Little steps count

Last week I attended the #TTGSustainabilityFestival2025 and I gave a long talk on my socials on Friday promising a follow-up post with a few travel tips that can help you travel more sustainably. Here are 8 little doable things that can make a difference ??

1. ???????? ???? ???? ???????????? ??????????!! Brands like Iberostar are doing amazing things and these straws are just one fun way it's making a difference! Reducing plastic is a small part of a greener stay but it still needs to go. You can take your own water bottles with you - you can refill these for free after security saving you from having to buy water in plastic bottles. Pack your own metal straws, take tote bags for your souvenirs etc.

2. ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ??????????????????? You don't often need tickets these days and boarding passes often get reprinted at the airport (although some destinations do still require them) - operators often use apps these days and so think twice before pressing that button.

3. ?????????????? ?????????? ???????????????????? ?????? ???????????????? - eat local, shop local, take local transport and if you can visit a project, give it a go. Operators like Intrepid are brilliant at supporting projects that help the community and I had first hand experience of that in Vietnam.

4. ?????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ?????????????? - this is something you need to think very carefully about as it's often unethical. Washing elephants is not very natural and in most cases, you should avoid this too. Do your research before going on these activities and it's always about putting the animals before entertainment.

5. ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????????????????????? when researching your trips and ask your travel agent about how green the tour operator/hotel is. I work with Easyjet and it has a filter so you can easily select greener hotels.

6. ?????????? ?????????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???????????????????? - e.g. day dives are better for the environment than night dives in many cases as they cause less damage to the reef. Don't kayak at low tide in certain places as you're more likely to get stuck on the reef causing damage. We sometimes do a beach litter pick on our trips - it doesn't have to be a long one but it helps give back to the areas you're enjoying.

7. ???????? ????????????! I need to improve on this one! The lighter your case, the lower your carbon footprint - even if it's just a little weight saved, this is better than nothing. Also, think about what you bring back. We always bring back our plastic to recycle here. (If you're a stats person, you'll like this - https://edokagura.com/en/co2emissionsfromcheckedbaggage/)

8. ?????????????? ?????? ??????????????????? Think about the hotels you pick. Iberostar is working wonders reducing its waste but not all hotels are doing the same resulting in much food being wasted. Pick a responsible all inclusive hotel or try half board or even bed and breakfast (which will allow you to pick up point 3 above!)

This is just a little flavour of what we can all easily do, yes, small drops perhaps, but together they will create a wave of change. Happy travels and let me know if you find the edible straws, or equivalent! ??

#ecotravel #sustainabletravel #sustainabletourism