Keeping Your Family Vacation Good and Green!

If living a green lifestyle is important to your family, there’s no need to break your earth friendly habits to enjoy a much needed vacation! You can take a break from every-day life, and do it in a way that is supportive of your lifestyle! Here are five must read tips to taking an eco-friendly vacation!

1. Stay Local!

That’s right- plan some down time for you and your family at a local destination. You can find plenty of things to do that you may have never had the time to experience before, while supporting your local community. Choose a bed and breakfast that is locally owned and operated for your lodgings.

Consider riding bikes between destination points, or walking. Even if you must drive, because the distances will be relatively short, it’s still better than traveling cross-country! Make a point to visit places like the local farmer’s market or a nearby winery. Antique shops and museums or galleries are great local destinations to visit.

2. Consider Alternate Travel Methods

If you really want to travel to a destination farther away from your home, then consider different methods of travel. Instead of taking a plane or driving your own car, use a bus system like Greyhound. The carbon footprints of public travel systems like this are much smaller and allow many people to travel to the same place in just one vehicle, cutting down on both gasoline usage and pollution output.

3. Look for Green Hotels

If you are taking an extended vacation out of town, you will most likely be searching for hotels to stay in. Many hotels have now adopted greener living policies. You can find these hotels easily on-line, and most will offer a complete list of all the new policies they have adapted in order to make their establishment more earth friendly.

4. Make This Vacation an Awareness Project

While on your vacation, try to make several stops to ones that will help your family become more aware. There are lots of recycling facilities that will offer guided tours. Another great awareness trip is to the water treatment facility, which may also offer guided tours. You can also take a very fun trip to a nearby state park or reserve, where you can learn all about preservation of natural eco-systems and the native species in the area.

5. Go Back to Simple

Often, one of the best and greenest family vacations you could plan is simple in nature, but big in valuable learning experiences. Loosely put- go camping! Choose a state park, and camp in a tent. Enjoy the rustic environment and return to the basics of living and enjoying life. Tent camping is an easy, affordable, fun, and very green way to spend your vacation!