“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Lao Tzu
Do you wonder how to start changing your way of travel? How to become a more sustainable traveler? Researching tips for sustainable travel can be overwhelming and intimidating. Not everyone can turn their way of travel upside down from one day to the next.
Sure, some are able to stay at perfectly organized eco-lodges and book exclusive eco-tours. They go bike-packing, green camping, and join ethical volunteering. But many of us seek some simple tips to start with. That’s why I put down these 12 easy tips to become a more sustainable traveler that you can apply right away.
Table of contents
Traveling sustainably covers various different aspects. Reaching your destination is one part and deserves an article by itself. The way you stay and behave at your destination is another. In this article, I want to focus on the latter and offer you handy sustainable travel tips during your trip.
1. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Stay with locals
Staying with locals makes up a huge part of sustainable travel. By doing so, you support the local community of your destination. Thus, your money reaches the locals instead of a global hotel chain. Couchsurfing, housesitting, hostels. B&Bs, Small hotels, resorts. You name it. Whatever type of accommodation you prefer, there is a local and sustainable option. Or at least a way to make it more sustainable.
Hotels
If you prefer staying in a hotel, choose a sustainable and eco-friendly one. Supporting those can encourage other hotels to follow and make an effort to become greener as well. Some start by providing organic products only, or by avoiding to replace towels every day. Besides, there are amazing accommodations that use recycled materials only or are completely plastic-free.
Did you know that there are sustainability certifications for accommodations? One of the best-known is the GCST. They take into account a number of environmental and social standards, such as community engagement, human rights, working conditions, and environmental impacts. Check out their website before your next trip.
Talking about hotels, here comes one of my most important tips for sustainable travelers: Avoid all-inclusive hotels by all means. Having included all food, drinks, and activity in their stay, all-inclusive tourists won’t spend their money elsewhere. Moreover, those resorts tend to be owned by foreigners. So the local community doesn’t benefit from this type of tourism at all.
Short-term rentals (like Airbnb)
Airbnb has become extremely popular over the last decade. Besides, there are lots of other platforms offering short-term rentals. These offer not only a cheaper option, especially when traveling with a group of friends. In many cases, they also provide the opportunity to cook for yourselves. Even more efficient are rentals shared with other travelers where you can also share resources. When looking for short-term rentals watch out for accommodations run by locals.
Homestays
Every single homestay I stayed at was an extraordinary and genuine experience. Usually, they are run by extremely hospital, welcoming hosts who want to offer you the best experience, and give you a closer insight into their culture. It definitely gives you the opportunity to see your travel destination from a truly local perspective.You can rent a room for yourself at a local’s house or try Couchsurfing. It’s a must-try tip for sustainable travelers that I can highly recommend. The eco-friendly aspect is that you share resources and hence don’t use much more power.
Another beautiful option enhancing cultural exchange is volunteering with local families through Workaway. Many families offer free accommodation in exchange for work. And believe me, when leaving you will always have a new friend who will welcome you with open arms the next time you visit.
Hostels
I know, this one sounds like it’s only for the younger sustainable travelers among us. If you’re young and have never stayed in a large hostel dorm, you definitely miss out on something. Staying at hostels is not only one of the best ways to meet other travelers, share experiences and combine travel plans with new friends. It’s also a more eco-friendly way of travel than staying at a hotel. By sharing a dorm room, you save space, energy, and resources. But besides dorms, many hostels also offer really nice double rooms. Hostels are still one of my favorite stays because they usually have really nice social areas to hang out. I usually book them on Hostelworld where you can compare reviews as well.
By staying with locals, your money reaches the ones who are the soul and the essence of any destination. Besides, you get the chance to see a destination from a local angle. Interact with the inhabitants, learn about their secret sunset spot, visit their favorite restaurant, and try a real local meal.
My personal experience taught me that I always get the best tips from locals, as they truly know their region and usually love to share some insights. And by doing just a little research, you’ll see that local accommodation is easier to find than you might think.
2. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Save energy and water
Some of the accommodations mentioned above make up the perfect base for your sustainable and eco-friendly stay. However, don’t stop there. When traveling, it’s easy to get lazy with saving energy, as you don’t need to pay for the energy bill. However, a huge part of responsible and sustainable travel lies in the protection of resources.
And if you realize some point for improvement, don’t be shy and let your host know. Inform them that you’re trying to be a more sustainable traveler and why it makes a difference. In this way, you can spread the word and inspire some hosts as well. Following are some simple tips for your stay at the accommodation as a sustainable traveler.
Skip on getting fresh towels daily
Do you wash your towels every day at home? I suppose you don’t. So why would you need it on your travels? There is a universal sign telling the cleaning service that you don’t need fresh towels: by hanging them up instead of leaving them on the floor. This way you contribute to saving water and energy used for laundry.
Avoid daily room service
Just as with fresh towels, you don’t really need your room cleaned every day, do you? If you’re staying in a hotel, just leave the “do not disturb” sign on your door. Thereby, you can help save a bunch of cleaning chemicals, energy, and plastics that are neither good for your health nor for the environment.
Don’t use aircon
When staying in a warm climate, think twice if you really need that aircon. Air conditioning needs way more energy to move hot air around than a fan does to blow air onto your skin. A fan usually improves the room temperature just as good and your throat will thank you as well! Another plus: in many cases, fan rooms are cheaper.
If you can’t go without an aircon, close all windows and doors while it’s running and turn it off when leaving. The same applies to heating in cold countries.
More ways to save water (this is even more important in developing countries which often are short on water):
- Take short showers instead of excessive, long showers or baths.
- Don’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth.
- Wear your clothes several times and if you need to wash them try handwash.
More ways to save energy:
- Switch off the lights you don’t really need and all of them when leaving the room.
- Unplug and turn off the devices you don’t use, like the fridge or the TV, just as your private gadgets (do you really need a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, and laptop on your trip?)
- Close the curtains to keep out the heat or the cold instead of using temperature control devices.
3. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Bring your own (eco-friendly) travel products
It’s that simple: Don’t use the single-use bathroom items packed in plastic, such as shampoo samples, soap, toothpaste etc. You usually only use a little and the accommodation throws it away after each guest. Well, that adds up to a lot of unnecessary plastic. As a sustainable traveler, bring your own instead. If you forgot to bring your own, make sure to take the half-empty bottles and use every bit. Also, reuse the plastic bottles in the future by refilling them.
Some toiletry products that you can easily swap for a more eco-friendly version and bring yourself:
- Shampoo bar – Use shampoo bars and soap bars to save even more plastic. One shampoo bar lasts as long as 2-3 standard plastic bottles and you don’t have to worry about liquids in your hand luggage. I love bringing an organic shampoo bar like this when I travel.
- Bamboo toothbrush – Swap your plastic toothbrush for one made of bamboo, and there are even toothbrush cases made from bamboo or recycled material. And, instead of liquid toothpaste, you can get toothpaste tablets which will also save you some weight in your luggage.
- Reusable makeup remover wipes – Use makeup remover wipes made of cotton that you can wash and reuse instead of the disposable ones which are not biodegradable.
- Menstrual cup – As a waste-free alternative to tampons, menstrual cups are getting more and more popular. You can clean them and reuse them over and over again.
4. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Pack light
Some of my friends still don’t believe that I take almost all of my trips with only hand luggage – even when it’s a three weeks backpacking trip. Yes, I even managed to travel through south-east Asia for half a year with only 8 kilograms in my backpack. That way I was able to squeeze it and take it on board as hand luggage. And you can do that too. It’s easier than you think.
Carrying less weight does not only benefit your back. The more you pack, the more fuel is needed by the plane, car, or bus you take. Hence, less luggage means fewer carbon emissions are released.
Have you ever come back from a trip and realized that you didn’t need that dress, this extra pair of shoes, or that styling product? Start by carefully questioning what you pack and if you really need it. It is a smart and effective tip to be a more sustainable traveler.
By having less space, you also tend to shop less and hence consume more consciously, as you’re restricted in space. Another benefit is that you can walk or take public transport to reach your accommodation. With light luggage, you’re less tempted to jump into a taxi. You see, packing light is in many ways a great possibility to reduce your travel carbon footprint.
5. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Support locals
As you just freed up some space in your bag, you can buy some handmade crafts from a local artisan or artist. I love strolling through some local shops and markets. Those are some of my favorite things to do when I’m visiting a new place. Even without buying much, in this way you can dive into the local culture, experience colorful crafts, and soak up some flavors of the region.
When shopping lust catches you on your trip, avoid chains and fast fashion stores. Make sure your money directly reaches the locals, who benefit from it instead of an international company. Even at seemingly local markets, many products are shipped from China. So next time, consider this tip as a sustainable traveler and look out for products made in the region or at least in the country.
And try to make sure it’s fairly produced without people, children, or animals being exploited. I’ve made some bad experiences in less developed countries, such as Myanmar, where weaving Kayan (long neck) women were kind of exhibited to attract tourists.
Instead of bringing too many souvenirs, try being selective (let’s be honest – your friends and family don’t need that stuff anyway and it only produces more waste). I love to bring local herbs and cook something typical for my friends when I’m back home.
Moreover, when searching for tour operators, at many places you have the option to book a local guide or a local company. By supporting local businesses, you can contribute to the local economy and help keep people employed.
6. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Eat responsibly
Eat local
Don’t you love indulging yourself with the most delicious local sweet? I always find it exciting to try the secret hot spot where a local grandma sells her love-packed homemade treat. Or those curries in Thailand. Mhhh!
By eating locally and organically, ingredients aren’t shipped from across the world and cause fewer emissions. Besides, just as with shopping, by dining in local restaurants and cafes you support local businesses. Trying local food is such a huge part of the travel experience. In this way, you can truly soak up the culture.
During my numerous travels to foreign cultures, I also realized that people love cooking for you. They enjoy serving you their homemade food and worship the cultural exchange.
In countries with a rich street food culture, try eating on the street. The food is freshly prepared and usually made from exactly those ingredients that you just saw on the local farmer’s market. If you’re cooking yourself, avoid huge supermarket chains, but get local ingredients at those farmer markets as well.
Eat less meat
This can radically influence your ecological footprint, which it’s a major tip for sustainable travel. And cutting back on meat and dairy is probably one of the simplest ways to lower your environmental impact and to be a more sustainable traveler. Breeding cattle consumes huge amounts of resources and produces way more carbon emissions than any means of transport on earth.
Also, it’s one of the main reasons for deforestation, as forests are eliminated in order to make up space for farming and the production of food for cattle.
Therefore, meat is proven to be one of the most severe causes of climate change. So your meat consumption has a huge impact on the environment. Stick to local culinary options with little or no meat. You’ll be surprised by how many delicious culinary options there are today without meat or animal products.
Avoid chain restaurants
Did you really travel all the way to a foreign country to eat at McDonald’s? Probably not. On the one hand, I already mentioned that local cuisine is such a huge part of experiencing the local culture at your destination. Don’t miss out on that. Another reason against chain restaurants is their huge waste production. The ingredients are shipped across countries, packed in styrofoam and plastic. And when eating you’ll get lots of single-use plastic utensils. No-Go!
7. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Cause as little waste as possible
Save paper
Avoiding waste on your journey starts with the paper you save when you don’t print your boarding pass or hotel reservations. It’s so easy and convenient nowadays presenting your tickets on your phone. As a sustainable traveler, decline any paper receipts you’re offered by operators, whenever it’s possible.
Save plastic
Littered streets in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Have you ever been overwhelmed by the extensive use of plastic at markets, food stalls or shops? While I enjoy strolling through local markets, seeing all that waste and packaging always upsets me. Therefore, make sure to bring your own bag and avoid snacks packed in plastic.
I remember scenes at a Malaysian pasar malam (night market) packed with delicious street food stalls, the smell of freshly fried roti in the air. As usually, I couldn’t resist trying all those local treats: From Kuey Teow (fried noodles) to Apom (Malaysian pancakes). Yet, every vendor wanted to clutter me with plastic bags – one for the juice, another one for the fruits.
I know saying “no” over and over again can be exhausting. But in these situations we can truly make a difference. Imagine how much plastic can be spared when you keep being persistent.
Say it in a friendly way but let them know that there is no need for extra packaging when you’re eating it right away. In this way you’re spreading awareness as well. Or indicate that you can pack your fruits into your backpack or bag. Say no to plastic straws as well. You can already tell the food vendor or waiter when you order. If you want to go a step further, bring your own cutlery (e.g. made of bamboo) as well.
Those huge amounts of plastic and styrofoam are just as much bad for your health as they are for your environment. Remember that it can take up to a thousand years for plastic to decompose. By considering this tip for sustainable travel and avoiding plastics, you can protect the oceans. They get more and more cluttered with plastic and microplastics end up in our food. It’s a horrible vicious circle.
When hiking, simply take your garbage with you. And whenever you see some litter, pick it up and take it to the next designated bin. Sometimes it’s the little things and it all adds up.
8. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Bring your own water bottle
A super simple, yet extremely effective tip for sustainable travelers is avoiding plastic bottles. Challenge yourself and try not to pay for water on your trip. That might sound difficult but can be implemented easily.
You can bring your own reusable water bottle and refill it. This especially makes sense when traveling in a country where you can drink tap water. Inform yourself – in many regions it’s safe to drink tap water, such as in Northern Italy or Singapore. Even if it isn’t, many hotels offer refill stations.
Do you know what’s one of the most amazing inventions ever? In my opinion, it’s self-purifying water bottles. For your travels in developing countries, this is a must-have. The most reliable models are from Grayl. You can fill it with tap water or even water from a clear river during a hike and the bottles make your water drinkable. They remove many chemicals, bacteria, and waterborne pathogens (such as Norovirus!), as well as metals that leave a bad aftertaste. It is an investment but when I consider all the money paid for plastic-bottled water before I became more conscious of the waste, it easily pays off.
9. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Avoid animal interactions
Orang utans in a rescue center in Borneo
This is a part that comes deeply from my heart. It’s devastating seeing monkeys with cut-off tails on chains to take pictures with in Morocco. Elephants constantly chained while waiting for the next tourist to ride them in Asia. Pictures of malnourished tigers held in unbelievably small cages in Thailand. In so many touristy places animals are abused for the sake of profit, even if it doesn’t openly look like it at first sight.
They are called wildlife because they live in the wild. And that’s the only place they belong. When you engage in animal attractions, you are actively supporting a horrible industry capturing and abusing animals. Thus, as a responsible and sustainable traveler, you need to avoid any animal interaction by all means, unless you made sure that it is 100% ethical. Even if a company may seem to promote animals’ welfare, dig deep and research intensely before supporting them.
If you wish to see wild animals, consider this tip for a sustainable travel alternative and preferably visit national parks where they are able to roam freely.
Also, you can volunteer at certified sanctuaries or rescue centers helping to preserve wildlife. This is an experience worth remembering.
10. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Use public transport, or: Walk! Walk! Walk!
Public transport is not only more eco-friendly than using taxis. It’s also an opportunity to directly dive into the locals’ life at your destination. I have observed and experienced quite some adventures on buses in South America or on trains in Asia. On overnight buses just as much as on metros. From people trying to transport the whole content of their garage, the weirdest sales, to meeting the loveliest women who didn’t speak any common language but still wanted to gift me food.
If there’s no way around taking a taxi, split it with others heading in the same direction. Your wallet and the environment will thank you.
In more developed destinations, use car-sharing where it’s available.
Even better is choosing a central accommodation that enables you to walk anywhere. On any trip, I tend to walk and bike as much as possible. My fellow travelers have regularly cursed when I wanted to walk those 20 minutes from the bus station to our hostel. But I just love increasing my step count while discovering nice corners at the same time.
11. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Travel slower
Of course, in two weeks in South America, it’s harder to take 10h buses, as it consumes so much of your restricted time. That’s why I recommend extending your journey. Take fewer trips but longer ones. Don’t try to squeeze as much sightseeing as possible in a short trip. Besides being costly for your wallet, it is primarily costly for the environment. When you travel fast, you take more and more eco-unfriendly means of transport. Moreover, It’s exhausting and doesn’t leave much time to deeply explore your destination and the hidden gems. And this is the most precious side of traveling, don’t you agree?
Having more time at your destination gives you the opportunity to really get to know locals and the culture and even to visit more regional places. Thereby, you can support lesser-developed communities instead of only big cities and touristy places. So try to embrace slow travel!
12. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Be respectful
Eventually, being a sustainable traveler means sustaining the environment to keep it healthy for future generations to still enjoy it as much as we do. So don’t touch corals when diving. Respect fences and stay on trails during hikes. Avoid touching archaeological sites and ancient temples.
Speaking of temples. Traveling sustainably also means paying the utmost respect to religious sites. Do some research in order to avoid unethical behavior like entering a temple in shorts. Only do so if you have a scarf to cover your legs and shoulders. Besides, a sustainable traveler, you need to know local customs and honor traditions in order to behave appropriately.
The ultimate 13. Tip to be a more sustainable traveler: Lead a more sustainable lifestyle
I got one more for you. Adopting a sustainable lifestyle at home will make it easy for you to keep this lifestyle during traveling. You’ll automatically avoid waste and save water, limit your energy use, and take the bus instead of a taxi. You will be used to treating your environment and the people you encounter respectfully. All of the above-mentioned tips will come easily and you’ll take the eco-friendly choice just because you always do. That’s a huge step towards being a more sustainable traveler.
Tips to be a more sustainable traveler in a nutshell
To recap, here are the 12 handy tips to be a more sustainable traveler that you can directly implement the next time you travel, without huge efforts:
- Stay with locals to interact with their culture and let your money reach the right people
- Save energy and water to protect our resources
- Bring your own (eco-friendly) products to cause less waste
- Pack light to cause fewer emissions and shop more responsibly
- Support local businesses to contribute to the local economy
- Eat responsibly – meaning locally and less meat
- Cause as little litter as possible by avoiding plastic and paper
- Bring your own water bottle to save money and save plastic
- Avoid animal interactions to help prevent animal abuse
- Use public transport and walk or bike a lot
- Travel slower to lower your carbon footprint
- Be respectful to the environment, the people, and their traditions
One last thing, I’d like to tell you: Please don’t judge. Not all people and countries are as privileged to access the same level of education. Some people just don’t know any better. Because you do understand the consequences of littering the streets, you are able to make a change. Spread the word and educate others. But don’t forget to do it in a friendly way without judging. A simple phrase can start making people rethink their behavior.
What unites us is our love for seeing the beauty of this world through travel. With these twelve tips to be more sustainable travelers, we can drive forward a positive change. Our experience will be more conscious and our journey more meaningful. Let’s start right away!
Do you know another tip to become a more sustainable traveler which is not yet included? Leave a comment and spread the word. I’m always striving to improve as well.
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