate. Only two to three per cent of the world’s population is responsible for aviation emissions – the rich fly. As a traveller, choose to take the train for shorter distances (link to taking the train in Europe), and if you must fly, try to stay for a bit longer than just a weekend. Question where you are going and why – exploring destinations closer to home is sometimes much easier, less stressful and more fulfilling than spending hours at an airport followed by a plane for a weekend of pleasure.
- At the destination
Sustainable travel aims to impact the places we visit positively, and how we behave as travellers is essential.
Choose accommodations that actively take climate-friendly actions to reduce their carbon footprint. Book locally owned guesthouses instead of big hotels to make sure your money stays in the community. The same goes for food and activities. Why not eat in restaurants run by those living in the region and promote local production? Money always has a great impact — where we spend it is important.
Sustainable travel is also about respecting the people, places and cultures we visit and interact with.
- Choosing where and when we travel – dealing with over-tourism
Over tourism is a big concern that impacts nature, cultures and people’s day-to-day lives. Research destinations: If you dream about visiting a popular place, can you go during the low season?
Get more tips about sustainable travel.
The definition of sustainable travel according to the World Tourism Organization
Sustainable tourism is “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities".