Going on vacation with your family can be one of the most exciting things you do all year. Many families save up throughout the year to take their kids somewhere new and exciting. Of course, not everyone can afford expensive flights and hotels and so opt for staycations. Either way, the vacation is a big event for many families across the USA.

While having a vacation can be fun, it can have a negative effect on the environment. While many people have already made changes at home to reduce their carbon footprint, they are not aware of what they can do when on vacation. Whether you are heading off on an airplane or you are driving across the country to get to your destination spot, it can be harmful for the environment. 

The good news is that it is possible to have a more eco-friendly vacation and still have fun with your family or friends. Here, we are going to give you some of our best tips to get you started. This will include everything from choosing your method of transport carefully to making sure that you act as if you were at home. Make sure to keep reading to find out more about this. 

Transport Choices

The first tip that we have for those who want to have a more eco-friendly vacation is to try to adjust the transport that you are using. One of the most harmful methods of transport to the environment is a plane as this can release a lot of carbon into the air. While a plane can fit many people on board and can be the quickest way to get somewhere, it won’t do much for your carbon footprint if you take a plane.

If you are planning on taking a vacation, then it might be a good idea to look at alternative transport choices. What about a road trip? Taking your car on vacation isn’t the best for the environment but it can be better than taking a plane as long as you have a car full of people that are only releasing enough fumes for one car. If you can drive to your vacation spot, then make sure to consider this because it can be better for the environment than a plane and can save you some money at the same time. 

The best way to head off on your vacation is to use public transport like a bus or a train. There are many trains across the country that you can use to get your family to where they need to be and reduce your carbon footprint. If you can’t take the train the entire way to where you need to go, then could always take a train as far as you can and then avoid a long-haul flight. This will be better for the environment and help to reduce your carbon footprint overall so make sure to consider it. 

Choosing The Accommodation

Having an eco-friendly vacation can also be about the accommodation that you choose. While this might not be immediately obvious, choosing a location that is not environmentally friendly will increase your carbon footprint as you will be the one using it. 

The best way to choose an eco-friendly place to stay is to look for some solar panels. In Burbank in LA, there are plenty of places that you can stay that use solar panels to run the building. Solar panel installation in Burbank and other Californian cities is becoming very popular and there many are solar companies in Burbank. If you can find a spot that has used the best solar company in Burbank, then you can trust that this is a good place to stay. This solar power company is an example of the best and is one to look out for both your vacation spot and your own home.

Along with solar panels, you should look for a hotel or apartment that offers other eco-friendly features. This will help you to find the right place to stay for your vacation and help you to reduce your carbon footprint overall. Many hotels will be clear about anything that they do to help the environment but usually if you ask you can find out more.

Try A Staycation

If you really want to be able to have a more eco-friendly vacation then you should consider the alternative – a staycation. Many people waste a lot of energy and add a lot of fumes to the atmosphere by jetting off across the country in order to have some fun. Why fly the whole way to Orlando when there are plenty of amazing theme parks and hot weather right here in California? 

Staycations are becoming much more popular over time as more people across the USA realise just how great they can be. Many people don’t ever explore their own state and see what it has to offer, and this can be the best way to do so. Having a staycation doesn’t have to mean that you stay at home. You can go camping in your local nature park or stay in an Airbnb somewhere across town.

While your kids might not be that excited about the prospect of a staycation over a vacation, they will love it if you make it special and pack it with lots of activities. There are plenty of resources online that you can use to find things to do in your local town or state. 

When you go on a staycation, you are saving the planet one step at a time by not heading off on a vacation. Make sure to consider this if you want to have a more eco-friendly vacation in the future. You can find plenty of inspiration on this online so have a look and see what you can find for your family. 

Pack Light

The next tip that we have for you might sound a little strange, but it can actually be a great way of making sure that your vacation is a little more eco-friendly. When you fly to your vacation spot, you are contributing to global warming by releasing fumes from the airplane into the sky. Each person that is on that plane will make the plane heavier and this will mean that the plane will have more emissions.

This also applies to any luggage that you have with you on the plane as combined with all of the passengers, it can weigh a lot. This is why many airlines have weight restrictions on their luggage and this is something which you should definitely be taking note of. Not only for the sake of saving yourself some money when you are at the check-in desk but also for the reason of saving the planet.

If you do want to make your vacation a little more eco-friendly then you should make the small change of packing light. It can be tempting to bring as much as you can with you to make sure that nothing is left behind but a heavier suitcase is worse for the environment. Try to pack light and you will have the peace of mind that you did what you could even when you are taking a flight. 

Avoid Bottled Water

When you are on vacation, it can be easy to drink a lot of water. This is especially true if you are travelling to somewhere that has a very hot climate and that is going to require you to stay hydrated. It is very important that you are hydrating yourself and making sure that you are not getting too worn out when you are on vacation. Experts suggest that we drink a certain amount of water every day and this is something which is important all of the time.

Many people when they are on vacation find that it is easier to head to the local store to pick up a bottle of water. While it is fine to do this every so often when are out and about and don’t have a better alternative, this can be harmful to the environment. Bottled water is being overused around the world and while some people are making changes to how they use plastic, this is still a major issue.

If you want to make sure that your vacation is more eco-friendly then you should consider reducing the amount of bottled water that you drink when you are away. To do this, you should invest in a bottle that you can bring with you and reuse throughout your vacation. If you don’t already have one of these then you should also be using one in your day-to-day life. This way, you can save on the plastic and save yourself some money at the same time. When you have a large family with you, buying bottled water for everyone can be very expensive and so this might be something which you want to consider.

Make sure to avoid bottled water where you can when on vacation and this will help you to have a more eco-friendly trip. 

When At The Hotel 

Our final tip for those who want to have a more eco-friendly vacation is to make sure that you are thinking about your carbon footprint when you are on vacation. When people go to a hotel, they tend to get pampered and have everything done for them by the staff that work there. While this can be very fun and make you feel as though you are really on vacation, it can also have a negative effect on the environment.

A good example of this is with the towels that are in your room. Many hotels wash towels every single day, and this can have a negative effect on the environment. To deal with this, you can make sure that you reuse your towels and only have them washed when you need to. This way, you can be sure that you are not wasting water on washing towels that aren’t really that dirty. You can hang them out on the balcony and let the staff know that you are going to use them once more.

It is a good idea to try to act as though you are at home when you are at a hotel. Would you leave the lights on in your living room when you leave the house? If not, then why would you do this in a hotel? Turn off the lights and the TV and make sure that you are not using more electricity than you need to. This can be a great way of making sure that your vacation is more eco-friendly so make sure to consider this in the future. 

Final Verdict

Many people who are committed to saving the environment tend to avoid vacations in order to really make a difference, but it is possible to make some changes to your usual vacation and not have too harsh of an effect on the environment. Think about the way that you take your trips. How do you get there? Where do you stay when you are away? If you can take the time to think carefully about these things, then you might just find that there are some things that you can do to make your vacation more eco-friendly.

Think about the type of hotel that you are staying in. Is this a hotel that focuses on saving the environment? Do they use solar panels to keep everything running or are they using regular electricity? You should also make sure to avoid any bottled water while you are on vacation and this will make a huge difference to your carbon footprint.

Make sure to try out some of the tips that we have given you here in this article when planning your next trip. Soon, you’ll be able to figure out exactly what you need to do to have an eco-friendly vacation that all of your family will enjoy.