An eco-friendly (and pandemic-friendly) travel guide!

A.K.A. How not to be a mindless tourist!

Lockdowns have started opening up and we can actually travel again! YAY!
After months of roundtrips to my living room, kitchen and balcony ( lame jokes 🙂 seeeee… I need a vacation! Hence proved.) and after endlessly waiting to write this guide, it’s finally here.

Oh, 2020! You tied us down for way too long!
Source- boredpanda.com of course!

As if we were already not doing a terrible job at being trashy and foolish tourists, this pandemic has given us whole new ways to travel in the most environmentally unfriendly way.

So yes this is an eco-friendly, pandemic-friendly, and human-friendly guide to travel that we all need right now! As much as it doesn’t seem, but being a good traveler takes nothing more than a little pre planning and, a tiny bit of conscious. Here’s what I have learned-

Do not travel if you’re sick

Goes without saying, the pandemic is still going on, so please don’t travel if you are sick or feeling even slightly sick. And also follow the travel and testing guidelines of the places you plan to visit.

Carry your re-usable Washable masks and sanitizers

COVID waste may create more masks than jellyfish in the sea. Source- CNN

Flights, restaurants, hotels, shops, malls, and everyplace is giving away disposable masks and sanitizer sachets to the customers to follow all the safety protocols. This has indispensably created a new plastic waste menace! So please carry your own re-usable washable masks and pocket sanitizers everywhere. Refrain from using single-use ones and help create less trash in the world.

Do not trash!

Tourism is creating a mountain of WASTE in the Himalayas. This picture is from Mount Everest!!! Source- DW

Talking about trash, please DO.NOT.TRASH! While you are enjoying the scenic beauty of the hills, or relaxing at pristine beaches, or trekking, or breathing ANYWHERE, do not ruin the beauty of the place by throwing empty wrappers, cans, bottles, or anything. There are dustbins everywhere, and even if you don’t find one, just be a little more considerate and keep your trash in your pocket or bag and throw it in a dustbin whenever you find one. Specially at remote locations where no one is going to come and pick your trash, do not be a fool and damage the natural ecosystem.

Carry your personal refillable water bottle

Guess the item that you purchase the most when you are traveling/holidaying? PACKAGED WATER BOTTLE. Utterly useless plastic trash! And the simplest solution- just carry your own bottle and refill it. It’s even easier on a road trip. Just take along as many bottles as you wish. It’s fun, try it 😉

Just me and my bottle at the airport.

This is what I did on my last trip (months ago)- I carried 2 bottles with me (filled just one ’cause my bag was heavy at that moment)). It lasted me well and I refilled it again at the airport on landing. Then the hotel I was staying at had RO filters. I got my bottles filled and I asked them not to send packaged water to my room. Every morning before venturing out, I would get my bottles filled and pack it in my travel bag. 2 bottles lasted me easily till late afternoon, and then I got it refilled again at a restaurant. Then again when I reached my hotel at night, got ’em refilled and, took it to my room. And repeat! No, it was not inconvenient, no it was not uncool! Plus I saved my money and the beautiful environment.

Carry your own toiletries

Yes those hotel freebies are cool and convenient. But all those mini toothpastes, toothbrush, shampoo, soap and conditioner bottles generate a lot of waste. Imagine all the guests given these toiletries and majority of them use it once or don’t use the full. So the leftover product and the plastic packaging create nothing but waste.
I simply stuff my regular toothbrush, toothpaste, soap bar, shampoo bar, and everything else in a small kit and carry it. And if you travel frequently (I envy you!), then keep one kit prepared with another stash of your amenities packed and carry it everywhere you go.

Do not get your sheets and towels washed every day at the hotel

I have seen so many people literally exploiting the hotel amenities unnecessarily by requesting new towels, bedsheets, quilts every day, just because they can. Even if you don’t, some hotels just replace it every other day.
You could help save hundreds of liters of water by just requesting for a wash or replacement when you actually need it, or after 3-4 days.

During my stay at the RedFox Hotel, I saw (sorry, I can’t find the picture) that they had these notes pasted in our washrooms mentioning the amount of water it takes to wash all the towels and sheets of one room and requested the guests to be more considerate. I found it very thoughtful! So I made sure that I do not unnecessarily dirty the sheets and hang my towels to dry near the window and also asked the staff to not replace them unless I ask them 🙂 Simple actions make a difference!

Support small vendors

Whenever you’re out eat at dhabas, try and enjoy the local food and embrace the local culture! Also, this pandemic has really hit hard the small and local vendors too, so try not to bargain a lot and be more compassionate and help whoever you can. Remember, while you have the luxury to splurge money on vacations, there are some people trying to make their ends meet. A little humanity will go a long way 🙂

Do not support animal abuse

As much as you love Elephant rides, Camel rides, paying to see dolphins/whales dance in a small aquarium or, even visiting a zoo for that matter, animals do NOT enjoy that. It’s high time that we realize that animals belong only in their natural habitats– forests, rivers, oceans, and NOT in CAPTIVITY. So please do not support people or organizations who are depriving those poor souls of living their natural life and making money out of it.

I love elephants! And during my last visit to Jaipur, I saw so many elephants lined up with their masters, to carry people to the top of Amer Fort. I was excited earlier about getting a ride, but then I closely observed the condition of those adorable beings. I immediately said no then. Later, on researching, I found that the bone structure of the back of the elephants is not at all meant for carrying heavy loads and causes severe damage if done so. (If you want to justify this by saying that Elephants were used for transportation in medieval times too, then please look around and notice that you are not in medieval times anymore. We have all the modern means of transport now, leaving us with no excuse to exploit animals.) Similarly, we can find evidence of how severely damaging, both physically and mentally captivity and labor is for animals.

Lastly, do not shun these tips thinking about what difference can you make alone. Thousands of people are aware and already doing it, and it will be millions very soon. So do your best to get an early pass to the Sexy and not stupid Tourist club. Damn you’ll inspire so many people out there 😉

That’s all for now. I will also publish part 2 of this blog where I will talk about another very important aspect of traveling- the effect of (OVER) TOURISM on places with FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS! (hint: 3 idiots). So stay tuned.

Take care!