Tips to keep your travel green

1. Use your do not disturb sign!

Most of us do not change our towels and sheets daily at home, so why should we do that on vacation? If you don’t have a maid cleaning your room every day you will save the resources involved in cleaning the room, washing sheets and towels and vacuuming the floors. (The only excuse not to put the sign up is naturally on a cruise when they make you those cute little towel animals. ;-) )

2. Support vendors with a vision for the planet that is in alignment with yours! Do research; most cities have eco friendly hotels or hotels that are on the path to becoming eco friendly. Also, B&Bs are always an eco-friendly option and you have the perk of supporting a small, locally owned business.

3. Hike, bike and use public transit whenever possible while travelling. In most cities you can do walking tours. If you are physically able to do so, it a very healthy alternative to going on a tour bus or even using public transportation. Use public transit as opposed to renting a car. You can use the internet to figure out which form of public transportation would support you best.

4. Visit CarbonFund.org to learn ways to offset your carbon emissions.

5. Just because you are on vacation doesn’t mean your eco friendly practices should take a vacation too! It can be easy to take a 20 minute shower while you’re on vacation just because you have the time. Let us not forget that we are using the same resources; just because it is on someone else’s dime, environmentally it has the same impact as it would at home. The same goes for leaving lights on in your hotel room or cruise cabin when you leave for the day. If you wouldn’t do it at home, don’t do it on vacation!

For those of you that would like to start supporting green hotels, here are some good questions to ask to gage how much effort the property is taking to be green:

1. Is the hotel locally owned and operated?

2. Is it staffed by local employees?

3. What kinds of recycling programs does the hotel have?

4. Do guests have the option to reuse towels and sheets instead of having them changed?

5. What programs does the hotel have in place in order to reduce consumption?

6. Do they have low-flow toilets and showers?

7. How does the hotel contribute to its local community?

June Blog Series!

Keeping the planet beautiful for future generations is something I am very passionate about, but travel is the greatest love and joy in life. To me there is nothing more amazing than waking up in a strange city somewhere half way around the world….not understanding the language, the people or the culture. Everything is a mystery! I thrive on that excitement when every moment is an opportunity to learn. The problem is, in general travel is not the most environmentally friendly hobby. As matter of fact, cars, planes, cruises and huge hotels create some of the greatest pollutants on the planet. I am committed to caring for and protecting our planet, but not at the sake of my travels. For this reason, I have decided to do a blog series this month on how to make your travel greener! I will be featuring blog entries that will include tips on keeping your travel green, info on which vendors are taking green initiative, and many other helpful topics . My hope is that by the end of the month people will have a better understanding of what vendors are doing to go green and what travelers can do to help.

I hope you all enjoy this series and I look forward to sharing lots of great info with you!