Being conscious of your carbon footprint has become increasingly important, and many people are looking to be much more sustainable on holiday. While jetting across the globe may not seem like the most sustainable thing you can do, many travel companies are making a huge effort to offset their carbon emissions.
As well as travelling with sustainable travel providers, here’s some things you can try that’ll help you become more sustainable whilst you’re away.
Avoid Hotel Toiletries
Although it’s super tempting to want to use and take home the small and cute toiletries we often find in hotel rooms, these bottles and containers aren’t ideal for the environment. For the amount of product in the container, which is usually plastic, it’s much more environmentally friendly to use your own shampoo, conditioner and body wash from home.
If you’re wanting to bring a small amount rather than large bottles, you can get smaller containers from Amazon. Though these are usually made of plastic, they can be used many times, which makes them much more sustainable than the hotel options.
Hang Towels After Use
Many hotels across the globe use the same ‘code’ when it comes to determining if you’d like your towels refreshing or not. Leaving your used towels on the floor is a sign that you’d like fresh ones, which isn’t always necessary. If you think your towels can be reused, hang them up and save the washing!
A great way to keep your towels smelling fresh when wanting to reuse them is to always hang them up and air them off after use. Lots of hotel rooms have heated towel radiators in the bathroom but if not, try hanging them over your bathroom door, balcony or outside on an airer if you have one.
Do Not Disturb
Do not disturb signs can be found at all hotel rooms, whether they be digital that you operate with a switch, or a cardboard hanger style. The signs indicate whether or not you’d like housekeeping to pop in and give your room a spruce up and while this is a nice luxury when on holiday, it’s not always necessary!
At home, we don’t give our room a daily deep clean, and using lots of products and chemicals too often can be bad for the environment. Unless your room has lots of sand from the beach, or you feel it could do with a good clean up, consider skipping a couple of days to help with your sustainability on holiday.
Reusable Cups
Whether at home or away, if you’re anything like us, you can’t get through the day without your morning coffee or tea. Though takeaway cups are usually recyclable, reusable ones are much better for the environment. Pack one in your suitcase and ask the hotel or cafe to fill it up with your favourite drink!
Better yet, since you’re on holiday after all, why not opt for ‘sit in’ instead of ‘take out’? We often grab and go when we’re in a rush, but on holiday it’s all about rest and relaxation! Take a seat in a quaint cafe and enjoy every sip, on your own time.
Reusable Water Bottle and Straws
Similarly to reusable cups, taking your own reusable water bottle and straws on holiday is another fantastic way to be more sustainable. Keeping hydrated in the heat is super important, and rather than going through lots of small plastic bottles, by bringing a reusable bottle, you can ask the hotel to fill it up with fresh water from a larger container.
You can also get reusable bottles that help to keep your drink colder for longer – a must-have in the heat! Another must-have on holiday is the delicious all inclusive cocktail list to work your way through. If you prefer to use a straw to slurp up your mojito, pack yourself a reusable one and you can enjoy your drinks knowing you’re helping to save those cute little turtles.
Head To Local Restaurants
Visiting local restaurants is an exciting way to be more sustainable when you’re enjoying a well deserved holiday. This is because visiting local spots usually means they have locally sourced ingredients! Seafront restaurants often have fantastic seafood menus with a wide range of fish and shellfish, locally caught that very same day.
As the name suggests, local produce is grown, bred and caught in close proximity to the restaurant or cafe, meaning the carbon footprint of farm to table is much smaller than a restaurant which gets its produce from further afield.
Drink Local Wine
Now, we know this one is a big ask!! For all the wine lovers out there, this tip should be easy to execute well. Similarly to local produce and restaurants, drinking local wine means that the carbon footprint of your glass full is much smaller than an international wine.
Drinking local wines also offers great support to local vineyards, run by hardworking families living just around the corner from where you’re enjoying your fantastic holiday. Some local vineyards offer excursions and wine tours, so if you’re a wine connoisseur or just like a good glass or three, why not head down and spend the day taste testing the delicious boozy grape juice.
Plant A Tree
Though not an activity to do on holiday, when you’re back on UK soil, you could look into planting a tree in your local area. Many local parks offer tree planting schemes, or if you’ve got green fingers, you can plant one in your own garden.
Planting a tree helps to absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and emit more oxygen, helping to keep the planet cleaner and greener!
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