To feel guilty about every action or purchase… to feel like there’s nothing we can do to actually solve the massive problems that have befallen us. 

It is easy to feel all that. I know. The harder choice is to take action. To start from our own daily lives, with steps that may seem small, but can snowball into a massive consumer culture shift. 

Travel is one of those things that many of us feel like it is an undeniable part of a fulfilled life. Exploring new cultures, places, meeting new people. But how do we keep traveling without contributing excessively to carbon emissions and pollution? 

Well, first of all, we can start by choosing trips and destinations that we know are not suffering from over-tourism. 

You know, the places where you literally can’t escape travelers, where the local people are suffering from massive price increases, loss of land, property, etc. 

Spend some time investigating and learning a little more about the destination. 

• Is tourism supporting the economy sustainably? 
• Are the local people treated fairly in their own home? 
• Is nature protected and preserved? 

Once you’ve chosen your destination, the next thing you can do is to offset your carbon footprint (flights, rent-a-car, etc.). 

You can easily calculate it on sites like this: https://climatecare.org/calculator/

You can also choose to support some of the vital organizations that fight climate change (one-time or regular donations). Some of them:

• Avaaz.org 
• b1g1.com 
• rainforesttrust.org
• amazonwatch.org 
• ran.org

You can also educate yourself more about the processes that are happening and what can be done to fight them. Some useful resources:

https://www.conservation.org/priorities/climate-change

https://www.who.int/health-topics/climate-change#tab=tab_1

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/effects-of/climate-change

And of course, you can make a change with how you spend your money and what products do you buy. 

Once you’re done with your old travel products – switch to the sustainable ones. 

The items you can choose as an environmentally friendly option:

• Razor – switch to a safety razor, the only thing you need to change is the blade, and you can use it for many years.
• Sunscreen – make sure your sunscreen is natural and does not damage coral reefs.
• Shampoo – we buy new shampoo relatively often. In doing so, we not only add to the plastic packaging problem but – if it’s not natural – polluting our waters. Choose a solid natural shampoo or bring your own bottle to fill in the zero waste shops in your area.
• Scrunchies – so lucky they’re back! Not only better for our hair, but they also last longer and do not snap (or get lost!) as often as the elastic bands. 
• Reusable shopping bag – we tend to forget about it, but we often shop at the local markets and end up with many plastic bags since we simply forgot to bring a reusable one from home!
• Diva cup – yes, it’s not for everyone, but if it works for you – it’s a fantastic way to substitute to very polluting feminine products. 

Looking for ways to travel more sustainably and responsibly? Here are some of our suggestions!

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