This is how you go on holiday sustainably this summer

With rising sea levels and rapidly decreasing biodiversity in mind, making more sustainable choices is becoming increasingly logical and, fortunately, often also a lot easier mentally. From picking out environmentally friendly skincareproducts to adjust your diet. How do you spend your holiday sustainably this summer?

Summer is coming and that means that plenty of weekends away are being planned, date picks are being filled in, new holiday destinations are being selected and people are dreaming about tropical places. Only, how do you spend your holiday this summer in a sustainable way?

A sustainable summer

When you think of summer, you probably think of endless warm days, eating ice cream until you weigh an ounce, sitting on terraces until late in the evening and strolling about unknown streets in distant cities or relaxing on a stretch bed on a vast, white beach . Summer is for a moment to enjoy extra, correct after such a long, cold winter.

Although summer is the perfect time to take a vacation and recharge from the hectic pace that has built up over the past year, there are also many factors to consider when planning and booking your holiday. Especially if you’re a little bit eco friendly want to go on vacation.

From the Sustainable Travel Report 2023 of Booking.com Fortunately, it turns out that almost three-quarters of the Dutch want to make more sustainable choices when it comes to travelling. That is why we share a few handy, but oh-so-simple tips to spend your (summer) holiday in a sustainable way!

#1. Location: where do you want to go?

If you want to make more sustainable choices when it comes to travel, you first want to think about the location. Why do you want to travel or on vacation? Is it to relax or to go into the wilderness? In the first case, you may wonder whether you really have to fly all the way to Bali to relax. We can already tell you: that is certainly not necessary.

Closer to home you will find the most beautiful destinations where you can really relax. For example, we previously tipped 7 x retreats in Europe that are worth visiting this summer. Those who feel the need to fully immerse themselves in another culture can hardly do so in a better place than in Europe itself, where dozens of different cultures, languages ​​and customs live incredibly close to each other.

In the end, it is often not about the destination, but about the journey itself.

#2. Transport: how to get there

Once you have chosen a destination, it is time to start thinking about which transport you will take. We probably don’t have to tell you that flying is not sacred and that you can have a significant positive impact on your trip, especially with the choice of transport.

If the summer holidays are going to Italy, England or perhaps Eastern Europe this year, investigate the options for taking public transport and moving around with local public transport or renting a car there. Taking the car yourself is of course also a sustainable alternative, and that actually becomes an even more sustainable idea when you decide to carpool with friends or family.

Long distance travel not sustainable? These are the positive effects of your world trip

Nowadays, the network of trains and buses throughout Europe is being expanded and it is becoming easier to fly skip. For example, did you know that nowadays you can take a boat to Norway? How special!

#3. Accommodation: where are you staying?

Then the place to sleep: because there too you can make a lot of sustainable considerations. From a tiny house to a sustainably built, floating raft and from a glamping to an ecolodge: there are now plenty of sustainable options! There are more and more holiday homes, guesthouses and hotels that consider sustainability to be of paramount importance with a seasonal vega(n) buffet, furniture made from recycled material, electricity generated via solar panels and collaborations with sustainable entrepreneurs.

And tell yourself: that sleeps a lot better, doesn’t it?

#4. What kind of traveler are you (or do you want to be)?

Often we go on holiday with the idea of ​​resting, but often enough also with the idea of ​​’getting the most money out of my holiday’. Therefore, always be aware when traveling that it is a privilege to be able to travel and that you are a guest in another country.

The coolest holiday ideas for when you want to travel as sustainably as possible

Therefore always have respect for the country and the people and know that with your euro you can support local entrepreneurs on holiday. Instead of booking at a large, international hotel chain, you can also book one homestay choose one that is run by a local family or instead of endlessly haggling at a market you can give the seller who may not have it wide, that extra euro.

These are subtle changes, but they do determine what kind of traveler you are. Think about yourself: what do I want to leave behind?

The magic of travel

Curious how traveling can help you become a more conscious person and what else you can learn from traveling (without necessarily having to fly to the other side of the world)? BEDROCK’s Rosa wrote the book ‘The magic of travel’ about it and you can order it now.