4 Easy Ways To Care About The Planet On The Go, a guide to Sustainable Travel.

From work trips to weekend trips, cityscapes to dirt trails. Summer is in full swing and you’re on the move. 

Whether it’s that conference you’ve been looking forward to or a weekend at the cottage with friends, we at Wise want to make sure you’re prepared to travel sustainably regardless the destination with these 4 Easy Ways To Care About The Planet On The Go, a guide to sustainable travel.

What does ‘Sustainable Travel’ mean ?

To some that might sparks thoughts of trekking through the backcountry in B.C, or maybe simply packing a reusable water bottle before hitting the airport. 

According to theUN World Tourism Organisation, the holistic definition of ‘sustainable tourism’ means:

“Tourism that takesfull account of its current and future economic,social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

Why does traveling sustainably matter ?

For the first time in history we’re seeing the extreme effects of climate change on our world, but we’re also seeing the largest movement of Sustainability and Eco-consciousness. The information and tools to live low-waste and eco-friendly are all around us for our everyday lives, but what about when traveling ?

With travel culture nearly doubling since 2000, and expected to keep growing, it is important to stay conscious and informed even in transit.

Here are a few travel-specific tips and tricks to help you along the way.

1. Book Smart. 

All great explorations starts with the planning phase. Although tedious, planning your next Green Travel shouldn’t be rocket science. An easy starting point would be to determine your method of transportation: Train, Plane, Bus, Boat, Bike. 

With limitations, we suggest considering more eco-friendly alternatives to flying and reducing your carbon footprint when possible. Alternatively looking into Carbon Offset Programs when possible. Giving travelers an opportunity to invest in carbon reduction projects to neutralize their flying-footprint. 

Airbnb is also an incredible resource to help you get to where you’re going. Whether you’re traveling for business of pleasure, locally or internationally, Airbnb has over 6 million unique listings in over 81k cities around the world. 

2. Pack with purpose. 

The dreaded packing phase, or should we say, often left to the last minute task. This vital step to traveling sustainably should not be overlooked. Understandably overwhelming at times, we’ve simplified the fine print for you. 

Start with clothing, packing only what you need. Think about reaching for pieces you can wear more than once and only grabbing pieces appropriate for the climate you’re visiting. 

Next up, Toiletries. Most airlines have strict travel guidelines that impede you from lugging around big clunky bottles and containers which makes this step a little more challenging. Again, thinking about packing only what you need is our motto. Our guide to Surviving Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a great resource on where to start. Throw in a Bamboo Toothbrush and a few Toothpaste Tablets and you’re good to go !

Lastly, Essentials. 

Not only are these items perfect for reducing single-use plastic on the road, they are great money saving investments to help you travel greener (and can be used in your everyday life !). An insulated reusable water bottle is definitely a must. We love Lululemon's Stay Hot Keep Cold Bottle. 

Single use plastic cutlery can be found at every airport, en route truck stuck, and most quick bite counters all over the world. Throwing a Reusable cutlery set in your bag is an easy hack to avoiding plastic. The Canadian made kits from http://www.rubysunn.com/ are a great alternative.

3. Support Local Economies.

Travelling can have a significant positive effect on local destination when done consciously and purposefully. Eating local (avoiding chains and franchises). Supporting local shops, artisans and farmers. Utilizing local transportation and car sharing services like Turo (Lots of Hybrid and Electric options). And lastly, booking unique travel experiences hosted by locals (https://www.tripfuser.com/ is our go to) are all great examples of ways you can put your money back into the economy and avoid corporate tourism. 

4. Sorting your Trash. 

If you recycle at home, why wouldn’t you do it on the road ? Don’t know how to go about it ? Ask and you shall receive. Upon arrival to your accommodations (Hotel, Airbnb, Provincial Park, Campground, E.T.C.) inform yourself on the recycling system. If it is not available, we suggest sorting and packing your trash and disposing of it properly when possible. Here is an easy guideline reference on what you can and cannot recycle: 

https://www.recyc-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/citoyens/mieux-recuperer/quest-ce-qui-va-dans-le-bac). 

No one’s asking you to commit to be the perfect Green Traveller, as Anne Marie Bonneau said, “We don’t need a handful of people doing Zero Waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”By using these4 Easy Ways To Give A Sh*t About The Planet On The Go, we plan on doing just that. 

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

Have any tips & tricks of your own on sustainable traveling ? Let us know !