Summer travel season is just around the corner and for eco-conscious travelers that means planning itineraries that don’t increase their carbon footprints.
Due to shifting trends, eco-conscious travel is gaining popularity among travelers and becoming more accessible. Thanks to an influx of eco-friendly resorts and travel programs, tourists have more options for vacations that reduce their impact on the environment.
Lapa Rios, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Brimming with biodiversity, Costa Rica is considered one of the best eco-travel destinations in the world. Between ample options for environmental education and eco-friendly activities and accommodations, the Central American country is a must for any eco-conscious traveler.
While there are numerous eco-lodges scattered throughout Costa Rica, one popular resort is Lapa Rios. A luxury resort located among 1,000 acres of Costa Rica’s last remaining tropical lowland rainforest, Lapa Rios is a unique experience in an incredible setting.
Visitors to Lapa Rios can customize their visits, choosing stays complete with outdoor adventures and educational excursions, or more low-key activities for families, couples and solo travelers simply looking to sit back and experience the splendor of the outdoors.
Six Senses, Fiji
With locations across the globe, Six Senses Hotels, Resorts and Spas has long been revered as a pioneer in sustainable practices within the hospitality industry. One of the newest resorts to join the Six Senses family is Six Senses Fiji, located on Malolo Island.
Developed with sustainability in mind, Six Senses Fiji features one of the largest off-grid solar installations in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition to this, the resort also features a reverse osmosis plant and water refinery, worm-based septic tanks, and its own fruit and vegetable gardens.
Hi Hotel, Nice, France
Located near the shores of the Mediterranean in southern France, Hi Hotel in Nice was built around well-being using responsibly sourced materials, Hi Hotel is driven by ethical and sustainable business practices on the shore of the Mediterranean.
Food served in the hotel restaurant is fresh and organic, all waste produced by the hotel is recycled accordingly, and hotel staff members are ethically treated.
In addition to this, guests of the hotel can enjoy pampering themselves with a number of wellness treatments, including massage and yoga.
Svart, Arctic Circle
Pristine fjords flanked by grandiose glaciers and other out-of-this-world landscapes are what drive travelers to the Arctic Circle — the most northerly of Earth’s five major circles of latitude. Beginning in 2021, visitors to this wild and magical land will be able to experience their surroundings while enjoying accommodations in the world’s first energy-positive hotel above the Arctic Circle.
Svart, slated to open in 2021, will be a contemporary, overwater hotel featuring a futuristic circular design aimed to provide guests with unparalleled views of the surrounding scenery, which includes the magnificent Svartisen glacier and Arctic fjord.
Using solar and geothermal power, Svart is anticipated to produce more energy than it uses, and also is expected to consume 86 percent less energy yearly, compared to mainstream hotels.
Other Eco-Friendly Accommodations
From Iceland to Portugal, these European cities boast some of the most eco-friendly travel programs and accommodations in the world.
What’s your favorite green getaway?