Want to leave goodness in your path when you travel?
These sustainable travel tips will help you to embark on travels that are good for the earth, communities and yourself.
They will help you to immerse in local culture, see the land through the eyes of the people who live there and it will save you a ton of money.
It’s also possible to travel sustainably while on a budget…here’s our tips.
Sustainable Travel Tips on a Budget
Live happy. Live healthy. Live free. Live beyond yourself. And travel sustainably.
Here’s our top sustainable travel tips:
1. Walk, bike and use public transportation over taxis, rental cars, and flights.
2. Eat locally produced food. Stick to a whole food plant based diet, which means more veggies, fruits, grains, nuts and less or no animal products
3. Be a part of the local economy. Eat local, shop local, play local. Avoid national chains and corporations.
4. Reduce- Reuse- Recycle– In that order. Trash sucks, don’t make it! Check out our sustainable camping tips.
5. Use the sharing economy. Use websites like couchsurfing.com, warmshowers.org, wwoof.net and craigslist.org. The sharing economy is one of our top tips for how to travel the world for free!
6. Buy less stuff and purchase used stuff when you can. You can buy second-hand camping gear, luggage and clothes.
7. Conserve water and electricity. Just be conscious of your usage. Refrain from buying water in plastic bottles by rather taking your own travel water bottle and filling it up with tap water (where safe).
8. Don’t use one time use anything’s (bags, take out containers, bottled water, straws, napkins etc.) Carry your own reusable dishes, cutlery and bags.
9. Positive consumerism. Buy from businesses that are using business for good.
10. Simplify. The less you need the easier it is to be friendly to our planet and to get around.
11. Travel light and carry only what you need (here’s our guide on how to pack lightly). It will force you to interact with the locals.
12. Be conscious. When you make decisions take into account where things come from and how they were produced. If you don’t know then find out. Take action by putting the information you find to good use.
13. Live beyond yourself. How do your actions affect other humans, animals, and the earth? Make your decisions based on the wellbeing of everyone and everything not just you.
14. Lend a hand to the local community. Spend time at orphanages, volunteer at a community kitchen, or pick up trash from the beach. There are so many ways to give back!
15. Help protect wildlife by refusing to purchase wildlife products and take part in tourism activities that include animals.
16. Don’t go where you’re asked not to go. Certain places are out of bounds for a reason – they could be private land, or they could be protected wildlife areas. Respect the rules of both the land and the local community.
Check out these other sustainable travel tips: