How to travel more sustainably, without giving up the trip

Sustainable travel sounds like a long list of things you are not allowed to do. It is closer to a handful of choices you make once, early, that change most of what a trip costs the places you visit.

You do not need to stop travelling, and you do not need to be perfect. You need to know which choices carry the most weight and spend your effort there.

The biggest choice is how you get there

For most trips, the journey is the largest single part of the environmental cost, and flying is the most expensive way to travel in that sense. That is not a reason to stay home. It is a reason to think about it at the planning stage rather than after you have booked.

• Take the train when the journey is reasonable. A trip across a country or between neighbouring cities is often no slower door to door once you count airport time. Our guide to train travel in Europe shows how well it can work.
• Fly less often and stay longer. One longer trip with fewer flights usually beats several short ones. A two-week trip that replaces three weekend flights is a good swap.
• Choose direct flights where you must fly. Take-off and landing use a large share of the fuel, so a direct flight is usually better than one with a connection.
• Travel light. Less weight takes less fuel, and it makes every other part of the trip easier.

If you can combine several things into one journey, do. A multi-city trip on the ground is often better than separate trips by air.

Stay longer, go slower

Staying in one place for longer helps the place and you. Fewer transfers means less transport. You spend more at local shops and cafés and less on getting from one headline sight to the next. You also notice more.

A useful rule is to cut the number of places in half and stay twice as long in each. It usually makes the trip better as well as lighter.

Travel when it is quieter

Some places struggle most in a single season, when streets, trails and beaches are at their limit and prices rise with them. Going in the shoulder season, a few weeks either side of the peak, spreads the load across the year and gives people who live there a break. It often means better weather than you expect and a calmer time. Our piece on shoulder season travel explains how to choose the months.

Think about the day as well. Visit the busiest places early or late, and spend the middle of the day somewhere nobody has put on a poster.

Spend where it stays

Money spent locally does more good than money that leaves with a large chain. You do not need to research every meal. A few habits are enough:

• Eat where local people eat, and order what is local and in season.
• Stay in small, locally owned places where you can, or at least not in the biggest brand on the street.
• Buy from markets and independent shops, and from the person who made it.
• Book tours with local guides who live where they work.
• Pay a fair price. Haggling is part of life in some places but not a sport; if the price is already small, pay it.

Tipping customs differ widely, so read up before you go. Our article on tipping around the world is a good start.

Use less while you are there

Most of what you can do on the ground is boring and effective.

• Water. Carry a refillable bottle, and ask your accommodation whether the tap water is safe to drink. If it is not, look for refill stations or a filter bottle rather than buying a new plastic bottle every day.
• Energy. Switch off lights, air conditioning and heating when you leave. Hang the do-not-disturb sign for a few nights and skip daily towel and sheet changes.
• Waste. Carry a tote bag, a spare cup and your own cutlery if you eat on the go. Say no to extra bags and packaging.
• Local transport. Walk, cycle or use public transport. It is cheaper, and you see more.
• Food. Order what you will finish. Take leftovers if that is normal where you are.

Respect the place

Sustainability is about people as much as emissions. A few habits cost nothing:

• Learn a few words of the language and a basic greeting.
• Ask before photographing people, and read the local rules on dress at religious sites.
• Stay on marked paths, keep to the rules on fires and camping, and take your rubbish with you.
• Keep a respectful distance from wildlife and never feed it. Avoid anything that involves handling or riding wild animals.
• Think twice before posting an exact location of a fragile or quiet spot.

If a place has asked visitors to behave in a particular way, follow it, even if no one is checking.

Be careful with labels

Not everything marked green is. Words such as eco, green or sustainable are not protected in most places, and a label does not tell you what a business actually does. Look for specifics: how they handle waste, who they employ, what they buy and whether independent certification backs it up. When a claim is vague, treat it as marketing.

Offsetting is a similar case. It can play a small part, but it is not a licence to fly as much as you like. Cutting what you use comes first.

Pack with less and reuse more

What you carry affects how you travel. A lighter bag means less fuel, easier transport and fewer impulse purchases on the way. Choose clothes you can wear in layers and wash easily, and buy things that last. Our carry-on only packing guide shows how far one bag can go.

Bring what you can reuse: a bottle, a bag, a small towel, a travel-size container for the toiletries you already own. Buy fewer small plastic items.

Share the work

If you are travelling with other people, the smallest changes are easiest when everyone agrees on them before you go. Decide together if you will take the train, how many places you will visit, and what you will do about waste. A shared plan makes it easier to stick to.

A short list to take with you

1. Choose the route first, and take the train where it is practical.
2. Go for longer to fewer places.
3. Travel off-peak, or visit busy places at quiet hours.
4. Spend with local people and businesses.
5. Carry a bottle and a bag, and use less of everything.
6. Follow local rules and customs, especially in fragile places.

Pick the two that are easiest for you and start there. A trip that changes two things is better than one that tries to change everything and gives up on day three.