We’ve heard much about green travel in the past few months, and people seem to have a positive reaction and encourage it as well. But   what is green travel after all, and how can we actually do that on our next trip? There seem to be various definitions, but the one for the Ecotourism is used the most as guidance:  “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” (TIES, 1990).

Ok, so it’s about responsability and improvement. Hmm… that sounds nice, but why should we care? Well, one simple answer is that there are ~1 billion tourists traveling the world each year, and the number is growing. People and especially places will not stay like they are forever, and is very likely to suffer from the crowds passing by each day. Think about how much you love the places you went to, and the memories that you have – won’t it be nice if other people can see those places too? At first I thought that well, green traveling, like using bio products, will certainly be more expensive. But it actually isn’t, and it is very likely to give you a good feeling about the trip when you end it, and the people you met in each place you’ve been.

But how do we do you go green exactly? Is the travel agent really responsible towards the environment when he checks you to a 5 star hotel, or when the guide takes you to visit the crowded must see’s in city? Do you need to dramatically change your travel habits and give up the little pleasures? We’ve put together some small things that you can do to help improve the local communities and get a little bit more responsible in your next trip:

• Turn off or unplug all appliances in your home: some appliances can pull up to 40 watts per hour even if turned off.
• Turn off your water connection when leaving home.
• Try to use public transportation as much as you can.
• Leave your car at home, if possible, and opt for a rented one if you must at your destination.
• Choose the train instead of the airplane (especially if you visit Europe).
• Choose electronic tickets for your airline flights.
• Try to book an eco-friendly hotel – some of them have special recycling programs, use solar power, have automatic turn off lights when the guests leave their rooms, and others.
• Choose to reuse your towels, not change them every day (as most hotels do).
• When leaving the room, turn off all lights and appliances, and turn down the heat or A/C.
• Keep your showers short, and shut off the water while you’re brushing your teeth.
• Buy local products instead of the ones you are used to from at home.
• Ask your travel agent about the hotel, the guide/staff at the destination – try to choose a travel agent that works with locals and eco-friendly hotels.
• Use the recycling trash bins used by the locals, and sort your trash accordingly.
• Meet people! Learn a few words, and talk to the communities you visit. Learn about their environment problems and how they work them out, and spread the word when coming home.

Looking at the list above and thinking of my latest trips I realize that, well, I’m not the most ungreen traveler, but there are many things to improve, that I could to better and still have my perfect vacation.