April Top Tips: ten tips for environmentally friendly travel

Hi Everyone!

We haven't been very present on the blog again recently but we are back today with ten top tips for environmentally friendly travel. Most forms of travel over long distances (unless you are willing to put in a lot of physical effort) use fossil fuels and are generally not good for our planet. So today we will be giving you a few tips which although won't mean that your travel is 100% planet friendly, will be a good start to doing as much as you can.

Your Green World Blog Team💚

1. Use trains and boats rather than planes where possible

Planes are awful for the environment. They are, however, extremely practical and so easy to use, cheap...It's hard to avoid them! They are so quick too so you don't have to spend as much time travelling. However, they are really bad for the environment. For example, you could fly once to Edinburgh from Heathrow for the same carbon dioxide levels as driving to Edinburgh 336 times!

2. Fly direct routes

So if you really can't avoid that flight, then at least fly a direct route. If you stop and change planes in between then you will use an awful lot more CO2 (landing, take off, extra flight distance). This will also save time and probably be more relaxing as well.

3. Don't pose with animals

So this is kind of a general rule, but when you're travelling it's even more tempting to take photos with wild animals that you probably don't see at home. However, most wild animals get stressed when people are too close to them. They can even get aggressive if they feel like people are too close to their babies. So next time you see a tiger when you're travelling, take a photo from afar, rather than getting too close.

4. Bring your own reusable bags and bottles

When travelling, it's easy to forget about things like plastic bottles, etc. So next time, bring a reusable bag/bottle. Loads of different countries have refill schemes, and you can download apps such as the Refill app which tells you all the places you can refill your water bottle for free when you're out and about!

5. Unplug

Before you leave, make sure to unplug everything in your home. When anything is in a plug socket, it will use electricity even if it isn't turned on. So make sure to unplug everything. This has quite a few advantages. For one, you won't accidentally set your house on fire because of the plugs overheating. You will also save quite a bit of money on your electricity bill and you will be helping the environment.

6. Pack light

This sounds weird and unnecessary, but if you pack lighter, not only will you have less to carry around, but it also saves fuel. Basically, whatever you are travelling in (plane, car, bus) it will be lighter if you pack less and will use up less fuel.

7. Eat locally

Again, this is a general rule, but if you eat local, then the food won't have to travel for miles just to reach your plate. Also, if you're on holiday then eating local will give you a better experience of wherever you are.

8. Leave only footprints in the sand

Basically, don't throw rubbish into the bushes or somewhere else. Just take it with you.

9. Use digital tickets

Whether it's for train tickets or a trip to a museum, use digital tickets. Most places will allow them and it saves paper, ink and the energy used by printers, which will save you money.

10. Less wood

If you are going camping, you do not need a massive campfire every night. If you cut down on them, you will save to environment a lot of harmful CO2 and will also not run the risk of setting the whole field on fire. Maybe try watching the stars instead, they are very beautiful when there is no light pollution around.

Thank you so much for being here and we hope these are useful! Let us know if there is any Top Ten Tips topic you would like to see next!

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/travel/how-to-travel-sustainably
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/22/travel/sustainable-travel.html

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