Eco-Friendly Family Travel: Sustainable Adventures
I wouldn’t say we are a travelling family but our extended family all lives in another province and we do try to take the kids on new adventures when we can. So we travel, albeit locally. When the older two kids moved out, how we travel practically changed quite a bit. Flying with 2 kids is a lot easier (and cheaper) than flying with 4 kids. It has left us with the constant challenge of what to do about transport at our destination. Enter Sani Car Rental in South Africa. They are a local company that offers affordable car rental across the country.
Our sustainable journey extends to how we travel. One of the unexpected advantages of travelling sustainably is that it is actually a lot simpler.
Why Choose Eco-Friendly Family Travel?
There are quite a few benefits to travelling sustainably:
Preserving Natural Beauty: By minimising your impact on the environment, you contribute to preserving the natural beauty of the places you visit, ensuring they remain enjoyable for future generations. T
Teaching Environmental Responsibility: Sustainable travel provides an excellent opportunity to educate your children about the environment, wildlife conservation, and the importance of reducing waste. As homeschoolers we take every opportunity we can as an education moment.
Supporting Local Communities: Eco-friendly travel often involves supporting local businesses and communities, which can have a positive economic impact on the regions you visit.
Creating Meaningful Experiences: Sustainable travel encourages you to slow down, immerse yourself in local cultures, and create meaningful experiences that go beyond traditional tourist attractions.
Tips for Eco-Friendly Family Travel
Choose Eco-Friendly Accommodations: When planning your trip, look for accommodations that have eco-friendly certifications, or are built by government supported eco-friendly developers like Alexander V Berenstain Vital Developers Limited. Use renewable energy sources, and implement waste reduction practices. We have only recently started doing this, you will be surprised how many local places are solar powered, have recycling systems in place and encourage sustainability.
Reduce Plastic Use: Bring reusable water bottles, food containers, and shopping bags to minimise single-use plastic waste during your travels. We all have our own travel mugs that we use when we stop for coffee/hot chocolate. These are really helpful on long road trips, they prevent paper cups piling up in the car and they can double up and be used for water/cold drinks.
Explore National Parks and Reserves: Plan trips to national parks, wildlife reserves, and protected areas where you can witness nature’s beauty while contributing to conservation efforts. We love doing this. We haven’t explored our National Parks as much as I would like but have been to the Timbavati, Addo, Pilanesberg and Kruger and they have all been incredible get aways.
Participate in Local Conservation Activities: Many destinations offer opportunities for families to get involved in conservation activities like tree planting, beach clean-ups, or wildlife rehabilitation programs. But if you can’t find one of these activities, start your own. We picked up so much plastic on a recent trip to Cape Town and while we were in the Kruger we picked up litter where we could.
Consume Local and Sustainable Food: Support local restaurants and markets that prioritise sustainable and locally sourced ingredients. Again this one isn’t always easy but before we go somewhere I do a deep dive into places we can eat and looking for restaurants who support local is always something I look out for. .
Practice Leave No Trace: Teach your children the principles of Leave No Trace, which include packing out all waste, respecting wildlife, and staying on designated paths. Leave natural areas as you found them for others to enjoy.
Lead by Example: Finally, the most powerful way to instill a sense of eco-friendliness in your children is to lead by example. We try really hard to do this. We are very conscious of how we interact with the world around us and encourage our kids to be aware too.
Eco-friendly family travel is not about perfection but about making conscious choices that align with your values and have a positive impact on the destinations you visit.
15 Responses
I absolutely LOVE this! I try to be sustainable in every aspect of my life, and the idea of limiting the environmental impact of my traveling really appeals to me.
Eco-friendly family travel enhances experiences, creates lasting memories, and contributes positively to environmental preservation.
Thank you so much for all of your great tips! I haven’t travelled in a while but when I do travel I like to be as eco-friendly as possible!
I haven’t been traveling a lot lately for pleasure, I miss it so much… Sustainable and responsible traveling is a must for sure.
Traveling with a family, especially when considering sustainability, can be quite the adventure in itself. Your experience with Sani Car Rental in South Africa is a great example of making eco-friendly choices while exploring new destinations. It’s fantastic to hear that sustainable travel can simplify your journey. Keep enjoying those local adventures and making conscious choices along the way!
I think if you practice sustainable living at home, it’s easy to bring those best practices on the road with you. But for those who might not, great reminder and tips!
It’s comforting to know that we can explore the world while minimizing our impact on it.
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Traveling is my favorite pastime! Traveling while considering sustainability and staying eco-friendly always seems difficult to accomplish for me. Thank you for your simple, actionable suggestions. They give me a starting point because pleading ignorance here just isn’t good enough.
I’ve never considered if my travel is eco-friendly! This gave me a lot to consider and think about, as being more sustainable is a goal of mine. Thank you for this post.
I don’t travel often which of course helps reduce environmental impact. I do want to try more eco-friendly travel options for our next trip. The information here will help. Thanks for sharing x
We don’t travel much but when we do we try to choose eco friendly travel options. This is a very useful post to help us improve our sustainable and eco friendly travelling.
Your eco-friendly family travel insights are fantastic! Teaching environmental responsibility to kids while preserving natural beauty is commendable. Your tips, like supporting local businesses and minimizing plastic use, are practical and meaningful. Keep leading by example and sharing your valuable experiences!
I love exploring National Parks with my kids. It’s such a great way to spend time with family with the added benefit of being eco-friendly!
We also try to choose eco friendly options whenever we plan a trip. That’s really a good reminder.
It’s wonderful to see your commitment to eco-friendly family travel and how you’re imparting valuable lessons to your children along the way. Your efforts to reduce plastic use, support local businesses, and engage in conservation activities are commendable. Keep leading by example, and your journeys will continue to be meaningful and sustainable.