Most of us who go on holiday rarely think about the impact we’re having on the environment – I mean, you’re on holiday to relax and have fun right? Well, I did some digging, and must say that when you delve into it, the numbers can be scary! Did you know that the world-wide rise in temperature helps the spread of harmful diseases like malaria?

I wrote a post a while back on earth hour, which included some tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Below are a few more tips to help you have a greener holiday!

Travel together to save fuel. By marshall astor (Flickr)

Before leaving home:

  • As tempting as it is to grab every destination brochure available, try and refrain from doing this, and only take the ones you know you’ll use. Each brochure that’s taken will need to be replaced, which means more trees need to be cut down for paper. If you already have a variety of brochures, recycle them once you’re done.
  • Unplug any unnecessary appliances before you leave home, such as TVs, toasters, chargers, and microwaves. These items can still use energy in their off mode – and don’t forget about turning off your geyser.
  • Buy re-fillable bottles for your shampoo, shower gels, and body lotions. The reason is, each time you buy new ones, your old ones that have been dumped wind up in landfills – and these have the same breakdown expectancy as plastic – 500 years! Rather, get travel containers with screw-on caps, so you can re-use them again, and again.
  • When booking your travel arrangements remember to drive – not fly. This is one of the biggest ways to avoid leaving a carbon footprint. Also, remember that the most eco-friendly form of vacationing is *drum-roll please* camping!

Camping fun via BigStock

Activities:

  • Strange though it may sound to those adventurers out there, you should always stick to the path when hiking (or 4x4ing) – as veering off could lead to you accidentally trampling protected or rare flora.
  • While vacationing in exotic locations, remember that you shouldn’t buy items that are made from endangered species (no matter how well the item fits, or how cute it may look on you).

At your destination:

  • Eat and drink local foods. This way, you won’t have to worry about what carbon-mileage they have, unlike imported goods.
  • Don’t buy a ton of water bottles – rather get a portable water filter if you’re in an area where the water’s a bit grotty. You’ll save a ton of money and won’t have to worry about disposing of the plastic. A re-usable water bottle like cyclists and runners use is also an option.

Reuseable shopping bags rock. By Lee Haywood (Flickr)

  • Avoid buying plastic shopping bags, and bring a re-useable shopping bag for those market trips – as mentioned above, plastic takes 500 years to break down.
  • Even while on vacation, you should still turn off lights in area’s you’re not busy in, along with as any air-conditioning/heating units.

It's better to do your laundry all in one go by Christian Haugen (Flickr)

Common sense:

  • Laundering your towels, sheets and clothing uses a great deal of energy, so rather wait until everything you’ve brought with needs a wash, rather than doing a few items each day. If you’d rather not wait, take a page from the backpacking community, and wash your dirty items in the sink, and allow them to air dry overnight.
  • If you stayed at an eco-friendly accommodation, send them an e-mail (not a letter), once your stay is over to thank them for their part in helping to reduce the carbon footprint of each guest who visits them.

If you know of any other tips, we’d love you to share them with us in the comment section below.