| | | Green Family Vacation

From WikiVerde

A family vacation is a concept that everyone is familiar with and it is a common occurrence for most families at least once a year. Many parents tend to look for cheaper and easier vacations that can be relaxing and fun for the whole family. Unfortunately, some of these vacations can do more harm to the environment than they do to a bank account. So, the next time a vacation is planned take time to explore the options of going on an eco-friendly vacation. These vacations will not only do the vacation-goer some good, but the environment and earth too.

1 Avoid Environmentally Damaging Holidays
2 Respecting Nature
3 Reducing the Negative Impact on Tourism
4 Tips for Planning an Eco-Friendly Family Vacation
5 Making Family Travel Eco-Friendly
6 Some Eco-friendly Vacation destinations
7 References

Avoid Environmentally Damaging Holidays

With everyone talking about the environment and the effect current lifestyles are having on it, tourism is also under the scanner. There is much debate and concerns on the effect that tourism has on the environment, and it is because of this that countries are doing their fair share to make sure they offer a wide range of eco-friendly vacation options. An eco-friendly vacation aims to protect fragile economies, the environment and conserve natural resources and wildlife of the destination, thus promoting a system of sustainable development. Very plainly, eco-friendly vacations are all about traveling responsibly. These vacations are also of major importance to the fragile economies of smaller countries like Cuba and Costa Rica.

Respecting Nature

An eco-friendly vacation, as discussed earlier is all about respecting and preserving natural environments. These vacations can provide a vast range of adventures and activities that can be very rewarding for the whole family. For example, Egypt offers diving trips; Kenya offers whale watching and photo safaris, India offers tiger conservation. These are excellent choices for families to consider as vacations. The wildlife education and adventure associated with these vacations appeal to kids of all ages.

Reducing the Negative Impact on Tourism

Being eco-friendly is not only about protecting wildlife it is also about doing little things that would help protect and preserve the environment we live in. This concept is catching on with every aspect of the tourism and vacation industry. Hotels are doing their bit to make sure they are eco-friendly; many have started using solar heating, recycling their water and using more efficient waste management. A hotel that is truly eco-friendly pays a lot of attention to everything from recycling to renewable energy, to economical power consumption. Even airlines are claiming to have more environmentally friendly flights.

Tips for Planning an Eco-Friendly Family Vacation

Every little bit that is done to save the environment goes a long way. Being a responsible traveler means doing every little bit that an individual can do for the environment. Here are some tips on how:

Recycle pamphlets and brochures that are used while researching vacation options. Better still; make use of the Internet, that way you save on paper.

Try not to buy new vacation clothing. If you need to, then reuse and recycle all the packaging that comes with it.

While choosing a trip, try and see that it is one that will benefit the economy of the place that is being visited.

Make a conscious choice when booking accommodations. Make inquiries as to who will be benefiting from the bookings made. Try to choose accommodations that will benefit the locals.

Opt for accommodations that are owned locally, like home-stays for example. These will benefit the economy and the locals of the travel location.

If accommodation at a hotel is the only available option, research the hotel to see how environmentally friendly it is. Look for things like, how they manage their waste, what kind of energy they use, is their water recycled, etc.

Making Family Travel Eco-Friendly

Once you’ve picked out your eco-friendly vacation, start planning out eco-friendly ways of getting there. Here are a few things that you need to consider:

Use a car or train to travel to your destination. These modes of transport save on carbon emissions at least four times that of air travel. Boating or biking is also an option that one can explore.

Pack healthy and indigenous food or snacks rather than the kinds that use disposable packaging.

Reuse linen – this is a very important factor to be considered while on holiday. Gallons of water are wasted everyday when guest change sheets and towels daily.

If souvenirs are bought, try to ensure that they are made locally and are not products or by products of endangered species.

Eco–friendly travel can be very educational and enjoyable. If you keep the above pointers in mind you can be assured that you will not only have a relaxing holiday but also one that benefits the environment.

Some Eco-friendly Vacation destinations

Here are some eco-friendly holiday ideas that one can use:

Bed and Breakfast at Loch Ness, Scotland – This home-stay is a luxurious bungalow that allows you a view of the Loch and the forests that surround it. The minimum stay here is 2 nights as they do not encourage wastage of water through changing of linen everyday.

Holiday safaris in Zanzibar, Tanzania and Serengeti also make for good eco-friendly vacations.

Yoga holidays in Italy- These vacations have a fixed schedule and it must be noted that the food served here is vegetarian. There’s nothing to worry about though, because the food is so good that you will not miss the meat course.

Sri Lanka, Morocco and Machu Picchu are other places that offer exiting holidays that are eco-friendly. For example, you could help with a community project while on a trip in Sri Lanka, or you could retrace the trail of the Inca civilization while on holiday in Machu Picchu.

Similar to these are hundreds of interesting vacation options. Each country offers a variety of eco-holidays so there’s plenty to choose from.