Top 4 ways to be eco-friendly while travelling

Julie and I recently went to an event where we learned a bunch of different ways to reduce our carbon footprint while travelling. Most of us backpackers are always looking for little tricks to help the environment, and this meeting gave us good ideas that we would like to share with you. These 4 tips have different levels of impact, but we believe that starting with small changes is better than doing nothing. If you guys want more ideas on how to help, let us know, we might write another Top 4 on this subject.

1- Reduce Plastic

We all know about this one, but I wanted to give you extra tips on how you can make that work while travelling. So it starts with a basic reusable water bottle. Using/buying plastic water bottle is probably one of the worst thing you can do. Not only is it bad for the environment, but reusing a plastic bottle over and over again is bad for your health too. All you have to do is carry a stainless steel water bottle (they even make some with filters inside), and fill it up with drinking water. Most touristy site have water fountains of free drinking water. Other than water bottles, carrying collapsible bowls and utensils can be extremely practical too. You never know when you’ll be hungry in the the middle of nowhere, and having those in your bag can come in handy instead of using plastic/paper bowls/utensils.

Check out these cool stainless steel water bottles that keeps your water super cold:

2- Bring Garbage Bags

This one is a small act of kindness and will also help the environment around you. We have all been to places (parcs, beaches, …) where we were disappointed by the trash that was left everywhere by other tourists. Imagine going to the beach and basically swimming with a bunch of plastic wrappers or beer cans or even water bottle caps… DISGUSTING. So first of all, picking up after yourself is the first step, but then, if you feel generous: going for a walk and picking up everything you can find off the ground and throwing in your garbage bag is even better. It’s a small act that doesn't require you to do much, but it actually helps a lot.

3- Use Trains

I realize that it isn't always an option, considering where you are travelling, but when you have a choice between trains, cars and flights, ALWAYS take the train. You will reduce your carbon footprint by a lot, and the view from the train can be amazing. Now I know that sometimes, trains can really expensive, or you don’t have the time to take a 14 hour ride, but if you are travelling for a while, it can be a good alternative to flighting. Some trains offer comfortable accommodation and snacks, which is included in the price and can make it worth your while.

If you are travelling in Europe, make use you check out your options, you can get pretty awesome deals.

4- Volunteer Work

This isn’t for everyone, it really depends on the type of trip you are planning to do, but it’s an amazing option for so many reasons. Let’s say that you are planning a 4 months trip to South America or Asia or wherever, there are so many different options that allows travellers to do some volunteer work. I’m not talking about doing 4 months of volunteer, but maybe, during those 4 months, you can do 2-4 weeks of volunteer just to give back to the people/environment that you are travelling to. It can go from helping out in an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, taking care of kids in a daycare or teaching English, gardening or planting trees in Mexico, helping out in a hospital or clinic… Some of these places even offer accommodation and food for your help. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the culture, learn a few things, save money, meet people, bring positivity to other people… basically it’s all good things!