9 Tips for Enjoying Being an Eco-Friendly Tourist

Are you quite familiar with the concept of eco-travel? If you only think that eco-travel is just about visiting the great outdoors, let’s take a closer look at the facts. Because the concept of eco-travel has a broader meaning. Eco-travel refers to tourism activities that are more responsible. So, you’re not just focused on enjoying the tourist destinations, but also on preserving the environment and making a positive impact on local communities. Well, to become an eco-traveler, it turns out it’s easy in #DiIndonesiaAja (Just in Indonesia), you just need to follow these travel tips:

1. Avoid Using Single-Use Items

It cannot be denied that many people tend to choose single-use items while traveling because they are considered convenient and simple. However, the use of single-use plastics is actually one of the main contributors to environmental pollution! That’s why it’s important for Friends to be able to reduce the use of plastics and other single-use items wherever and whenever, including when you are traveling. For example, by bringing your own utensils, bringing your own water bottle and straw, and bringing your own shopping bag.

2. Save Electricity

Saving electricity is one of the efforts to conserve the environment and reduce global emissions. Well, when you stay at a hotel, there are many opportunities to save energy through simple things, such as turning off the TV when not in use or switching off the AC and lights in the room when you’re about to leave.

3. Maximize e-Ticket Features to Reduce Paper Usage

The extensive use of paper is causing deforestation. Therefore, reducing paper usage is a wise action to support forest conservation. One simple thing that you can do is not to print travel tickets and maximize the use of e-ticket features in various instances, such as flight tickets and tickets for tourist destinations.

4. Don’t Litter Carelessly

Creating a clean and litter-free environment is not just the responsibility of tourism operators but should be a responsibility for everyone, including tourists. Maintaining environmental cleanliness can start with small things, such as not littering carelessly. Although it may sound trivial, the impact it has is significant, both on health and environmental sustainability!

5. Use Public Transportation or Walk More

It’s a well-known fact that the transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. Well, You can contribute to reducing carbon emissions by minimizing the use of private vehicles and switching to public transportation or even walking more, including when you are traveling. Besides minimizing environmental pollution, you can also explore tourist destinations more deeply.

6. Bring Only What You Need

The amount of luggage you bring not only affects the cost but also the carbon emissions generated by the plane. The heavier the load, the greater the carbon emissions. So, try to bring only essential and necessary items when traveling.

7. Love Nature

Love for nature is a fundamental aspect that you need to have in order to practice sustainable tourism. The use of nature for recreation and entertainment should be approached with wisdom through a commitment and responsible actions that can preserve its sustainability, including not damaging the facilities of natural tourist attractions.

8. Staying in Environmentally Friendly Hotels

In addition to transportation, choosing the right accommodation is also crucial when planning a sustainable vacation. Instead of selecting hotels that offer a host of luxuries but overlook sustainability aspects, it’s better for you to choose hotels that prioritize environmentally friendly services.

9. Respect and Support the Local Economy

As explained earlier, the concept of eco-travel not only emphasizes having fun at tourist destinations but also aims to have a positive impact on the local community. One simple thing that you can do is to respect the local community, including their culture and customs. Don’t forget to also buy local products or artworks because by doing so, you are contributing to the development of the local economy.

Source : https://www.indonesia.travel