Happy New Year Eco Heroes!
 
I hope 2017 is fabulous for you in every way.
 
I’m super excited to share your eco journey with you and I have plenty of fabulous resources for you in store for this year to help you to eco-fy your lifestyle!
 
I‘m actually away on a beach holiday with my family and I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to it! It’s been a full on year with some massive highs and deep lows in our family and I’m looking forward to many long walks along the beach, building sandcastles with my boys and swimming in the crystal clear water of the Fleurieu Peninsula’s beaches.
 
But rest assured I’ll be walking my talk and making it a low impact holiday. There really is no better way to holiday.
 
So today I’m chatting about eco-holidays and 14 Ways to Eco-fy yours!
 

 
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Well holiday season is in full swing in Australia, which means that many of us are taking a break from everyday life to rejuvenate ourselves, catch up with family or friends, or just to relax and have fun.
 
While a break from everyday life is welcomed and to be encouraged, leaving your eco habits at home isn’t.
 
Just because we’re travelling somewhere new, staying somewhere different and filling our days with exciting experiences, doesn’t mean we should rest on our eco laurels…. and before you think it, I should add that enjoying an eco-holiday doesn’t mean going without or creating heaps of work for yourself.
 
It is possible to have a wonderful, fun, relaxing, low-impact holiday and in this post I’ll share 14 ways to Eco-fy Your Holiday…..
 
Now before I get started I just want to clarify what is an eco, or low impact, holiday.
 

What Is a Low Impact Holiday?

Enjoying a low impact holiday simply means having a great time while respecting your surrounds.
 
The saying “Take only photographs and leave only footprints” sums it up perfectly. This can apply to leaving the small complimentary toiletries behind (unused of course!) in your hotel room to holidaying locally, to carrying your waste out with you when you leave a national park…. or any environment for that matter.
 

Why Are Low Impact Holidays Important?

With the global human population increasing and travel becoming more and more accessible and affordable, we’re definitely on the move more than ever before and this isn’t without its impact.

Low impact holidays are more important than ever before as our natural habitats are under more stress than ever before.
 
Tread lightly on the Earth so that others may simply tread.
 
There will be generations of humans to come after us and they deserve the right to visit wild, natural places just as much as we do.
 
So, eco holidays are important in order to help preserve our environment for future generations, but there’s also many benefits for us too! Generally eco-holidays are cheaper, simpler affairs jam packed with experiences.
 

14 Ways To Eco-fy Your Holiday

Regardless of whether you choose to stay in the most luxurious eco resort or sleep in your own tent in the wilderness, low impact holidays are more about HOW you behave on your holidays rather than where you stay or what you do.
 
Here’s some of my best tips to eco-fy your holiday:

  1. Holiday locally – you don’t have to travel far to have a great time!
  2. Pack a cut lunch and a thermos and avoid the temptation to buy take away en-route to your destination.
  3. Choose self-contained accommodation so you can prepare some simple meals rather than eating out every meal.
  4. Take your shopping bags with you! Not every town is plastic bag free. Your reusable shopping and produce bags can come on holiday too (especially if you’re driving!).
  5. Resist using anything single-use in your accommodation (soaps, toiletries, slippers etc).
  6. Don’t litter. It really is uncool and so unnecessary.
  7. Stick to designated walking or vehicle tracks. Making your own tracks can transfer weed seeds, damage vegetation, and cause erosion in the landscape.
  8. Beaches are for walking, not driving on. Beaches are fragile environments and many coastal birds and turtles lay their eggs in the sand. While you’re there, keep off the dunes. Trampling over them or sliding down them easily damages vegetation and can very quickly lead to erosion.
  9. Go easy on water and electricity – just because you’re not paying specifically for the electricity and water at your holiday location, doesn’t mean you need to treat it like it’s an endless resource.
  10. Check local fire regulations before lighting a campfire and purchase your firewood rather than foraging it from the bush.
  11. Keep wildlife wild and don’t feed them! Yes, this includes the seagulls!
  12. If you love fishing observe the size and catch limits. They’re in place for a reason, namely because the world’s wild fish populations are risking significant collapse.
  13. Offset the carbon emissions from your airfare. Every little bit helps….
  14. Leave your tech gadgets at home and take the opportunity to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones. You won’t know yourself!

 

So there you have it….. 14 tips to eco-fy your holiday!
 
Low impact holidays aren’t rocket science. They’re about you having a great time, reconnecting with nature and yourself, and leaving the destination in exactly the same condition as you found it (or better still!).
 
What’s your best tip to enjoy a low impact holiday?

Laura