How To Plan Your Greener Getaway

The Independent recently published an interesting series giving its readers 100 ideas for great holidays. Around about this time of year, I don’t know about you but my thoughts often begin to drift towards the moment I step off the train or plane for a much needed break. I like to be just as green on holiday as at home, and although most hotels nowadays do make some efforts towards safeguarding the environment, I like to go a step further. One part of The Independent’s series outlined some helpful green ideas. You may be able to choose a ‘green’ flight which uses fuel-efficiency measures to limit emissions. Or even take one powered by bio-fuel. Taking a high-speed train could also help if you plan to explore your destination, instead of using a domestic flight.

Another good resource is a website called responsible travel.com. This site has a carbon comparison flight search which tells you what’s really going on with each individual airline. There’s also plenty of practical information to help you choose a destination. The aim is to highlight those holiday locations which value both the local environment and the people living there. Once you’ve found a lower carbon flight and the perfect destination, there are still plenty of easy things you can do to create a greener getaway.

Books are an obvious choice for long-haul flights, and there’s nothing like sinking into a good read on the beach. You can charge laptops and phones using a suitcase friendly solar power charger instead of drawing on the local electricity supply. A dynamo shaver is another travel gem, replacing the cost of buying batteries or remembering adaptors.

My top tip is to pack a solar powered torch. They come in incredibly handy in all sorts of situations on holiday, especially with children, and again, no batteries means one less thing to remember to pack. Finally, another piece of tried and tested travel advice is to pack a solar powered tyre inflation gauge for your hire car. It’s a very convenient and safe way to check the tyre pressure on an unfamiliar car, without having to search for a garage when you first pick it up.

Photo credit: Carribean Flight by Jan Willem Geertsma.