How To Travel More Sustainably – 7 Top Tips

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Sustainable travel is a topic of conversation that’s become more and more prevalent recently and especially with the on-going Covid-19 global pandemic, I think it’s something that’s incredibly important to discuss and be aware of.

Ideally, sustainable travel means finding a way to experience and explore places without damaging or harming cultural, environmental and natural habitats in any way. It’s a way to enjoy tourism while keeping damages to an absolute minimum.

Having travelled to some far and wide exotic places over the years, I’ve seen first-hand the impact of over-tourism and the devastation that tourism can cause on natural habitats. While I’m not perfect by any means, I do try my best to travel sustainably as and when I can, so today I thought I’d give you guys a few top tips on ways you can travel more sustainably too.

If you have any more tips or advice for us, please (kindly) leave them in the comments below!

Use public transport where possible

There are so many arguments both for and against public transport and whether it actually is infinitely better for the environment or not, but in my opinion, I’d generally say that it is.

Taking trains or buses when travelling for example, is likely much better for the environment than taking a plane. Of course, if you’re travelling to Australia for example, taking a bus isn’t quite manageable. However, once you’re actually in Australia, minimising your carbon footprint and taking public transport where possible, is much better than constantly hopping in a taxi or even on a plane to get you from A to B.

Use a refillable/reusable water bottle – how to travel more sustainably

This sustainable travel tip is arguably one of the most common and easiest changes to implement.

Instead of constantly purchasing plastic bottles of water when you’re travelling, why not try a reusable one, or failing that, just use the same plastic bottle over and over and wash it out before you use it?

This is actually something that we really struggled with when we were in Asia as it’s not quite as easy as filling your reusable bottle up with tap water. This is because most places in Asia don’t have clean drinking tap water, and so bottled water is unfortunately the way to go when travelling there.

Wherever possible, we did try and fill our bottles up at local water filling stations or at the hostels we were staying in as I really hate using single-use plastic and it’s a shame that it’s quite a tricky thing to avoid in some places.

Even the smallest changes can help though; so whenever you can, try and use a reusable water bottle.

Use more environmentally friendly period products

One of the things I was most nervous about before we started travelling was how I was going to manage my periods while we were living in a campervan, or staying in the jungle, while ensuring that I was producing/contributing to waste as little as possible.

Thankfully, there are now companies who offer excellent alternatives in order to travel sustainably as a woman when it’s that inevitable time of the month.

Yoppie are one of those companies who are working towards a more organic and environmentally-friendly period approach. Their organic period products are free from toxins (so they’re much better for you) and they’re also made with 100% organic cotton so they’re much better for the environment.

While Yoppie isn’t 100% sustainable just yet, they’re a much better period product alternative than some of the bigger brands. Their pads and liners are made with a biodegradable waterproof backing and their tampons are free from plastic coatings and applicators.

I’ve been using the Yoppie Organic Cotton Liners for a few weeks now which are made from biodegradable materials such as 100% organic cotton and they’re free from fragrance, synthetics and chlorine bleach. I also love that they come packaged in a box that easily fits through your letter box and that each liner is only individually wrapped once. I’ve used some products in the past that have several layers of packaging so this was a warm welcome for me.

Yoppie also offer a subscription-based service so you can manage your period supplies on a monthly basis and have them delivered straight to your door. This is definitely something that I find useful with a fast-paced travel lifestyle, even when I’m just at home in the UK and embarking on my travels around the country.

Any kind of step towards a more environmentally-friendly period while travelling (or even just at home!) is a great thing in my mind. Whether you go completely product-free and invest in a menstrual cup, or you take gradual steps to become kinder to the planet by using brands such as Yoppie, these are all excellent ways to travel more sustainably.

Buy local where possible

Another top sustainable travel tip is to buy local where possible. This includes things like food, local accommodation in the form of guest houses as opposed to large, corporate-chain hotels and produce such as clothes and souvenirs.

When we were travelling in Asia especially, we did our best to buy locally and many of our meals were eaten in local restaurants and cafes. While of course it’s not always possible to do this, it is a good habit to try and get into if you’re able to.

Not only does buying local help the environment as you’re not contributing to huge global chain corporations, but you’re also helping the local economy and providing locals with your money when you buy from them directly.

Travel off-peak where possible – travel more sustainably

Travelling off-peak is another way that you can move towards a more sustainable travel approach. This is because it helps to avoid over-tourism somewhat.

Of course, that doesn’t mean to say that places won’t be over-crowded with tourists during peak times anyway, but you can do your bit and try and avoid contributing to the masses where possible.

Over-tourism is definitely becoming a big thing in many places around the world. I noticed it an awful lot when we were in Bali and we actually avoided many “top” tourist attractions while we were there as not only was it actually unenjoyable for us due to so many people being there, but it was just awful to see the nature being damaged in some parts.

Many places in Thailand have also suffered from over-tourism, including Maya Bay in the Phi Phi Islands thanks to its rise in popularity after The Beach movie made it famous. The bay is actually now shut to tourists indefinitely as the wildlife was so damaged around the area due to swarms of tourists visiting it over the years.

While I think it’s great to embark on local tours when you’re travelling so that you can experience different things and of course, help out the local economy, I do believe that it’s something that should be done in a sensible and considered manner.

Choose chemical-free or organic toiletries

This kind of sustainable travel change seems like it would be incredibly easy to implement, but when you take things like cost and availability into consideration, it’s actually much harder to do than you might think.

While I would have absolutely loved to have used 100% ethical and environmentally-friendly products while travelling, it wasn’t always possible when we desperately needed sunscreen for example, and there were no organic products available in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere.

However, if you can make the necessary changes to your toiletry bag and try to only use chemical-free sun creams, then this will go a long way in moving you towards much more sustainable travel.

Products such as sun creams and deodorants often contain harmful chemicals that are known to damage coral reefs in the ocean, for example. So if you can find ones that are coral-friendly and won’t be damaging to the ocean and wildlife when you’re swimming etc, then that’s obviously much better.

Think carefully about animal experiences

Sustainable travel encompasses many areas of tourism, including nature, wildlife, pollution, over-tourism and much more.

One of the most important elements of sustainable travel involves ensuring that you’re treating animals with the utmost respect and you should never visit anywhere that allows unethical animal/human interaction or where the animals are behaving “unnaturally”.

You should also always do as much thorough research as possible before you embark on an animal experience. For example, just because an animal sanctuary claims that it’s ethical, doesn’t always mean it actually is. There were places that we saw in Thailand that offered “ethical” elephant sanctuaries, but it turns out that they also offered elephant rides which is obviously the direct opposite of ethical.

If you’re unsure about the ethics or sustainable elements of an animal encounter place that claims to be ethical, always question it and avoid it completely if you can’t guarantee that the animals are being treated right.

Sustainable travel is definitely something that needs a lot of work on, but even the smallest steps towards positive change are good. The best way to travel more sustainably is to just be more mindful. Consider your decisions carefully and ensure that you respect every element of travel.

Related posts:

• How We’re Learning To Live More Sustainably In New Zealand
• 9 Ways To Stretch Your Travel Budget Further
• Why I Didn’t Love Bali As Much As I Thought I Would
• The Truth About The Gate To Heaven In Bali
• The Risk Of Travelling

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Do you have any top tips on how to travel more sustainably? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram @imjustagirl_16.