Eco Friendly Travel Ideas

Eco friendly travel is getting easier in some places.

Everyone needs a break once in a while.

This section of Greenfootsteps looks at eco friendly travel and holiday options. We should be able to enjoy fun-filled breaks without causing unacceptable damage to the planet!

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to take time out which do not have much negative impact upon the environment.

Some of the best ways to travel are almost carbon neutral - cycling and walking holidays, for example. Other methods of travel are quite low carbon and stand up well to environmental scrutiny! Coach travel, for example, can be both economical and quite green.

Car travel can be a good option if you are prepared to look at car-shares or car clubs to reduce the impact of your travel. You can read about some of these in the Green Car section of the website.

There are also ways to off-set carbon emissions from travel which can be explored by the eco-friendly tourist.

Check out some of these eco friendly travel ideas in the following pages. You are sure to find something to suit your needs and your pocket!

Eco friendly travel articles

Cheap coach travel is eco-friendly travel

Coach travel is said to be the most environmentally-friendly means of travel. But how good is it? And is it a practical option for families? Here are a few pointers about the benefits of coach travel.

Train Travel Tips and Ideas for Greener Journeys

Rail travel is a good runner-up. Long distance routes are becoming more viable as high-speed networks become more developed. Just how eco-friendly train travel is has been argued over for years. Here is a brief round-up of some of the facts.

Bicycle Touring - An Eco Friendly Way to Go Travelling

Bikes and other human-powered vehicles have the best claims to be eco-friendly. Cycle touring is both fun and inexpensive and in some parts of Europe it is a valued way to holiday.

Cycling in Holland

This is a largely personal view of cycling around parts of north Holland.

Cycling in Belgium - Our Experience

Belgian roads, canals and cycle routes - again, mainly based on our experiences cycling in north west Belgium.

More Cycling in Belgium - Ghent and Trains

Cycling touring and travel by trains in Belgium - more personal experiences.

A Zanzibar Vacation with a Difference Here's a guest article about a new holiday retreat in Zanzibar.

Green Air Travel - Myth or Reality?

Air travel

Air travel is not viewed by most people as an eco friendly travel option.

More and more people are aware of the long-term costs of travel for the environment. Air travel now accounts for as much as 4.9% of climate change gases in the UK and the figure is rising. The worldwide figure may only be 2% (- though this figure is disputed by some). But almost year on year demand for air travel continues to grow. (There was a dip in demand during the recent credit crunch). The impact of air travel is expected to grow by as much as 50% by 2020, even though efficiency continues to grow.

Short-haul flights are particularly a problem because aircraft use most of the fuel for a flight during take off and landing. Long haul flights are also a problem because of the amount of fuel residues pumped out high in the earth’s atmosphere where the damage is greatest.

Some airlines are more eco-friendly than others. We take a look at some of the best initiatives being put in place by air authorities and air travel companies to mitigate the damage done by their own itineraries.

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