How to be an Eco-friendly Traveler / Digital Nomad

As I've said several times before on this blog, travelling around the globe, exploring some of the world's untouched landscapes, and potentially making money from it is a major dream for many people (me included!). But this lifestyle can come at a cost - the more we as humans invade and maneuver around the far reaches of the earth, the more pressure we put on the world's fragile eco-systems. Flying in planes, creating "beaten paths" and constantly utilizing single-use items because we're always on the go takes a toll on the planet when we as individuals travel. Now, imagine what happens when millions of other people travel and do the exact same thing. The result, as you've probably seen in the news, is not pretty for the earth.

So, should we write off travel all together? No. In fact, travelling can be a great way to gain perspective, develop respect for the world's fragile places, and even generate a voice in yourself to help other people care more about the world, too. Because it is a beautiful world out there, and it's definitely worth protecting. So, how can you become a more eco-friendly traveler / digital nomad? Simple. You just need to make a few tweaks to what you pack, and how you act while trekking around the globe. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Use Reusable Beverage Items

One of the easiest ways to become an eco-friendly traveler is to carry reusable beverage items, such as water bottles, coffee cups and straws, with you. When we live at home, it's easy to grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it up with our Brita-filtered water. When we're in a foreign country living like a nomad, however, it's typically pretty simple to pop into convenience stores, coffee shops and restaurants and grab single-use water bottles and paper coffee cups when we're on the go.

Your move? Grab yourself some reusable beverage items before you travel so that you can limit the amount of single-use items you utilize while travelling.

Bring Reusable Shopping Bags

If you're on the move a lot living that nomad life, chances are you're constantly picking up supplies, such as toiletries, groceries and souvenirs. Well, most (if not all) of these supplies come with the same thing - plastic bags! A lot of these bags end up in our world's waterways, greatly affecting the eco-systems and wildlife that call our ocean's home.

To help eliminate the impact of plastic bags, travel with a reusable grocery bag or two. They roll up really small, so they'll fit in right beside all of your socks. Oh, and the handles are typically a lot stronger than plastic bags, so you won't risk dropping your fresh beers on the ashphalt when walking back to your hotel. I'll cheers to that.

Walk or Bike When Possible

While the natural tendency when travelling is to either rent a car or hop on public transportation to get around, there are other ways to maneuver around new places without leaving any carbon footprint at all. Sure, carpooling or utilizing public transit is better than renting one vehicle just for yourself, and, of course, if the destination you need to get to is over an hour away when driving, please take the appropriate transportation. But is a bus or a car really needed if the place you want to explore is within walking or biking distance?

Walking or biking through new places is great. It allows you to connect with the surrounding landscape on a much more emotional level than you would in a motor-powered vehicle, as you, inevitably, roll by at a much slower pace, allowing you to truly take in all of the sights, smells and sounds around you. Plus, you will be keeping fit (which is especially good after drinking the beers we talked about in the last section!). So do yourself a favor on your next trip and try taking the slow ride to your destination. Your planet (and your health) will thank you.

Stay on the Trail

Exploring this planet's wilderness is truly one of the great experiences anyone can have in my opinion, but exploring them too much, however, can be one of the worst experiences for the earth itself. Have you ever heard of the phrase "the beaten path?" That literally means the path in the earth that has been beaten down by constant human abuse. Sure, beaten paths may lead into the wild and help us not get lost through the journey. But they are, in their essence, a way of literally beating the earth.

So, how can we explore the wild landscapes of this planet without further crushing them (so to speak)? Well, for one, we can stick to the paths that have already been created. In fact, there are a lot of great parks in this world where pathways have been carefully built to minimize the negative effects on the surrounding eco-systems.

The best thing to do to be a more eco-friendly traveler when hiking, however, is to never veer off of the trail and create your own. By stepping off of the path, we end up crushing all sorts of plants and other wildlife. And then we get (you guessed it) more beaten paths. So stick to the trails. The park rangers will be happy, and the planet will be pretty stoked too.

Don't Overuse Your Hotel

Leaving the air conditioning fully cranked, utilizing fresh towels every day, and sleeping in new sheets every night are some of the incredible benefits of staying in fancy hotels when traveling around the world. But, again, these small luxuries do come at a cost to the environment. The more hotels put on new sheets or give you new towels, the more electricity and water they use up to clean them. Now, I'm not suggesting that you give up these luxuries all together (you did pay for them after all). I'm just saying to be a bit more mindful of them. That's all.

So, how can you be a more eco-friendly traveler when you stay in a hotel? Don't overuse it. Sure, getting fresh towels and sheets is great. But maybe try using the same sheets and towels for an extra day or two. All you need to do is put the Do Not Disturb card on your door handle, and the cleaning staff will leave your room alone. And, for the air conditioning, try and keep it at a reasonable temperature. You wouldn't crank it to an extreme cold in your own house, would you?

If you're planning on traveling abroad and / or living the digital nomad lifestyle, chances are you're hyped to explore this beautiful planet that we call home. Just know that constant travel does affect the earth sometimes in negative ways. Especially when millions of us live this kind of lifestyle. If you can, do your part by always choosing reusable, taking the scenic route, and treating your hotel a bit more like your house, and you'll be an eco-friendly traveler / digital nomad in no time.

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