What Does Green Travel Mean?

The terms green travel, eco travel, and green tourism are basically interchangeable. The concepts don’t necessarily refer to vacations with a concentration on nature or wilderness. In fact, green travel can take you anywhere from the Australian Outback to the bustling cities of the U.S.A. and Europe.

To become a green traveler, you simply need to incorporate the basic ideals of green living into your travelling experience. For instance, if you are mindful of recycling at home, you will want to carry that habit over into your traveling and be careful to recycle wherever it is you might journey. Perhaps take a bicycle tour instead of a bus tour, and leave a lighter carbon footprint on the place you are visiting. Don’t litter when visiting someone else’s country, city, or place.

There is also a social context to green travel. You don’t want to do anything that would negatively impact on the eco-structure of the place you are visiting, and neither would you want to do anything that has a negative cultural impact, as well. Be respectful and mindful of tradition and cultural practices. Many societies outside of our own have time honored methods of doing things that differ vastly from ours. Before you visit a foreign place, educate yourself about the traditions and heritage of that region. Green travel extends to socially aware travel. It’s a natural crossroads.

Green travel seeks to turn the negative effects of tourism into something more positive. Travel and touring can be beneficial to a location’s economy and disastrous to its eco-system at the same time. This is particularly important to remember when visiting nature sites. An eco- traveler does everything he or she can to enhance their positive impact and eliminate the negative impact of their visit. Like taking a hiking tour instead of a driving tour, being sure to leave the location as clean or cleaner than when you arrived, purchasing mementos from native artisans instead of purchasing factory-made items from fancy gift shops.

If your idea of eco travel, however, is to experience nature or wilderness, then you may want to visit some of the world’s most exotic green travel destinations, which include:

• Madre De Dios, Peru – Rainforest conservation groups promote ecotourism to the area in the hope of creating an economy that depends upon the rainforest remaining healthy and intact.
• Dubai – The ecotourism industry in Dubai helps to protect the desert habitat and the species that live in it, like the exotic Arabian oryx, a large white antelope that was once close to extinction.
• Great Bear Forest In British Columbia, Canada – A global ecological treasure, this coastal forest extends for 250 miles and is home to rare and exotic bird species.
• The Galapagos Islands – Visitors to the Galapagos are accompanied at all times by an accredited park ranger to ensure that you enjoy the natural beauty of the islands and the threatened wildlife that inhabits these without causing damage to their environment.
• Kerala, India – Known as ‘God’s Own Country’ and one of the most sought-after destinations in Asia, boasting some of the richest biodiversity on the planet.
• Costa Rica – Costa Rica is one of the world’s most sought-after eco-travel destinations, with hundreds of companies that specialize in providing sustainable services.
• New Zealand – One of the most beautiful places on earth, this isolated island country draws ecotourists in droves and engages in environmentally and culturally sensitive tourism strategies and practices at local community, private business and government levels.

Adequate planning can ensure a fantastic green travel experience. In this day and age, all types of eco-friendly options are available to travellers who are willing to plan ahead. You can start your green travel by planning to offset your carbon emissions from air travel. Some airlines, like British Airways, offer you the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of your trip by making a donation based upon your flight plan. These donations are then made to eco-friendly technologies like hydroelectric production or solar production. Such an offset will generally cost you anywhere from $10 to $50 depending on your flight.

The next thing you might want to consider doing while making your green travel plans is to book lodgings at an environmentally friendly hotel or hostel. There are more and more places to stay that will give you green travel options and they can easily be found on the Internet while planning your trip.

Lastly, try to book activities that are earth friendly rather than not.

These are just a few easy ways that can help make your next holiday a green travel experience.

If you are interested in learning more about ways to go green, save money and help the planet, go to www.FreeTipsForGoingGreen.com and subscribe to receive a FREE email daily containing great green living tips for making your home, office and life greener and more eco friendly. For more details, visit Eco Tourism

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