How Green Is Your Vacation?

Posted: May 15, 2008

It's a mantra that ecotravelers often repeat: "Take only photos; leave only footprints." And they don't mean the carbon kind. Even if you aren't hiking in the wilderness, you can incorporate ecologically friendly ideals into any vacation. Take this quiz to see how your summer trip will stack up, and then read on for more green travel tips.

This year, my vacation destination is:
1. Less than 300 miles away from home
2. 300 to 1,000 miles away
3. More than 1,000 miles away
To get there, I'm:
1. Driving a car
2. Flying
3. Taking a train or bus
My destination is:
1. A large metropolitan area with public transportation
2. A beachfront resort
3. A campground or national park
I'm staying at:
1. A major hotel chain
2. An ecofriendly resort
3. A friend's house
4. A camper or tent
The types of souvenirs I'll bring back are:
1. Locally made handicrafts
2. Snow globes, keychains, and other hilarious assorted tchotchkes
3. No souvenirs for me, thanks. My digital photos are enough.
When I stay at a hotel:
1. I use water sparingly and don't have my sheets changed every day.
2. I get fresh linens every day. That's the whole point of a hotel.
Have you purchased carbon offsets for your trip?
1. Of course.
2. Nope.
3. What are carbon offsets? (We'll tell you in a moment.)
For meals while on vacation:
1. I eat at locally owned restaurants.
2. I buy from the local farmer's market and prepare my own.
3. I'll go to chains, the hotel's place, or whatever's convenient.

View Quiz Results and Ecotravel Tips >>

Just Booked a Green Vacation

I recently decided that my next vacation should be to a property that is as "green" as possible. I bought the hybrid, I recycle like silly, I replaced all of my incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent. Why shouldn't my next vacation be green? I did some research on the internet and a found a travel agency that helped me locate a property in Jamaica that has several policies in place to make our world a little greener. The agency is goawaygreen.com. They were very nice and informative. I can't wait to go. They had several options for me, but I really love Jamaica, so they limited their efforts to the island at my request.

Jeff of NY @ Apr 28, 2009 15:57:35 PM

My vacation is always green when I go on trips. I just love spending my free time in the nature and without any sign of civilization. I love running away from crowded cities with my family and friends. It's my favourite hobby, if you want to call it like this.

Norwegian Cruise Line of RI @ Nov 17, 2008 05:30:15 AM

Vacation

The good news is that I am spending my vacation dollars in the US and foresee doing that for the majority of my travel in the future.

Sharon of FL @ Jun 23, 2008 13:51:41 PM

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