We’re all more concerned than ever with our own carbon footprint. The average person’s carbon footprint is somewhere from 10 to 16 tonnes of CO2 per year, at least in developed nations. Clearly, we have a big problem on our hands, and one of the biggest things that can increase our footprint is our travel and holidays.
Today, we’re going to look at a few ways that you can remain eco-conscious while on holiday and have a great time without the carbon footprint. Let’s get started.
- Avoid flying
Without doubt one of the biggest issues with modern holidaymaking is the ease and cost of flying. It’s cheaper than ever, and so more and more people are flying, and sometimes flying shorter and shorter distances. There are around 45,000 local flights every day, as of 2020.
Removing the flight from the equation in your trip can eliminate as much as an entire ton of carbon emissions from your journey. Doubtless, avoiding the plane is one of the best ways to take an eco-friendly holiday.
- Travel light
That said, flying is a fact of life nowadays. People fly, and we’ve a long way to go before there’s any reasonable alternative. So, what can you do to mitigate the damage done by flying? Well, one of the best ways is by minimising the weight of your luggage.
It may be hard to believe, but every kilogram of weight makes a difference, and the plane will produce more CO2 the more weight it carries. Travel light as possible—don’t bring those ten sets of clothes you don’t end up wearing!
- Reduce waste
One of the other big issues with nature and adventure holidays is the problem of waste. When large numbers of people move through a natural area, inevitably they leave rubbish behind. Around 2.25 million pieces of litter are dropped every day.
It is easier than ever to reduce your waste completely to zero, now. Look for reusable packing for food, snacks, and other essentials you’ll need on the trail. And most importantly, take only photos, and leave only footprints!
- Research tour guides
If you are looking to some kind of guided holiday, whatever that holiday might be, then research is a really vital part of that, too. Irresponsible tour and travel agencies can be a huge problem for local environments. That’s why it’s really important to do all that research before you leave. Don’t take your chances with a guide you found while out there.
Destructive and irresponsible tour guides can be one of the worst problems for local ecosystems, and many iconic tourist attractions and places have been slowly made inaccessible over the years by such practices as these.
- Drive electric
Finally, you of course have the option to drive electric, too. Cross country holidays like this are a great way to take the whole family on an adventure, and with an electric car, you can all but eliminate your carbon footprint. Today, electric cars are becoming more and more popular, with around 9% of the global market share.
That means you can reliably take an electric car on the road knowing you won’t have trouble charging it up.
There are many ways you can reduce the footprint of your holiday, then. In the case of holidays, cutting out flying is certainly one of the biggest things you can do to reduce your footprint. But even if it’s not possible to get to your destination overland, there’s still plenty of things you can do to reduce the impact of your trip.