A vacation is fabulous anyway you look at it. It gives you the chance to get away from work and other obligations, see the world, and gain a fresh perspective on life.
If you're focused on living a green lifestyle, you can also make changes to your vacation planning that will allow it to be more eco-friendly. Why not combine your love for the environment and sustainability with the trip of a lifetime?
The following are some of the top tips to help you plan an earth-friendly vacation.
Think About an RV
Renting an RV can be an environmentally-friendly option for your next trip. There's the concept of the gas to think about, but it's more eco-friendly than flying and it gives you the opportunity to avoid going to a hotel that uses a lot of energy and produces a lot of waste. You can also get back to nature on your trip and enjoy the outdoors, rather than doing activities that might not necessarily be good for the earth.
A few ways to make an RV trip even more eco-friendly include shopping at local shops and farmer's market when you get to your location, and taking a bicycle with you so you can reduce your drive time. You can also make sure you're recycling all of your waste.
In general, regardless of whether or not you go in an RV, biking can be a great part of an eco-conscious trip as opposed to taking a cab or renting a car.
Working Farms
A concept that's gaining a lot of popularity among travelers who want something that's enjoyable, relaxing and also good for the environment is to visit a working farm.
Working farms are often available in beautiful and scenic areas, and they offer visitors the chance to do some work in exchange for their room and board. It's cheaper than a hotel or even free, you're helping the environment and being part of sustainable local economies, and you're saving money.
Green Hotels and Resorts
If you're looking for something a bit more luxurious than a working farm, but you still want to do your part for the environment, think about staying at a green hotel. There are a lot of hotels across the world that are meeting LEED certifications, and that means that they're built with sustainable materials and practices.
Even in a place like Las Vegas, there are several buildings such as the Palazzo, the Aria, and the Vdara City Center hotels that meet LEED certifications.
There are also eco resorts, often in locations like Costa Rica, where the entire property is dedicated to environmentally sound practices.
Finally, there are other tourism accreditation standards that you can look for when choosing accommodations like the Green Key and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
There's also the Unique Lodges of the World, which is a group of 55 properties that are associated with National Geographic. They're located in exotic locations throughout the world such as South Africa, and they're not only dedicated to sustainability regarding lodging, but they also provide support and give back to the local communities they're part of.
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