Spring is all about growth. Everytime you travel, especially during this time of year, you are making a choice to help your family expand their horizons and experience the world in a new way. One excellent way to do this is to focus your attention on sustainable, eco-friendly travel. That means making an effort to maximize the benefits of your trip for your family and the planet while also doing what you can to give back and reduce the negative impact your travel might have.

So, to help you make this spring break trip with your family the best and most eco-friendly one yet, we have put together a few of our favorite sustainable travel tips! Keep reading to find out how you can create a better world, life, and experience for your family this spring break!

Research

Before you show up to a new and unfamiliar place, be sure to prepare in advance. Do your research and understand the area you want to visit and the challenges the locals, the wildlife, and the land might be facing. For example, look into whether tourism is helping or hurting the town you wish to visit and figure out how you can be a part of the solution rather than the problem. It can be as simple as if you plan to go on a hike, know what the trails are so you can stick to them and avoid creating problems or pollution. It is always important to know how to respect the people, wildlife, and the earth when entering their home.

Support

Wherever you go, be conscious about where you spend your money. Think about options that you feel good about supporting. For example, rather than paying to eat at a large restaurant chain or stay at a skyrise hotel, consider where you can support small, local businesses instead. It could be opting for local food vendors, visiting the farmers market and cooking your meals, choosing tours run by locals with a mission, staying at a sustainable airbnb, or visiting protected areas such as national parks to help support them with your entrance fees. Sustainable travel is an excellent opportunity to be a healing force where you visit, rather than a harmful one.

Transportation

While visiting faraway lands sounds totally dreamy, the air travel required to get there can have notoriously high emissions. Wherever possible, choose sustainable transportation options to help you reach your destination and to help you get around once you arrive. This could mean taking a train or bus whenever possible, renting an electric car over gasoline, or offsetting your carbon emissions. Not to mention these slower modes of transportation can actually help you enjoy your trip even more, slowing you down to really take in the sights!

Activities

Eco-friendly travel activities are some of the most exhilarating and beautiful experiences you can have! Plus, they happen to be a better option for the environment. So, while you're traveling this spring break, choose eco-friendly activities like hiking, camping, horseback riding, cooking, kayaking, cycling, or even visiting a farm! This is a great chance to get some movement in as a family, take in the natural beauty of your destination, and learn a little bit about the location along the way.

Reuse

Traveling often means using a lot of single use items. This could look like take out containers, hotel soap bottles, travel toothbrushes, and plastic water bottles. But it doesn’t have to be this way! You can pack light and still opt for reusable items. For example, bring along your favorites using reusable lightweight products like bar soaps and a sharable toothbrush with removable heads that the whole family can enjoy. Opt to stay in and cook using local farmers market fruits and veggies rather than getting takeout. Use reusables to take your food with you and keep leftovers. And of course, bring along your favorite reusable water bottle, always keeping it on hand to avoid having to buy one that is single use and exposes your family to microplastics. We recommend Pura Stainless, 100% plastic free water bottles and reusable food containers to make your trip convenient, fun, healthy, and of course, sustainable!

At Pura Stainless, our mission is to provide families with the resources they need to live a safer, healthier, and more planet-friendly life. We hope that these sustainable travel tips help you enjoy your spring break to the fullest while also reducing the negative impact your travel might have. To get Pura for your family, head to our website to shop our eco-friendly travel products, like our 100% plastic-free water bottles to use on your next vacation.