There’s nothing quite like going on a great road trip… Grab some friends, pile into a van and go explore some places that you’ve never seen before! But how can we plan our next road trips with the environment and our individual impact in mind?
Here are five awesome and easy eco travel tips to help make road trips more eco friendly!
Offset Your Emissions!
Perhaps, the biggest issue with going on a road trip (and traveling in general) is the greenhouse gas emissions that come with it. Thankfully, there are some simple ways that you can combat that, with carbon offsetting being one of them. The idea is that you pay a little bit more to help fund carbon reduction schemes, usually in the way of planting trees, which can also have the added benefit of restoring wildlife habitat! Better yet, you can really reduce your emissions by hiring a hybrid or fully electric vehicle to begin with!
Get The Most Out Of Your Fuel!
That’s right - save the environment and save some money whilst you’re at it! To get the most out of your fuel, you’ll want to take it easy on the road, slow down gradually and avoid rapid acceleration. Maintain a steady, slightly slower speed and just enjoy the journey! Watch your weight and only pack what you actually need, and steer clear of the A/C - just wind the windows down instead! Lastly, you might benefit from getting a general tune up and tyre pressure check beforehand, but you probably won’t have to worry about that if you’re hiring the vehicle anyway.
Know Where You’re Going!
By doing some research before your trip, you won’t just know all of the best places to stop at, but you’ll also know the best way to get there! Know the scenic routes, the shorter routes and quite simply the right route, because wrong turns lead to unnecessary fuel consumption! Having a satnav is a really good idea, but if you want to save a bit of money, you’ll want to bring your own from home!
Can’t Reuse It? Refuse It!
Every year, up to 12 million tonnes of plastic enters our oceans - cluttering our coastline and choking marine life. Specifically, single use plastic poses a massive threat, with certain products and pieces of packaging only being used for a few seconds and then being thrown away, but never actually going away. Think of ways that you can give single use plastics a second life - we like to use the bags that bread comes in as rubbish bags. Remember that metal tins are widely recycled and tinned food is great if you’re on a budget! Save your recyclables for sorting at a campsite and, when it comes to bins without lids, do your best to make sure wildlife can’t get in and nothing can blow away. Also, don’t be afraid to pick up any litter you might find along the way!
Be More Mindful At Meal Time!
As a rule of thumb, imported products have a very large carbon footprint. Buying local produce is much better for the environment and usually allows you to support smaller businesses. What’s more, a vegan diet has been shown have half the carbon footprint of a meat eater’s, whilst also requiring much less land, water and other resources to farm. Where road trips are concerned, it’s arguably a lot cheaper and the meals can be even easier to prepare! Give it a go every other day or so, learn what you like and, soon enough, you’ll be all set to make your next road trip a much more sustainable one!
Planning a road trip somewhere amazing? Leave a comment below to let us know!
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