Pro World Volunteers

Something which I have found extremely strange is the amount of travelers that I meet on the road who genuinely care about this beautiful planet of ours and how we can work on saving it. The strange part however comes when we get to talking about the way that they live and so many travelers have not even considered what kind of carbon footprint they are leaving behind as they travel throughout the world.

Now, I am by no means an eco-warrior but I have been trying to take some steps in the last year to try and reduce my carbon footprint as I travel and if you want to do the same, here are 5 ways that you can do so.

Flying

If you are hopping between countries or even cities within a country, flying is just the easy way isn’t it? Quick, simple and in many cases, pretty cheap. With this being said however, flying is one of the worst thing which you can do in terms of causing damage to the planet and if you can avoid it, you really should. Train and bus travel is not only cheaper and more environmentally friendly, it is also a great way to see more of a country than simply flying over it.

Hotel Choices

As more and more people have started to become environmentally conscious, there are many hotels around the world which really focus on keeping their carbon footprint down. Whether you are traveling through Asia, Central America, Europe or Africa, you will find a great number of eco-lodges and environmentally-friendly hotels which can offer you some guilt-free accommodation.

Carbon Credits

I really love the idea of carbon credits and they are basically a way that you can pay to offset the carbon footprint which you are creating. For example, if you have no choice but to fly, you can go to a website like Terrapass, which has a calculator that works out what your carbon footprint would be, you can then donate money based on this figure which goes towards environmental and conservation projects.

Hotel Etiquette

Simple things in and around your hotel stay can help to reduce your carbon footprint and you should be looking at re-using towels and sheets instead of having them washed each day. You should also make sure that all electronic equipment is unplugged when not in use and ensure that you run lights off before you leave. Do this in every hotel you go to and you can make sure that you are minimizing your carbon footprint.

Stay Local

When you are traveling the world you should really endeavor to stay local when it comes to buying food and supplies. Food miles are one of the biggest problems when it comes to our carbon output and if you buy local produce and goods, you will not only be helping the environment, but also the local community.

There are many ways in which you can reduce your carbon footprint, just make sure that you are always thinking about it.