Are you planning a road trip? Going on a family vacation? Have a blog conference to attend? Wherever the roads (or skies) are taking you here are a few easy steps to making your journey a little more eco-friendly.
5 Easy Eco-Travel Tips
- Shop your closet! I’ve decided that for my upcoming trip that I’m not going to go crazy and shop for new clothes. Most of the people I’m meeting have never seen my wardrobe and won’t realize that I wear it everyday at home. I may even search the very back of my closet to find those special outfits that I don’t get a chance to wear at home. Since I won’t have any kids with me I can dress up and not be afraid of getting grape juice on my favorite skirt. If you can’t find anything in your closet find a girl friend who will let you shop their closet.
- Pack your own toiletries. Don’t rely on the tiny disposable toiletries that hotels provide you, pack your own eco-friendly supplies instead. Can you imagine how many partially used bars of soap are thrown away each day in the hotel industry? What a waste!
- Transportation. Regardless on how you decide to get to your destination (car, plane, bus, train, bike, or feet) try to pick the most direct route with the least number of stops. Carpool or take public transportation when it’s available. If you are in a tourist friendly city consider walking or biking around town instead of renting a car. I’m heading to Blissdom blog conference later this week and I’ve decided not to rent a car. The hotel we’re staying at has a shuttle bus from the airport and I doubt I will leave the conference hotel during my stay.
- Don’t forget your water bottle or reusable tumbler. You’re going to want to stay hydrated if you’re traveling on a plane (or train) so that you don’t pick up any illnesses. Save your money and bring your own bottle or tumbler. Most restaurants will gladly fill your bottle for you with your favorite drink. Just remember to empty it before you go through the security line (if you’re flying) or they will make you throw it out – remember no liquids!
- Reuse your sheets and towels.How often do you change your sheets at home? How often do you grab a new towel at home? Most of us (even those OCD types) do this about once a week unless the items are really dirty. Unless you are planning on staying at a hotel for a long period of time there really isn’t a reason to change your sheets and towels every day is there? Of course there may be a spilled drink or some other random accident that causes you to have to have them laundered but under normal conditions your sheets and towels will be fine for the duration of your stay. If everyone requested to reuse their sheets and towels we would collectively save the hotels thousands of gallons of water.
It doesn’t take much effort to change a few small routines while traveling to make your trip a little more eco-friendly. What other steps can you take to reduce your impact while traveling?
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Received my shoe today!! So excited! Thank you!