What does “sustainable travel” actually mean? The term is thrown around a lot these days, especially over here at Ecotels! It’s what we’re all about after all! You might have asked yourself at some point, what exactly does the term even mean and what we’re referring to when we mention travelling sustainably. So that’s exactly what we’re going to answer in this post!
What Does The Term “Sustainable Travel” Mean?
Sustainable travel means travelling in a way that minimises your impact on the environment, the amount of resources that you use, and the waste that you produce. In this way, it allows tourism to be maintained long-term for future generations, where the industry itself allows the planet and its environment to continue to survive and replenish the resources that are used from tourism.
In other words, for travel to be sustainable, it must only take resources that can be replenished at a similar rate in which they are taken!
So How Can You “Travel Sustainably”?
There are many ways that you can contribute to the sustainable travel movement whenever you go away! Some of them are easier said than done, whilst others require just a simple switch. Here’s some inspiration to get you started:
- Choose lower emission transport methods! Flying by plane is absolutely the most harmful way to travel. Picking train, coach, or car releases fewer emissions and makes you a more sustainable traveller. Unfortunately, until all electricity is generated via sustainable production methods, no method of transport will be entirely sustainable.
- Stay in sustainable accommodation. Many hotels pay no attention to the materials they use, the cleaning products they use, the waste they create, or how they source their food. By opting for actively sustainable accommodation, you’ll be adopting a sustainable travel attitude that reduces your impact on the planet, with less waste, fewer harmful materials, chemicals, and foods.
- Always stay waste conscious. Another major impact that we travellers have on the environment is a very direct one – and that’s waste and litter. Without paying much attention to it, it’s easy to create a lot of waste from food, drink, water bottles, packaging, and bathroom products. By keeping waste in your mind as you travel, you can limit your use of single-use plastics, avoid products that have a lot of packaging, and use less whilst you’re on the go. Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post on how to reduce your travel waste!
- Eat sustainably. The food that we all eat is a massive contributor to the sustainability of our current lives. For example, as a result of creating more land for livestock farming and feeding, over half of the world’s trees have been lost, and the global food system currently produces around 30% of emissions. This doesn’t even mention the impact we have on topsoil erosion, marine life, and waste production.
Choosing locally sourced foods, organic foods, and predominantly plant based meals helps to lower your impact and eat more sustainably. As you do so, sustainable travel becomes a much more achievable target and you’ll help out local communities and growers along the way!
Using Ecotels To Travel Sustainably
So how can you use Ecotels for sustainable travel? We’ve got the ambitious goal of changing travel for good. After all, if it’s not sustainable then at some point, there will be no more travel – and nobody wants that!
By using our platform, you can contribute not only towards your own sustainable travel, but to a wider system that paves the way for change! You can book sustainable transport such as coach and train journeys, along with making your stay environmentally friendly too with our carefully selected range of sustainable hotels. This lowers your emissions on all fronts and even helps you to reduce waste and avoid pollutants, as many of the hotels listed make a conscious effort to use planet-safe substances and materials.
As well as that, you’ll be contributing to our donation scheme, where we give back to the planet through sustainability-focused organisations and charities who help to regenerate and protect our environment.
For more information, head over to our FAQs and About pages to see how you can create a sustainable travel future with us!
