Mobile Menu

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Accessible Travel
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • Hotel Zed Contest
    • It’s A Shore Thing Summer Getaway
    • Camel’s Hump Guest Ranch Getaway
    • Raft. Relax. Recharge
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • West Coast Traveller Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon
  • Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon

West Coast Traveller

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Accessible Travel
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • Hotel Zed Contest
    • It’s A Shore Thing Summer Getaway
    • Camel’s Hump Guest Ranch Getaway
    • Raft. Relax. Recharge
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • West Coast Traveller Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
You are here: Home / Travel / ‘I love not man the less, but nature more!’ Green travel tips for the eco-conscious traveller

How do we keep on doing what we love – travel – while also reducing our impact on our planet? Here are a few suggestions.

‘I love not man the less, but nature more!’ Green travel tips for the eco-conscious traveller

July 25, 2021 //  by West Coast Traveller

Share this:

Who better than Lord Byron to remind us of the value of the natural world and the need to protect it for generations of travellers to come?

The pandemic prompted a huge change in the way we move around our planet, mostly because we stopped moving around! It became evident as everything came to a halt, that for the first time since cheap travel began, the earth found it could breathe freely again. Dolphins swam in Venice’s famous canals, wildlife returned to places where it had been absent for generations, bird song was louder, and roadkill was drastically reduced.

During the Great Pause, we all got a taste of what life was like before the advent of the internal combustion engine and the steam engine. Before the invention of the mass-transport machine, going more than 10 miles from your own home was almost unthinkable for most folks. People might travel to find work, but not for the sake of travel alone.

Travel for its own sake

We could all just stop travelling, but if you’re like me, there’s no recovery from the bite of the travel bug. Some travellers are born (me, always restless), while others are made. In the words of John Keats, “Nothing ever becomes real ‘til it is experienced,” which is why we travel: experience.

Personally, I think the Romantic poets were on to something… they did a lot of eco-friendly slow travel!

How do we keep on doing what we love and at the same time, reduce the impact on our planet? Its incredible spectrum of life is why we travel in the first place, after all.

While flying is often the only way to cover vast distances, at least for now, there are always ways to reduce your carbon foot print no matter what your travel plans.

If you must fly (and sometimes it is the only option), try to book non-stop flights, because take off and landing use up a lot of fuel!

What better way to gain perspective than to sit back on the train – like this one in the station in Jasper – and see the world scroll past your window.

1) Take the train or a coach if you can

The purpose of travel is to see new things, right? Some European countries have implemented a ban on all flights that cover a journey that can be made in two hours or less by train. What better way to gain perspective than to sit back on the train or even a bus and see the world scroll past your window perhaps with a cuppa at hand? (In a compostable cup, or better yet, a travel mug).

Many cities, including Calgary, pictured here, offer good resources for cycling – an eco-friendly way to explore a city.

2) Other alternate forms of transport in the city

Bus, bike, or walk. When I visited Amsterdam, it was a real eye-opener how well everyone can get along on the roads. I had never seen so many bicycle in one place (I am a long-time cyclist), or so many people on one bike for that matter. Amsterdam is remarkably flat, however, and if the thought of pedalling uphill is daunting, you may want to choose an electric bike. Bikes and electric bikes are available to rent in most places. In many places there are bike borrow schemes too, where you can sign up, grab a bike and go.

Walking is probably the best way to immerse yourself in your chosen destination and makes parking a non-issue! Being on foot means you can easily step into that tempting local bakery, or pop in and try on that amazing coat in the display!

If a car is the only option, rent an electric or hybrid model, and share if you can.

Eating in small, locally run restaurants, or buying local ingredients for a picnic meal are great ways to support local wherever you’re visiting.

3) Buy local!

Support the local economy. Buy from local artisans instead of buying mass-produced, imported souvenirs to benefit locals and tourists alike. Eat in small, locally run restaurants, or buy locally grown produce for a picnic meal.

Recycle wherever you can! Order a smaller portion so food isn’t wasted, or plan ahead and make two meals from one. Eat-in on real dishes and take the time to watch and enjoy the local scene.

Consider where something is made and what it’s made of, and invest in quality pieces, not disposable ones.

4) Think about what you pack (and how much)

Consider biodegradable shampoo and laundry soap, for example. Travel light! Consider a capsule wardrobe, which makes choosing what to wear a cinch and also means you travel lighter, reducing the energy required to move your stuff.

Take re-usable containers, and a re-fillable water bottle! My water bottle from my university days has logged countless miles, as has my travel mug. Buy travel cutlery, and a reusable travel straw. Carry a cloth bag for those inevitable purchases! There are even backpack versions available that fold down to nothing.

4) A few other simple things

Turn off lights, air conditioning, and the tv in your room. Re-use your towels. Bring your own shampoo instead of using all the little ones in the hotel.

Source out a “green” hotel. Check out bookdifferent.com to find a green option.

Share this:

Category: TravelTag: Canada, Green Living, Travel, USA, WCT Intro

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown Victoria

Things will get wild on the streets of Victoria this month with life-sized driftwood animal…

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown VictoriaRead More

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delights

Spring’s arrival brings more than longer, sunnier days coaxing leaves from the trees. It’s the…

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delightsRead More

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous park

California has one campground among the nation’s 10 most difficult to book, according to a…

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous parkRead More

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and camping

By Jared Gendron, The News Tribune Beginning May 26, Mount Rainier National Park will only…

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and campingRead More

What to bring on a hike: WCT Travel Guide

Knowing what to bring on a hike can make all the difference between a wonderful…

What to bring on a hike: WCT Travel GuideRead More

You could spend a lifetime paddling here! Endless kayaking adventures await on southern Vancouver Island

Southern Vancouver Island is a world-class kayaking destination, with options along its endless, meandering coastline…

You could spend a lifetime paddling here! Endless kayaking adventures await on southern Vancouver IslandRead More

Travel on the Fly: A slushy good time spring skiing; Mountain-top beer festivities+ more!

From a Kootenay Beer Festival to a slushy end to a long, snowy spring ski…

Travel on the Fly: A slushy good time spring skiing; Mountain-top beer festivities+ more!Read More

Golden’s boy Boo boogies out of bed

The first day of spring isn’t officially until March 20, but for residents of Golden,…

Golden’s boy Boo boogies out of bedRead More

Take an Alberta roadtrip in the footsteps of ‘The Last of Us’

The HBO TV series The Last of Us has not only made many Albertans proud…

Take an Alberta roadtrip in the footsteps of ‘The Last of Us’Read More

Previous Post: « Work-from-home means work-from-anywhere! 4 west coast destinations to take a work-ation
Next Post: PHOTOS: Humpbacks put on a show for visitors to Vancouver Island »

Primary Sidebar

Things To Do

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown Victoria

March 22, 2023

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delights

March 21, 2023

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous park

March 21, 2023

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and camping

March 21, 2023

Recent Posts

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown Victoria

March 22, 2023

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delights

March 21, 2023

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous park

March 21, 2023

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and camping

March 21, 2023

Footer

The West Coast Traveller has an immense social media footprint, with eight social media sites and and 125,000+ social followers.

Join us on social media and Join Our Community by sharing your stuff!

Get Inspired

News Media Groups

Black Press Media
Sound Publishing
Oahu Media Group
Alaska
Boulevard Magazines
Used.ca

Let’s Get Social

West Coast Traveller
I Love British Columbia
I Love Alberta
I Love Yukon
I Love Northwest Territories
I Love Washington
I Love California
I Love Oregon
I Love Alaska

Visit Our Companion Sites

I Love Saskatchewan
I Love Manitoba
I Love Nunavut
I Love Ontario
I Love Quebec
I Love Newfoundland and Labrador
I Love Nova Scotia
I Love New Brunswick
I Love Prince Edward Island

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon

Copyright © 2023 West Coast Traveller and · All Rights Reserved