Go Green on your Travels

Planning your Trip

Being a sustainable traveler is a state of mind, as National Geographic puts it. Increasing your awareness of the environmental impact of all facets of your travel, from planning and packing to flying and eating, makes all the difference.

While there are a variety of tips and tricks that can enhance your sustainability, one easy way to travel more sustainably is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to look for eco-friendly options and plan your entire trip. Type your destination and travel dates as well as something like “What are the most eco-friendly and convenient options for flights, a hotel and other aspects of the trip” as the prompt, for example. You’ll get suggestions and rankings for airlines, hotels, ground transport, intra-city transport and restaurants based on sustainability impacts.

Traveling to your Destination

The single most significant way to reduce carbon emissions is to change how you travel. Indeed, National Geographic found that transport is often responsible for at least 70 percent of the carbon emissions of a holiday.

To reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions your travel causes, you can choose a closer destination. If you’re flying, choose a non-stop flight. Stops or layovers mean at least one extra takeoff and landing and Yale University estimates those stops are responsible for half the carbon emissions during a single trip. And flying economy has less impact than premium economy or business class. If you’re able to travel by train or bus, you’ll reduce emissions. Avoid cruise ships too, as even the most efficient ones emit 3-4 times more CO2 per kilometer than flights.

When you do take a flight, it’s easier than ever to find out how much emissions your travel will cause. On Google Travel, for example, you can look at flights and rank airline trips by emissions.

As you prepare for your flight, pack as light as possible. Each extra kilogram of luggage on a flight from Singapore to Seattle, for instance, results in about 4.6 kilograms of carbon emissions.

Choose an Eco-Friendly Hotel

You can also look for and choose a hotel that emphasizes sustainability. Some hotels have installed energy-efficient lighting and low flow faucets, for instance, and they may have bed linen or towel programs that minimize waste.

If you’re traveling to parts of Europe, Bookitgreen has details about sustainable hotel options in a number of cities. Google Travel has a “Sustainability” section when you scroll down a hotel listing. Looking for certifications such as Earthcheck, Green Globe, Green Seal or LEED can identify more sustainable accommodations too.

Once you’re at the hotel, you can save energy by turning off unneeded lighting and devices, adjusting the temperature, and using a recycling program if the hotel offers one.

Enjoying the Destination

Whether you’re traveling to see a place, meet family or attend a meeting, you’ll most likely want to get around in the city or countryside and enjoy the local cuisine at restaurants.

Walking or biking to local destinations lets you find intriguing byways on the way to your destination and experience the local scene better while reducing emissions. If you do need to drive, you can rent an EV and choose a hotel with a charging station. For sightseeing further afield, buses and trains are more eco-friendly than cars or flights and are likely to reduce your stress levels as well.

Meals at local restaurants rather than international chains also let you find out more about the local cuisine as well as the culture. They are better for the environment too, as they are more likely to source ingredients locally.

Enjoy a Destination even more with Slow Travel

One trending practice to consider is “slow travel”. Rather than rushing from place to place, immerse yourself in a single destination or two. By lingering in one place, Mindful Ecotourism suggests, travelers can slash their transport emissions and dive into local life. Many travelers are choosing to stay local, learn about local or indigenous culture, and build a relationship with the flora, fauna and fungi in the ecosystem. Country Living similarly suggests slow travel as a better option.

Create a Positive Impact

The World Travel and Tourism Council noted that its latest research showed that travel and tourism account for 6.5 percent of all emissions globally, and the David Suzuki Foundation forecasts that one-quarter of all emissions could come from air travel by 2050 if we don’t change what we do. By making small changes in how you travel and what you do at your destination, you’ll play a part in reducing the huge level of emissions that the sector causes – and you’re likely to enjoy your trip more, too.

First published by AAS at https://issuu.com/singaporeame...