5 Incredibly Simple Steps To Your Dream Eco-Friendly Vacation

Demand for eco-friendly vacations is growing rapidly. This is a good sign, because many people are finally starting to appreciate the need to take better care of the planet. According to historical polls by Pew Research, the proportion of the population that is concerned with protecting the environment rose from 42% in 2008 to 62% in 2017.

The good news is that these changing sentiments have caused people to make greener travel decisions. Travel Agent Central reports that 87% of people want to travel sustainably.

How do you intend to travel sustainably? You will need to think about what steps you can take during your next vacation. There are plenty of ways to have a green vacation. You just need to choose the right location, find a green travel planner and enjoy sustainable activities.

Enjoying a Green Vacation in Five Simple Steps

Anyone interested in traveling would love to fly and sail around the globe sunbathing on exotic islands and sipping chilled brews in little-known villages in Europe. But the harsh reality is that you need quite a bit of money to travel extensively. And if you’re like most people, you have a limited budget for travel and leisure.

You will also find that certain decisions you make won’t be good for the environment. You are going to need to plan better if you don’t want to hurt the planet in the process.

Perhaps you really wanted this to be the year when you finally take that trip that has been on your travel bucket list. But as the months went by, your savings didn’t grow as you’d expected. Here’s the good news: you still have time to set aside a sizable stash for an amazing getaway later this year. You may also find that taking a greener trip can be cheaper!

Even though you’ll need to be disciplined and stay committed to budgeting for a green vacation, raising money for an awesome trip isn’t as hard as you might imagine. All you need to do a good planning is some foresight and a great deal of motivation.

Here’s how you can start saving for your fabulous travel holiday and stay committed to the plan.

1. Create a budget for your eco-friendly vacation

Planning is the first step to raising funds for your vacation. Before you even start setting aside money for the trip, you need to decide what you want: travel destination, accommodation and attractions. You can start by seeing what green attractions you will find in the location you plan on visiting. Green Building Insider has a list of six of the greenest cities to consider visiting on your world-tour. You can find similar lists on Blue and Green Tomorrow and other sites.

As you research, pay attention to the cost of these options, such as attractions, food, accommodations, and airfare. Come up with an itinerary, which should include the total cost and dates of the vacation. Next, calculate how much time you have and how much money you need to save every week to afford your dream vacation.

As you set aside the money for your eco-friendly trip every week, try not to think of it as depriving yourself of pleasure or saving in the painful sense of the word. Rather, think of it as “future spending”. According to articles by expert travel essay writers, taking this perspective reduces the mental effort needed to take care of your economy.

2. Shop in bulk

Shopping in bulk is a great way to help the environment and save money at the same time. Buying more products at once helps minimize the amount of packaging you use, which protects thee environment. It also means you take fewer trips to the store and use less gas.

We’re not saying that you should buy everything in bulk. Bulk-buying is useful only for a certain category of items: household items that you’re always using. These items include things like soap, paper towels, toilet paper, alcohol and butter. You can save a couple of bucks when you buy these things in large quantities.

Many retail stores offer great deals to customers who make bulk purchases. If you don’t like the idea of ferrying large bags from the store to your home, consider making the purchase online from Amazon Pantry and having the store deliver the items to your home.

3. Keep your motivation up

Be careful not to lose sight of your goal. Go online and find the most beautiful picture you can of your vacation destination. Print it out. In fact, you can even Photoshop a picture of you onto the picture if that’s what it takes to keep you motivated.

If the printed picture of your vacation in an eco-friendly paradise is in sight at a moment when you’re about to spend money on some unnecessary expense, such as impulse buying on eBay or ordering a dinner when you could cook, you might think twice about this decision and put the amount into your vacation savings account.

4. Eliminate unnecessary conveniences

If you took a look at your spending history, it would quickly become clear that small purchases add up: that newspaper you buy to keep yourself occupied during the commute; the pack of chips you grab to keep your hunger at bay till dinnertime or that mid-afternoon pick-me-up cup of coffee. Consuming all these things hurts the environment and your wallet.

Review your spending habits and identify expenses that routinely chip away at your budget and leave a large carbon footprint, a few dollars at a time. These expenses add up. You can likely cut out most of them without feeling too much pain or finding a cheap or free substitute for the need that they resolve. For example, you can carry homemade coffee in a reusable cup and read news online.

5. Cancel your subscriptions

Far too many people pay hundreds of dollars every month for multiple streaming services that offer more or less the same content. If you really must access content from more than one service, consider setting up a family account with a group of friends. Doing so will take out a sizable chunk from your monthly subscription expenses.

Financing Your Eco-friendly Vacation is Far From Impossible!

We all dream of taking a trip to the best affordable luxury travel destinations your bank account can allow. But only those of us who create a good plan and follow it, get to enjoy their dream vacations. Follow the steps above, and your travel plans will soon become a reality.