You’ll still get the views, just without trashing the planet to get there.
Travel is one of life’s greatest joys—and one of the hardest things to do sustainably. Flights burn fuel, resorts waste resources, and all those tiny convenience purchases add up fast. But that doesn’t mean you need to give up exploring new places. It just means rethinking how you move through them. From your luggage to your lodging, there are small decisions that make a big impact.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to stop defaulting to wasteful habits. Some of the most effective climate-conscious swaps aren’t even expensive—they just take a little more intention. Reusables instead of single-use. Local stays instead of massive hotel chains. Slow travel instead of chaotic checklists. It’s not about doing everything right—it’s about not ignoring the footprint you’re leaving behind while chasing the next great view.
1. Skip the mini toiletries—they’re wasteful and barely last a day.
Those tiny hotel shampoos and toothpaste tubes look harmless, but they’re a massive source of single-use plastic waste. Alex Schulze writes on 4ocean that these mini products typically end up in landfills, since they’re difficult to recycle and usually discarded after just one or two uses. Multiply that by millions of travelers every year, and it’s easy to see why they’ve become a poster child for travel waste. Instead, bring your own refillable containers with the products you actually use. Better yet, opt for solid toiletries like shampoo bars, conditioner bars, and toothpaste tablets that cut out the plastic altogether.
They’re lighter in your bag, TSA-friendly, and way less wasteful. Hotels are slowly catching on and switching to bulk dispensers—but until then, it’s on travelers to stop treating mini bottles like souvenirs. They’re not keepsakes. They’re trash.
2. Choose nonstop flights—it’s better for the planet and your sanity.
Layovers might save you a few bucks, but they cost more in emissions. Writers at Climate Action Accelerator explain that emissions from takeoff and landing are so fuel-intensive that multi-leg flights can more than double your climate impact compared to flying direct. It’s a hidden consequence of bargain travel that most people never think about.
A nonstop flight isn’t perfect, but it’s often the most efficient option available. And it reduces the temptation to overpack your itinerary with unnecessary detours. If you can’t avoid flying, at least minimize the impact by booking direct, flying economy, and skipping short-haul routes that could be replaced with trains or buses. It’s not about canceling your trip—it’s about making smarter choices from the moment you book.
3. Ditch the rolling suitcase for a travel backpack—it’s built for longevity.
Wheeled suitcases break. The zippers snag, the handles jam, and the wheels get shredded after a few cobblestone streets. That means more replacements, more plastic, and more waste. Many cheap suitcases are built with sealed or fragile components that make repairs nearly impossible—a design flaw Gaby Aziz unpacks in her Medium piece on sustainable luggage.
A sturdy travel backpack, on the other hand, can last for years if not decades. It’s easier to carry on uneven terrain, works better for public transport, and often forces you to pack lighter. Some brands even offer lifetime repair warranties. Bonus: you’ll blend in better with locals and look less like a lost tourist dragging a plastic box through historic districts. Climate-friendly travel isn’t just about what you consume—it’s also about what you don’t throw away every few trips.
4. Stay at eco-certified lodgings instead of defaulting to big hotel chains.
Major hotel chains often boast about their sustainability efforts, but they’re still resource-heavy by design—huge buildings, industrial laundry, excessive buffets. If you want to support greener tourism, your best bet is finding smaller, locally owned accommodations that have earned legitimate eco-certifications. Look for places that use renewable energy, compost food waste, avoid single-use plastics, and are built with local materials. Certifications like Green Key, EarthCheck, or Global Sustainable Tourism Council standards can help you cut through greenwashing. And the bonus?
These places usually offer a more personal, rooted travel experience. You’re not just reducing your impact—you’re investing in businesses that actually care about the place you came to see.
5. Use public transport or bikes instead of renting a car by default.
Car rentals feel like freedom, but they’re often overkill—especially in walkable cities or areas with great public transit. Even electric rental cars have an environmental toll when you factor in production, energy use, and traffic congestion. And most travelers don’t think about the hidden emissions tied to short, unnecessary drives.
Bikes, trains, buses, and even tuk-tuks or ferries can be more climate-friendly—and often more fun. You see more when you move slower. You engage more with the place you’re visiting. And you avoid the guilt of adding one more exhaust pipe to already overwhelmed roads. Renting a car isn’t inherently bad—but it shouldn’t be the automatic first choice. Local transport almost always gets you there with a smaller footprint.
6. Pack a reusable kit so you don’t default to single-use on the go.
The airport coffee, the roadside snack, the hotel breakfast—all of it adds up to a pile of trash when you’re relying on single-use plastic. And when you’re traveling, it’s even easier to fall into that trap. You’re out of your routine, moving fast, and convenience wins.
A small, reusable kit solves this. Bring a compact set of utensils, a collapsible cup or mug, a reusable straw, and a cloth napkin or hand towel. Throw in a tote bag or two for impromptu market runs.
These items take up barely any space and save an enormous amount of waste over time. Most people are shocked by how often they use them. With just a few tools, you go from passive consumer to conscious traveler—without giving up your iced coffee or street food habit.
7. Support local over imported when buying food, drinks, and souvenirs.
It’s easy to grab a snack from a global chain or buy a mass-produced souvenir stamped with “handmade” in a factory halfway across the world. But when you travel, every purchase is a chance to either support the local economy—or quietly siphon money out of it. Imported goods come with hidden emissions from shipping, packaging, and large-scale production.
Choosing local doesn’t just reduce your footprint—it helps keep traditional crafts, small farms, and independent businesses alive. Eat what’s in season. Buy souvenirs directly from artisans instead of airport gift shops. Visit local markets instead of international grocery chains. Not only are these choices better for the climate, they usually come with richer experiences. You remember the story behind the handmade bowl or that family-run cafe in a way you never will with something shrink-wrapped and shipped across oceans.
8. Say no to daily room cleanings—they’re not as harmless as they seem.
It sounds like a luxury: fresh towels, made bed, polished floors. But in hotels, daily cleaning routines burn through electricity, water, and harsh cleaning chemicals at an industrial scale. Washing towels and sheets that were barely used, vacuuming empty rooms, running lights and appliances just to “reset” the space—it adds up fast, especially across thousands of rooms. Opting out makes a real difference. Many hotels let you decline daily service or request it only when needed. Hang up your towels, reuse what’s clean, and leave a note if you’re staying for a while.
It’s one of the easiest travel habits to shift, and it genuinely cuts back on resource use. Housekeeping staff often appreciate the lighter workload too. Less disruption, less waste, and a reminder that comfort doesn’t have to come at a constant environmental cost.
9. Avoid cruise ships—they’re some of the dirtiest travel options out there.
Cruises sell themselves as carefree, all-in-one adventures—but they’re among the most polluting forms of travel on the planet. One ship can emit as much air pollution as a million cars in a single day. Waste is often dumped into the ocean, and ports become overrun with thousands of passengers who rarely spend meaningful money locally. If you love the idea of seeing multiple destinations in one trip, consider train travel or regional routes by land.
You’ll get closer to real communities, leave a smaller footprint, and have more opportunities for slow, intentional exploration. Cruises might look like a good deal on paper, but the environmental and cultural costs are steep. The views aren’t worth the damage.
10. Don’t treat carbon offsets like a hall pass—they’re not a free pass to pollute.
Carbon offset programs are everywhere now. You buy a flight, click a box that says “offset my emissions,” and walk away feeling greener. But many of these programs aren’t regulated, and the results are mixed at best.
Some fund reforestation projects that never materialize. Others claim credit for emissions reductions that would have happened anyway. If you do buy offsets, choose a program that’s third-party verified and transparent about its impact. But more importantly, don’t use them as a reason to ignore the rest of your choices. Offsets should be the last step, not the first. The better move is to reduce what you can in the first place—fly less, stay longer, and swap high-impact habits for lower ones. You can’t buy your way out of a footprint—but you can shrink it by being honest about what matters.
11. Travel slower—it’s better for the planet and for your brain.
Packing five cities into seven days might make your itinerary look impressive, but it burns resources fast. Constant transport means more emissions, more stress, and more shallow experiences. The faster you move, the more you rely on high-impact travel like flights and cars just to keep up with your schedule.
Slow travel flips that. You stay longer in one place, use regional trains or buses, and take time to actually experience a destination instead of checking it off a list. It’s more restful, more immersive, and dramatically less carbon-intensive.
Plus, you build better memories when you’re not rushing to the next thing. If you want your travels to feel meaningful—not just efficient—give yourself permission to slow down. You’ll come home less exhausted and more connected.
12. Don’t treat nature like a photo op—leave it better than you found it.
That perfect hike, pristine beach, or secret waterfall wasn’t created for your Instagram post. It exists because someone protected it—and it only stays that way if you treat it with care. But too often, tourists leave behind trash, trample off trails, or disturb wildlife chasing that “authentic” experience.
A good rule? Leave no trace—and, when possible, leave it better. Pick up litter, follow marked paths, and don’t remove shells, flowers, or rocks. Even biodegradable trash takes time to break down. Respect local guidelines, and avoid spots that are already over-touristed. Some places need a break more than they need your presence. Travel is a privilege, not a right—and nature doesn’t owe you a selfie. Treat it like a gift, not a backdrop. That shift in mindset is what sustainable travel is really about.