Give us a break.
photo: andy vu von pexels
Give us a break.
photo: andy vu von pexels
Traveling? Now? Is that even possible in times of war and climate change?
We think, it is not easy to answer that question. At the office we debated for quite some time if we can publish this article, if it should be published. But eventually, traveling in times like these is a very personal decision. When enjoying your latte in the sun is not enough to regenerate anymore, isn’t a little getaway the solution? Exactly!
It doesn’t always have to be the Caribbean.
Green tourism or ecotourism. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”. Meaning, that the impact of the travel is what matters. It could for example be quite positive, when tourism is an important source of income in developing countries, On the other hand there are CO2 emissions caused by the flight, environmental stress, or the overstress of people. So, let’s have a look at the currently very popular camping vacation:
It sounds quite nice, to travel the country with your own camper van or RV, but it is not very sustainable. The vehicles are heavy and have quite a large CO2 footprint. But if you are not taking the biggest one and don’t pack you whole household (the lower the weight the lower the fuel consumption) you are going into the right direction. Next step: Do NOT just camp anywhere in nature. No matter how romantic that sounds, it disturbs wild animals who already have limited places of refuge. Ecocamps* are a great alternative and so are regional offers from farmers – just do some googling. But the principle remains “leave no trace behind”. That means: Not even your coffee grounds – not to mention shower gel, toilet paper and so on. Nature is not a compost. And if you don’t want to take the van?
Here are two platforms to book a sustainable vacation:
Bookitgreen evaluates accommodations based on certificates like the EU label for sustainability, the German Bio Siegel, Viabono and Fairstay, as well as 15 additional criteria for sustainability, of which 4 have to be fulfilled.
Good Travel presents „handpicked places” that are “sustainable, inspiring and authentic”.
And then? Relax…!
