If, like me, you want to do your bit to help the planet whilst travelling, the you’ll know that it is a struggle. The concept of travelling seems, at every stage, to be anything but sustainable. In this article, I will share a few tips to get you on your way to becoming at least a little greener when you go abroad.

Fly Less, For Longer

It’s no secret that airplanes and flying are among the most environmentally damaging ways to travel. However, if you want to visit the world, then you know that they are usually unavoidable. Instead of ditching flying altogether though, try and do all your travelling in a few longer trips instead of lots of shorter ones!

Get a Filtered Water Bottle

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Don’t get schooled by thirst when you hit the trails. Bring your #LifeStraw Go! Our #waterfilter will remove bacteria, parasites, #microplastics, and other contaminants to keep you safe & hydrated in the wilderness.

A post shared by LifeStraw (Official Account) (@lifestraw) on Feb 4, 2020 at 9:59am PST

No matter how environmentally friendly you want to be, drinking lots of bottled water may seem unavoidable, depending on where you travel. Bottled drinks, though, are among the biggest plastic polluters on the planet. Instead get yourself a filtered water bottle, like those sold by LifeStraw, which can filter and make safe even the most questionable water sources.

Think About Your Accommodation

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What better way to see the surroundings than biking around? 🚴 🌞 Instead of having your head buried in the GPS next time, try relying on your natural sense of direction for a change. Who knows 🤭 maybe you'll even grow to like it! One of the best ways to keep your carbon footprint 👣 low is to skip taxis or public transportation altogether, hop on a rented bicycle and start exploring. [this is what I did when I was in Valencia] A cheep and differrent way to explore the area and make the best out of your holiday. Stay green. Be happy. Travel. 💚🙏🌍 . ◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽ Follow bookdifferent 👉 @bookdifferent ◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽ . . . 🍀 #bookdifferent #bike #greentransport #greendestination #conscioustraveller #mindfuloftheenvironment #choice #bicycle #travel #sustainable #holiday #beautifuldestinations #behappy #explore #adventure #responsibletravel #greentransportation #ecofriendly #eco

A post shared by bookdifferent.com (@bookdifferent) on Feb 26, 2020 at 6:33am PST

I had never thought before about how my hotel or accommodation choices might severely impact on the sustainability of my travel. However, some hotel options are much worse than others in terms of their friendliness to the planet. Even when you know this, though, it seemed impossible for me to figure out what the best options were! Luckily, environmentally considerate booking companies, such as BookDifferent, have got us covered!

Consider the Locals

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. . #tourism #tourist #italy #turismo #turista #turisti #italia #rome #roma #colosseo #heritage #monument #belpaese #architecture #photography #photooftheday #picoftheday #portrait #crowd #folla #cutout #people #peoplephotography #overtourism

A post shared by OverTourism (@over.tourism) on Nov 17, 2019 at 12:55am PST

Sustainable travel is not just about your carbon footprint. It’s also very important that you think about the impact your travel has on local populations who already may be flooded with too many tourists. Travelling in peak months to cities such as Venice, Barcelona, Edinburgh, and Paris are the best examples of these, but always make sure to research any destination and make sure that there are not already too many visitors.