Ways to be More Sustainable When Traveling: Insight From Business Owners

As a business owner, you sometimes need to go on frequent trips which isn’t always the best for the environment. Traveling without the earth on your mind can cause you to not be as careful when it comes to being sustainable during travel, and at your destination. When you are heading to a different country, it’s important to be respectful and ensure you are being as eco-friendly as possible in your choices, especially if you travel a lot. We spoke to some traveling business owners about what they feel can be done to help improve our efforts of being more green when we aren’t at home.

 

When it comes to staying at a hotel, it helps to act as though you are in your own home, says Bryan Mullennix of Feeling Vegas. “We would never leave lights on at home when we’re out, or wash a few towels at a time because this is a waste of energy and water. We should be using these same practices when it comes to staying at a hotel. Instead of having your sheets and towels changed everyday, only ask for housekeeping services every few days. This helps to minimize the washing they need to do which can use quite a bit of water. Always turn off the lights when you aren’t in the room, and don’t keep the heat up high or the air conditioning when you leave for the day. Any small amount of effort you make can make a big difference.”

This can even count for private rental accommodations as well. Instead of washing your linens everyday, do so at the end of your stay. Small things like this are helpful and you leave less of a negative impact on the environment.

Mullennix also suggests that you be mindful of your impact when walking around in a new place. “Try not to stray away from places where people are not meant to venture. Part of being a mindful and sustainable traveler is to also respect the culture and traditions of the places you are staying. Venturing into territory you aren’t supposed to be in can be harmful to the area and do more damage than you think. Always look for signs to ensure you are where you are supposed to be.”

In terms of actual travel, Allen King of Aqua Surf says that, “one of the best things you can do when trying to be more eco-friendly when traveling is to avoid as much single plastics as possible. One way to do this is to bring your own refillable water bottle everywhere when you travel. Most airports have water bottle refill stations as well as water fountains where you can get cold drinking water. All around places you travel there are opportunities to get water so you don’t have to buy plastic bottles. If you are struggling to find drinking water that isn’t in a bottle, then try to find glass or cardboard options as these are recyclable.”

Single use plastics are one of the biggest issues we have when it comes to trying to be more sustainable. Something else to consider is if you have no choice but to buy a plastic bottle, reuse it instead of buying another one. This way the bottle is reused more than once, and it’s better to throw away one bottle than it is to get rid of a bunch.

 

King also says it’s important to become familiar with the guidelines of places you are staying in. “Different places have different practices when it comes to disposing of waste. It helps to brush up on what the policies are in the places you’re visiting so you continue what they implemented. This may mean composting, recycling and simply just ensuring you are disposing of garbage the proper way. Take waste with you until you find somewhere to dispose of it and never litter.”

It’s important to make these changes if you travel often, and also look into other ways you can be more eco-friendly. This ensures we can continue to travel all over the world as we are making efforts to be more mindful of our impact on the environment.