How to spend a more environmentally friendly holiday?

Ecotourism has become a hot topic when it comes to travel. Most tourists, in fact, increasingly seek to spend their vacations with respect for the environment. 

Despite the desire to spend green vacations, many travelers encounter several obstacles, starting from the lack of information on how to travel responsibly (not only in the planning of the trip but also during the vacation itself!). 

So here are some tips for responsible tourism, starting from the best destinations to some best practices to help you become a little more green. 

The best green cities

First, let's see where to go to have a greener vacation. Here are our top five destinations to visit in the US, with a focus on energy efficiency, sustainability and eco-friendly transportation options:

Denver 

From prioritizing brownfield cleanup projects to encouraging the use of electric vehicles and alternate fuel sources, Denver has become one of the greenest cities in the US. Also, the city has an outstanding park system comprising 240 urban parks and 14,000 acres of mountain parks.

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Austin

Austin is one of the greenest city in the US, with eco-friendly features such as bike lanes and farmers' markets. Austin has 22.1 city park acres per 1,000 residents. One of the best known parks is the Barton Creek Greenbelt, which includes nearly 13 miles of trails. 

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Washington DC

Washington DC is well known for its eco-friendly initiatives. For example, the District helped pioneer America's bikeshare movement. According to estimates, 17,000 people in Washington routinely commute to work via bicycles.

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San Francisco

From a law that requires residents and businesses keep recycling and compost material separate from normal trash to widescale dedication to solar energy (including 60,000-square-foot solar paneling on the roof of the San Francisco Convention Center), the Golden City demonstrates how even big cities can do their part.

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Honolulu

Honolulu takes self-sufficiency seriously. Given that Honolulu boasts numerous beaches, lush vegetation, and incredible volcanic landforms that make it an incredible place, it makes sense that the people who live here are dedicated to preserving natural resources.

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5 tips to make your hotel stay more sustainable

• Reuse towels: While we all love room service, changing towels and sheets results in high consumption of water, energy and, of course, detergent. Follow the tips for reusing towels if you are staying for several days and it will make a difference. 

 

• Turn off the lights and air conditioning when you go out: although some hotels already have measures in place, if in doubt, turn them off. 

 

• Recycle as soon as you can: rather than throwing plastic in the trash, ask the front desk if there is a place where you can recycle it - chances are they have a safe place to dispose of it.

 

• Stay where environmentally friendly services are available: for example, many places offer bike rentals or serve only organic food. If they want to improve their environmental credibility, this should be at the top of the hotel description. 

 

• Stay in an area that is easily accessible by public transport: consider what you will be doing while you are there. For example, if you are planning to visit a lot of places in the centre of the city, stay close to the city so that you can walk or take a bus to get there, which will limit your need to take a taxi. 

 

Other useful tips for a green vacation

In addition to choosing a hotel, there are other things you can do during your vacation to support environmental stewardship. Here are some tips to become a more responsible tourist:
 

• Choose local products: eating local food is not only a good idea to learn about local traditions, but also to try to combat the impact of transporting food. This goes for local producers and stores as well. If you're looking for souvenirs to take home, choose local products if possible rather than mass-produced products from other places. 

 

• Take care of the environment while on vacation: we've already talked a bit about recycling and finding out how to pick up trash at the hotel. When you go out try to pay attention to where you leave your waste and use public transport, carpooling or bike rental to get around (it's another great way to reduce your impact on the environment).

 

• Support less touristy places: the concentration of too many people in certain locations affects the ability of cities to respect the environment. One way to discover something new and reduce the impact on the environment by reducing the number of people in one place is to prefer less famous and touristy destinations: in this way you can support a smaller reality and at the same time "lighten" the pressure on the most frequented ones.

There are many other things you can do in your own small way to help the environment, these are just a few tips to start with, but it's already something! Ready to become an ecotourist?