Looking for a Last-Minute Green Holiday Vacation?
Travel green this holiday season.
Looking for an environmentally friendly getaway from all the holiday fuss? Consider a green vacation.
The focus on green living is becoming more common around the world. However, if you travel, you can sometimes find it hard to remain as green as you would at home. Fortunately it’s becoming easier than ever to travel green.
According to the World Tourism Organization, eco-tourism is considered to be the fastest growing market in the tourism industry, representing 11.4 percent of all consumer spending. And it’s not stopping there. Eco-tourism is growing at a rate of 5 percent worldwide each year. Interestingly, this statistic occurs at a time when holiday travel is down. According to AAA, 2 percent fewer Americans will travel this year for the holidays, representing the first decline in holiday travel since 2002.
Green travel can take on many forms:
- Travel in a more traditional sense, but using green practices whenever available.
- Book a green destination trip – meaning hotels and excursions are booked exclusively because of their environmental features.
- Eco-volunteering trips are a unique twist, where the individual plans to volunteer their time working on an environmental or sustainability project.
Regardless of the destination, it’s easy to green your travel. Here are some fun and simple ways to ensure your are lowering your environmental impact, while still having a great green holiday vacation:
- Use public transportation instead of taxis or rental cars whenever available.
- For shorter trips, take a train rather than a plane.
- Hang up your towels, letting the cleaning service know you plan to reuse them.
- Green hotels should offer recycling, but if you find yourself in a traditional hotel sans recycling, ask where it is possible to recycle in the area (you can use our search as well). It may be closer than you think.
With nearly one billion people traveling worldwide each year, your travel could have a big environmental impact. If booking that last minute holiday trip, try booking a green vacation instead this year. It may just be the tiding of good joy you needed this season!
