Road trips are always a fun way to reconnect with nature and form wonderful memories with friends and family. As people are more aware of the current environmental changes and how our carbon footprints contribute, however, they are seeking more ways to keep their road trips as green as their daily life.
This is quite significant, as you want to help ensure that you’re doing everything you can to preserve the nature you see around you today for future generations to also enjoy. With this in mind, we have compiled some great ways to keep your vacations as green as we can — but without reducing the quality fun you set out to have!
Plan Ahead
You definitely do not want to be the people who get on the road and just decide to wing the trip as is. Remember that the aim of this adventure is to be as eco-friendly as possible. Planning helps to achieve this purpose as you can map the shorter routes, burning up much less gas.
Also, during this planning stage get an International drivers license. You can find hotels that are green-oriented, or you can even plan fewer stops in areas where you can do many important activities at once. With proper planning, you would have your whole trip mapped, and not have to waste fuel and time, finding your path.
Pack Only the Essentials
Oftentimes, people going on trips tend to pack stuff that they end up not using. Thanks to proper planning, though, you can be better able to identify the essentials you require for your trip. Reducing your luggage to just the main essentials means that you will travel lighter. Heavy luggage in the trunk or inside the car means that your engine has to do more work and use more gas.
You do not want this, as the aim is to reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible. So if you are less than fifty percent sure that you may need something on your trip, reconsider taking it along. Furthermore, if it is possible, you can pack goods that you can recycle or up-cycle to reduce how much you have to trash during your trip.
Strongly Consider Taking An Electric Car
If you already have an electric car or a hybrid vehicle, then they are perfect for your green trip. As electric vehicles do not use fuel, you can drive without worries of fuel or carbon emission. In fact, you will save more than buying fuel, too. You’ll also save stress, as finding Tesla charging stations across the nation is now a breeze.
You can also consider renting a hybrid electric vehicle if you know that you may be going off-grid. With hybrids, you can enjoy the green drive from the electric motor, and continue with the reduced fuel emission once you run out of battery. Also, hybrids have a regenerative feature where they save and reuse the power from braking and slowing down.
Meals Can Also Be Eco-Friendly
No doubt, food is important to every road trip, as you definitely do not plan to starve on your trip. For snacks, you can prepare homemade fruits or nut mix and store them in containers that you can always reuse. Since fast foods come in holders that can be trashed, you can opt for healthier meal options or just shop from a local farmers’ market. This way, you will be supporting their eco-friendly business and reducing waste as much as you can.
Green Lodging Options
Since hotels contribute large carbon footprints with their constant air conditioning and grand buffets, you can decide to find alternative lodging options such as camping outdoors or simply looking for hotels that are eco-friendly. Also, if you are alone or in a pair, you can find that camping with your vehicle can be a lot more fun than you think. Just throw a camp tent above or beside it, and you have a convenient and eco-friendly room.
Are You Ready For Greener Travels?
Finally, you may also want to leave your gadgets at home so you can unplug and fully connect with the great outdoors. Be sure that you maintain your health leading up to your trip, too, as you do not want to ruin your trip with an unwanted illness. That said, taking an eco-friendly road trip is simple, and the ways we’ve listed above are as easy as they sound. And by following them, you can help ensure your next road trip is as green as possible!