Family travels: 7 top tips to make your trip more sustainable
Based on recent findings, the average yearly footprint of every person in the UK is 12.7 tonnes of CO2e, which are all the greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. It might not sound like too much, but it quickly adds up when you consider how many people live in the country. So, everyone must adopt habits that will lead them to more sustainable life. Focus on every part of your life and see what you can do to help fight climate change. Here are our top tips for making your family travels more sustainable.
Support Regional Businesses
Hotel and food industry chains are some of the big contributors to climate change and pollution. Therefore, consider supporting local businesses no matter where you are travelling. Not only is it a more sustainable option, but you might also be able to save a significant amount of money. On top of that, local or family-owned restaurants might cook from higher-quality ingredients. If you are travelling to a new area, it can help you to get closer to the local culture and taste the authentic local cuisine.
Make Your Transport Electric
If you are often travelling by car, you can make your journeys more sustainable by investing in an electric car. Companies such as ElectriX can help you on the way to becoming less reliant on petrol or diesel. Instead, they can help you to find an electric car to lease and charge at home. No matter how far you travel, you will always be able to charge your car when the electricity rates are lowest. If you need a charge when you are travelling, you can access some of the chargers available throughout the country.
Do Not Rely On Single-Use Plastics
Single-use plastics are one of the most significant causes of ocean pollution. If you would like to reduce the number of plastics that are getting into the water sources every day, consider exploring more sustainable solutions. When you are travelling, it can be easy to carry your souvenirs or shop in a plastic bag. Instead, get canvas bags that will allow you to carry heavier items, and you will be able to use them for many years to come. And if your children want to drink with straws, make sure that you have a pack of reusable straws on hand.
Explore The Charm Of Slow Travelling
Slow travelling can have its charm. While fast travelling allows you to see many places in a shorter timeframe, slow travelling can help you learn more about the local culture. Fast travelling can also increase your carbon footprint significantly. You would spend more money and travel more in between the places. On the other hand, if you slow down your travels, you will have more time to indulge in activities that do not require you to use electricity, gas or other things that contribute to climate change.
Be A Responsible Hotel Guest
When you are staying at the hotel, it can be tempting to take advantage of all the services they offer. However, when you are at home, you most likely do not change your bedding or towels every single day. Therefore, you should avoid doing such things in a hotel as well. Even a task such as washing laundry can leave a carbon footprint. And if you do these things every day, it will only add up and make the situation worse. If you want to take your efforts even further, you can unplug any appliances that you are not using or turn off the lights when they are not necessary.
Get Your Children On Board
If you are striving for your family to make a more significant difference in climate change, it is important that you get all the family members on board. Children might have a harder time understanding what climate change is. Therefore, you should take your time to explain the issue in a way that will be easy for them to understand. Get them on board with the sustainable habits you want them to adopt and explain their meaning. To make the change easier for them, try to turn sustainable habits into games or competitions. Then, they will be more motivated to follow your lead.
Enrich Your Trip With Environmentally Friendly Activities
Finally, you can make your family trip more sustainable by indulging in environmentally friendly activities. For instance, explore the area on your feet instead of from a car seat. You can take the opportunity to hike around the area and find places you would not have seen otherwise. While choosing activities for your trip, ensure that you will be able to support local businesses. Avoid activities that disrupt the wildlife or job market in the area you are visiting. Pick activities that are close to your heart and take the time to bond with your family more.
