11 Quick Eco-Traveling Tips

Traveling green is easier than you think. It’s often the little things that you can do that can make a big difference. We asked our partners in the sustainable tourism industry what tips they have for you – apart from bringing your own water bottle! 🙂 The result is 11 quick tips for eco-friendly travel.

1 Leave home sustainably

When you’re traveling, make sure to turn off the heat, turn off stand-by appliances, and if you’re going away for a long time, unplug the fridge. This tip comes from the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in Bad Herrenalb, Germany. The hotel is a leader in Germany for sustainability. New “Circular Living” rooms have just been built at the hotel. In accordance with the Cradle to Cradle® principle, only materials that can be recycled are used in these rooms.

2 Durable luggage

A quality suitcase should last a lifetime of traveling and be something you can easily borrow from family or friends. The longer the lifespan, the better the eco-balance. For the transportation of your suitcase by train, the South Tyrolean Hotel Weihrerhof on Lake Wolfsgruben (one of the cleanest lakes in Italy) will pay for you. In this way the hotel would like to help you to arrive in an environmentally friendly way. You need to stay at least one week to be entitled to this. You will also receive the Ritten Card. With the Ritten Card you can use the local public transport free of charge.

3 Arrival by public transport

According to the Naturhotel Outside in East Tyrol, arriving and departing are responsible for about 70 percent of a vacation’s CO2 emissions. That’s why the nature hotel, located in Austria’s Hohe Tauern Alpine National Park, wants to encourage guests to travel in a CO₂-friendly way. There’s a free shuttle service from Lienz train station to the hotel for those arriving by train. A guest card is available for public transportation.

4 Bring your own slippers

Some services at the hotel create mountains of waste. These include bathing slippers. According to a study by Focus, various hotel chains order up to 180,000 pairs of disposable slippers each year that are wrapped in plastic – made to be thrown away! Some organic hotels already offer reusable slippers. These are cleaned by the hotel. However, bringing your own slippers from home is recommended at the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu in Balderschwang, Bavaria. In the “Mountain Spring Spa” you can still wear the (durable) hotel bathrobe for that hotel feeling 🙂

5 Ditch the plastic

It’s hard to believe, but the global plastic boom is less than 100 years old! According to NABU, “only” 1.5 million tons of plastic were produced worldwide in the 1950s – today it is already around 400 million tons per year! The German Federal Environment Agency estimates: “More than 100 million tons of plastic waste are already in the oceans. Keemala Villa Wonderland’s commitment to plastic-free living is a special one. The resort is located on the Thai island of Phuket in the Indian Ocean. It has made a conscious decision not to use single-use plastics such as plastic bottles or straws. The Keemala therefore advises that: “Avoiding plastic waste helps prevent pollution.”

6 Bring Jute Bags

A very simple step to avoid plastic is to do without plastic bags for shopping. When you travel, bring your own jute bags. If you forget, you’ll get reusable shopping bags at the ECO-APARTHOTEL THE DREAMERS’ CLUB. The eco-aparthotel has 6 accommodation units for 2-5 people. You can spend a wonderful vacation as a couple or a family, right next to the beach.

7 Low impact activity

Instead of motorboat and ski hall, you can choose eco-friendly activities in your vacation. ADLER Lodge RITTEN in South Tyrol has developed a “Green Mobility” concept for its guests. This includes a free Ritten Card for local transport and the display of all public transport connections in the hotel’s internal Guestnet. Guests can also rent e-bikes and outdoor equipment free of charge. Guided hikes and e-bike tours are also available free of charge.

8 Avoid questionable animal activities

Sometimes on vacation you come across animal activities that you know are NOT species-appropriate – swimming with dolphins, taking a picture with the monkey at the bar! The Cerf Island Resort in the Seychelles wants to help preserve the beautiful nature with white sandy beaches, tropical plants and crystal clear water for future generations. It is surrounded by the National Marine Park. At the marine reserve, you can learn about sustainable diving. You can also explore the area by canoe in an eco-friendly way.

09 Respect local culture and people

“Eco-friendly travel is also about the strengthening of the local culture and region. Eat and drink locally and seasonally,” recommends the sustainable hotel STURM in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Rhön. By doing so, you will support the local farmers, have short delivery routes and enjoy an authentic experience”. The STURM itself implements this through its own Genussgarten, where herbs, vegetables and fruits are grown.

10Offset CO₂.

There are already zero-emissions hotels, like the Milano Scala Hotel in downtown Milan, where staying means not emitting any CO₂. Other hotels go out of their way to determine your CO₂ emissions and offer to compensate you. That’s what the CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt, Switzerland, does. With views of the Matterhorn, the hotel has little messages for you all over the place about energy and resource conservation, waste separation, and more.

11 Local Souvenirs

Sustainable souvenirs are one of our last tips for eco-friendly travel. For example, you can buy one at the small concept store of Hotel Okelmann’s in Warpe, Lower Saxony. Sisters Maren and Kristin Okelmann sell handmade products like dog accessories, soaps, chocolates and gifts that you can’t buy anywhere else!

As you can see: Eco-friendly travel is not only better for nature – it’s also more individual, healthier and fun! Do you have some more tips?