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There are more and more of us traveling every year... in spite of the recent economic downturn, that is a fact. With so many of us out there, it's more important than ever to think about how travelers impact the environment.
Making your travel "green travel" is a great way to protect the environment for people who visit after you do and for our children. You don't necessarily have to pay more to travel this way. You might even find that your travel will be more rewarding, more authentic... let you get closer to the people and places you travel to.... and cheaper!
So let's list some green travel tips....
Try to choose a green hotel. See if you can find out what kind of recycling program they have. Do they use energy efficient lighting? Low flow toilets? Water saving shower heads?
Check to see if guests have the option to reuse hotel towels and sheets instead of having them laundered everyday... then reuse them! All over the world you'll find offers like this one we found in Oman...
Keep your showers short.
Turn off air-conditioning, lights, heat, television, etc. when you leave the room.
Bring your own toiletries rather than using the prepackaged ones at the hotel. Leave theirs behind. All those little bottles use lots of plastic, and who needs a whole drawer full of these once you get home?
Pack a water bottle that you can reuse. (Don't keep buying them. Most plastic water bottles don't get recycled.) Certainly buy bottled water in countries where that's necessary but see if you can find a way to recycle them.
When renting a car, get the smallest most fuel-efficient car that you can be comfortable with. (Even consider a hybrid... it's more and more possible to rent hybrids these days.) And try driving slower. If you go 60 mph (100 Kilometers per hour - km/h) or less, you'll use less fuel... and just maybe you'll see more. Get maps and directions for the most direct route. No reason do drive around lost and waste gas.
Walk to use public transportation when you can. Stay at a centrally located hotel. Walk around to see the sights; in the countryside, hike or bike if possible.
If you're walking a beach, consider picking up trash along the way. If all visitors did this, all of our beaches would be so much cleaner.
You don't even need to follow all of these suggestions for green travel. If you just choose one or two during your trip, the earth will thank you.
Happy travels... even if you don't travel the world... just remember that life is a journey... embrace and enjoy it! Judy and Mark
You might be surprised what you can find.
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