Travel bloggers and YouTubers have turned travelling into the dream lifestyle; but I think that, deep down, what propels us to travel is the need to expand our horizons, discover unique landscapes and feel awe in front of earth’s beauty. From backpackers to luxury tourists, travelling is food for the soul.
But travelling comes with one big catch-22.
It often entails the DEPLETION of the natural beauty that the traveller seeks in the very first place.
Pollution, over-consumption and depletion of resources seem to be the trails that the visiting tourist leaves behind.
So, should we stop travelling? Decide that we are best where our bricks are? What a terrible sentence to impose on ourselves. Personally, I’ve always been my happiest when travelling.
The good news is there are easy ways of making sure that your impact when travelling is minimal, if not completely neutral or, even better, a POSITIVE one.
So how do you go about achieving any of those three things?
Water Consumption
This was the case for me in Mauritius. When I lived with my parents, the water shortage problem was apparent. Every day from 9 am-3 pm and again from 11 pm-6 am, the water authorities would completely cut off the water. That’s right. No water at all for 13 hours. So, if you need water, the options are limited to waking up at the crack of dawn to fill as many utensils as you can, relying on a roof tank (not drinkable) or buying pre-bottled water which, of course, comes in plastic. Bottle companies in Mauritius must find business VERY lucrative.
It’s an issue that wouldn’t be obvious to a visitor. I, for one, wasn’t thinking about it during my stay at a hotel. Water shortage? What water shortage?
So, when going on holiday, it might be worth doing your research and trying to use water as sparingly as possible. I know, it’s a holiday. But just shortening the length of your showers makes a difference as well as asking for your towels to be changed only when necessary.
How to limit plastic consumption when travelling
If the recycling infrastructures in countries like the UK, USA and Canada are insufficient (91% of plastic is not recycled), it’s not hard to believe that in less developed countries, recycling facilities are pretty much non-existent.
In fact, in some countries, you have to PAY to get your rubbish recycled.
So limiting your plastic usage to a minimum is really one of the most basic, but most respectful, things you can do when visiting a country.
It starts with carrying a reusable water bottle around with you. Believe me, when you’re out and about, you WILL get thirsty. Do not underestimate your capacity to dehydrate like a prune in hot and humid conditions. You never know when an activity might pop up, resulting in physical strain and, therefore, thirst.
Unfortunately, a lot of countries don’t have facilities for you to refill your bottle.
In our case, despite carrying our reusable water bottles with us, it did happen that we ran out of our water and had to buy the plastic shiz. In our defence, we had just climbed a mountain. A literal mountain.
If you’re a street food lover, like I am, don’t forget to bring some reusable cutlery with you. The ones I have, come in a cloth bag and are made of bamboo, so they’re super light to carry around. It includes a bamboo straw as well, so if you ever want to sip your cocktail the fancy way; you don’t have to rely on here-for-2-centuries-don’t-mind-me plastic.
Whilst we’re on the subject, a reusable coffee cup can prove very useful too.
Jet lag and the need to explore everything in a very short lapse of time usually results in the need for frequent caffeine fixes.
As a huge coffee addict, coffee, regardless of where I am in the world, is imperative. Truth be told, coffee is not one of Mauritius’s fortes. I spent most of my time there experiencing caffeine withdrawal which meant some severe bouts of grumpiness.
I also like carrying this foldable reusable bag with me; regardless of whether I’m travelling or not. You never know when you’ll need to pop to the shops and, personally, it’s my number one way of preventing unwanted carrier bag purchases.
Sustainable toiletries when travelling
I get it airplane toilets are ALWAYS occupied, and toilet facilities in some countries are pretty…dire to say the least. Instead of carrying wipes to keep your hands clean, consider bringing some antibacterial gel or spray. You can buy them in bulk and use a small container to carry it around with you.
Makeup
Bringing versatile makeup items is a great way of travelling light. Lipstick that doubles as blusher and highlighter & bronzer that doubles as eyeshadow are just a few makeup tricks when travelling.
Instead of carrying cotton pads to remove your makeup, you can buy some reusable ones on Etsy or even make your own! They weigh about the same as cotton pads and therefore won’t add much to your luggage allowance.
Sunscreen
Our sunscreen is killing the planet. I was blown away when I learnt this. As it turns out, most sunscreens contain an ingredient called Oxybenzone which is terrible for coral reefs.
“It causes weird deformities in soft tissue and also causes the coral larvae to encase itself in its own skeleton, in its own coffin,” said Craig Downs, one of the study authors.
So wearing just any sunscreen might actually be one of the cruellest things we’re doing to the planet. Not only is our sunscreen leading to a torturous death for sea life, but corals play an important role in our ecosystem.
Coral reefs protect islands, like Mauritius, from life-threatening waves. Without coral reefs, Mauritius wouldn’t be the idyllic holiday sanctuary that it currently is.
Bigger fish also depend on plankton and smaller forms of life to survive. The danger to coral larvae represents a much larger danger to all forms of life.
Supporting the local community.
You can make your trip a POSITIVE one by being careful of where your money is going. Supporting local businesses instead of corporations is a great way of showing true appreciation for a country.
Buy and source locally: shop in local markets and eat at locally-owned restaurants rather than at big chains. Mauritius is full of street vendors and markets called ‘bazaar’, and I genuinely think that the true culinary tastes of a country are on the streets.
We did up consuming some plastics when eating on the streets, unfortunately.
One AMAZING thing about Mauritius though, is that bringing your tupperware to takeaway places is perfectly normal and locals do it all the time. They had it right waaay before us.
Stay in locally-owned guesthouses, Airbnbs instead of big hotel chains.
I did end up staying at a hotel chain for a few days because the one good thing I’ve noticed about chains is that they’re more likely to be aware of the current ‘zero-tolerance to plastic’ culture. For instance, we had no straws and the pens were made of recycled cardboard at the hotel we stayed in.
Take the time to do your research and find somewhere to stay that reflects your values and ethics.
On the other hand, be careful of not supporting places where animals are mistreated. Elephant rides and monkey shows might be owned by local people, but is a form of cruelty to animals.
Supporting the local community.
You can make your trip a POSITIVE one by being careful of where your money is going. Supporting local businesses instead of corporations is a great way of showing true appreciation for a country.
Buy and source locally: shop in local markets and eat at locally-owned restaurants rather than at big chains. Mauritius is full of street vendors and markets called ‘bazaar’, and I genuinely think that the true culinary tastes of a country are on the streets.
We did up consuming some plastics when eating on the streets, unfortunately.
One AMAZING thing about Mauritius though, is that bringing your tupperware to takeaway places is perfectly normal and locals do it all the time. They had it right waaay before us.
Stay in locally-owned guesthouses, Airbnbs instead of big hotel chains.
I did end up staying at a hotel chain for a few days because the one good thing I’ve noticed about chains is that they’re more likely to be aware of the current ‘zero-tolerance to plastic’ culture. For instance, we had no straws and the pens were made of recycled cardboard at the hotel we stayed in.
Take the time to do your research and find somewhere to stay that reflects your values and ethics.
On the other hand, be careful of not supporting places where animals are mistreated. Elephant rides and monkey shows might be owned by local people, but is a form of cruelty to animals.
Transport
Walking is, hands down (or should I say ‘feet down’?), the best way to take your body from one place to another. It helps you stay fit and has very little impact on the environment. I know, not everything is feasible on foot, but public transport, like bus and train, also has a much lower carbon footprint than travelling by car.
However, the biggest polluting factor of your holiday will probably be the trip there, especially if you’re taking THE PLANE.
One long-haul flight can emit more carbon emissions than what the average individual produces in a whole YEAR.
As standards of living increase and holiday packages become more and more affordable, these alarming stats will only continue to rise. According to the Guardian, they would triple in the next three decades!
In the light of those stats, using alternate methods of travelling such as the train and boat, might well be a very smart choice. Unfortunately, this is not always feasible.
There is, however, still a ‘solution’. It’s called carbon-offsetting.
What is carbon-offsetting, you ask? Boy, I’m glad you asked.
Carbon-offsetting is basically when you make up for the carbon emissions that you have caused.
Say you eat a pizza worth 540 calories. You then go for a run that makes you lose exactly 540 calories. You’ve essentially brought the act of eating that pizza to a total impact of ZERO.
We can’t really avoid the carbon emissions that a flight causes, but we can offset it. Travel agency, Intrepid travels, has been carbon neutral since 2010.
How do they do it?
“We offset our carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits associated with a range of renewable energy projects. We have identified six key international projects that we will purchase carbon credits with from 2018-2020”
There are many brands out there that help you calculate the amount of carbon that you have emitted and then give you the opportunity to make up for them. This could be in the form of investing in environmental projects, research for renewable energy or small acts that you can do in your everyday life.
An innovative concept, don’t you think?
Going on adventures and soaking in the world’s beauty shouldn’t be at the detriment of our planet. Travelling reinforces that; it fosters my belief that our natural resources NEED to be preserved so that future generations can gaze with similar wonder on the same pastures and landscapes.
Taking the time to implement those little things in your lifestyle contributes towards this movement; the movement to preserve our planet.