🌍 8 ways to travel more sustainably - Eco friendly travel tips for explorers

Let’s be real: travel leaves an environmental footprint. Whether it’s the flight that got you there or the plastic bottle you grabbed on a hot day - it adds up. And yet, there’s something undeniably powerful about exploring new places. It connects us to people, cultures, and perspectives that can’t be felt through a screen.

So, in an effort to make tourism a little more sustainable, here are 8 practical, eco-friendly travel tips will help you reduce your footprint while soaking in the experience. 🌿

✈️ 1. Fly Less, Stay Longer

There’s so much to see and so many places to go, but a slow travel approach can be the best way to truly experience another culture. When planning your trip, consider efficient routes that minimise flying time - staying longer in a country, taking public transport or trains where possible, flying into one region and using land transport to explore further. If you have a layover, this could be a perfect opportunity to see another country on the way instead of flying back another time.

We love a scenic train ride, a road trip, a long walk through town - while not without its own costs, in this small way you can help the planet a little while seeing another perspective of a country. 

🚆Budget tip: we get it, sometimes rail travel is even more expensive than flying, especially in Europe. Use train comparison apps or plan ahead to take advantage of lower fairs. In Europe, we're a fan of Train Pal. 

🥤 2. Bring your own - reusable everything

A few small switches can make a massive difference. Pack a reusable water bottle, cutlery set, straw and tote bag to cut down on single-use plastics - especially in countries where recycling isn’t reliable. Even where the tap water isn’t drinkable, a reusable water bottle can allow you to buy fewer, larger bottles of water and fill up your reusable one for a day trip. 

👜 Travel kit essentials: this collapsible water bottle is the perfect carry-on companion, 

 

while our bamboo cutlery travel set and foldable straw collections not only help you reduce waste but are made from sustainable materials. 

                                                                       

🛏️ 3. Support Local Accommodations & Eco-hostels

Skip the big chain hotels and choose guesthouses, homestays and hotels that support locals. A major critique of tourism is that it can drive out the locals with higher prices and big industry hotels tearing down communities to build chain hotels. Opt to support local instead - whether its local tour agents, accommodation or food.

In some places, you can also search for ‘eco’ lodges or hostels that make an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. 

A couple eco-lodges we've loved in our travels:

• if you're in Mauritius check out Otentic Eco Tent Experience or 
• Tanzania: check out Banana Farm Eco Hostel

🌿 Look for accommodations that highlight sustainability practices - think solar power, filtered water, or local food sourcing.

Otentic Eco Tent Experience, Mauritius 

👕 4. Reduce your own consumption 

Believe it or not, you don’t need a new outfit for every trip! Shop only what you need and pack just the essentials. If there is something you’re missing and need to buy, try to purchase longer lasting pieces (like our 100% cotton t-shirts) that you can reuse for your future travel

At Tribe Feel we believe in packing smarter, not more - that’s we curate items you actually need for your trip, no gimmicks or extras. Our custom designed t-shirts, caps and tote bags are made to order - no fast fashion here - and we choose organic cotton where available like our Flight Risk Cotton Tee  or the Organic Cotton Dad Cap.

👙 Bonus points for donate used clothes instead of throwing them away! 

   

 

🧴 5. Pack Reef-Safe Toiletries

This one can be tricky as their is no universally approved definition of ‘reef safe’, however, you can try to use products that have little or no harmful ingredients. It can be better for your health while reducing the risk of introducing new toxins into the local ecosystem through soaps, sunscreens, and shampoos. Look for products that are reef-safe, biodegradable, and microbead-free.

🌊 Avoid: oxybenzone, octinoxate, parabens.
✅ Try: Sun Bum or Arista shampoo bars.

 

🦁 7. Avoid Exploitative Wildlife Experiences

Yes, we’re talking about those elephant rides in Thailand, experiences that let you touch sea life or overcrowd natural habitats. Instead, if you’re an animal lover try to find ethical sanctuaries, conservation-focused safaris 

🐘Is this animal here for show or for safety?

Game drive Safari, Tanzania

 

🧴 8. 🗑️ Respect the Land & Leave Nothing Behind

While exploring beautiful destinations, especially in less developed or rural areas, it’s important to be mindful of the impact tourism can have on waste and pollution. Many countries don’t have access to recycling infrastructure or efficient rubbish collection, which means every wrapper, bottle, or plastic bag left behind often stays there. Wherever you go, you can do a small part by not adding to the rubbish on the ground. 

🐠Check out how you can support local organisations that help conserve the environment abroad - we loved the waste management initiatives of the dive centre we dived with in Raja Ampat: Soul Scuba Divers

 

Bonus tip: Volunteering while abroad is a brilliant way to give back to the local community with your time and abilities. You can search the large international organisations that help arrange these trips like International Volunteer HQ or Go Abroad but they do tend to charge a decent amount of money to arrange the trip. If you see a charity you are interested on these sites, you can also opt to reach out directly to the local organisation and see if they are in need of any help - sometimes you can save money by staying at NGO homestays! 

 

💡 Final Thought:

Sustainable travel isn’t about being perfect. It’s about making better choices to keep the beautiful world thriving and explorable for now and the future 🌍✨ 

 

Some of the links in this article are affiliate links

Learn more about the environmental impact of flying: https://ourworldindata.org/global-aviation-emissions