10 Alternative Travel Tips and Tricks I use on Every Trip

Everyone wants islands to remain paradisiacal, cities to be easy to breathe, and forests to be a safe home for animals. And everyone knows that this is not the case in popular destinations. Besides local problems, there are global consequences: tourism accounts for 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions. What can a single person do about it? We can do it by taking better care of nature in our trips. You don’t have to be an avid eco-activist and you won’t lose comfort, either. Read how to travel with care for nature, and take small steps to change the situation for the better.

Vacation Closer to Home

All transportation (bikes and scooters don’t count) has an impact on the environment and climate change. To reduce emissions from your travels, at least occasionally choose a vacation spot not on the other side of the planet.

Think about what you’d really like to do on vacation. Friends invite you to surf school in Bali or see the Mayan pyramids in Mexico. But would you rather go surfing in Biarritz, France, or see the megaliths in Malta? Or deep down in your heart you even dream of living in a secluded cabin and kayaking in Karelia?

Choose Less Harmful Transport

You can assess the impact of transport on the environment according to different criteria: energy efficiency, energy source (renewable is better), carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, heavy metals. Noise, number of passengers, driver or pilot behavior, and many other details play a role. It is difficult to take into account and compare all factors for different modes of transport, but there are basic recommendations, which can be used as a guide.

For a trip of up to 500 km it is better to prefer a train or bus. If you decide to travel by car, follow the rules of eco-driving: take your friends with you, turn off the engine at stops, accelerate and brake less, don’t drive the air conditioner unnecessarily.

Look for Unpopular Places

Excess tourism has become a serious problem for top destinations. Even if everyone cleans up their trash and treats the local flora and fauna responsibly, a crowd of ten thousand people can’t help but harm nature. If only because you have to provide lodging, water, food, and transportation for tourists and properly dispose of waste.

Many countries specifically promote their lesser-known places to reduce the environmental burden of overcrowded resorts. If you listen to the advice, you will win: the brightest impressions often come from unpopular and unexpectedly beautiful places. In addition, you will not be jostling with elbows with other travelers.

Save Resources

Wherever you go, there are easy ways to spend fewer resources locally – you don’t even have to drastically change your habits.

-Buy as much food as you can eat.

-Turn off the air conditioning and lights when you leave the room.

-Reject a fresh towel if the previous one is still clean, and don’t stay under the shower longer than necessary.

International Automobile License

I strongly recommend that you take care of getting one. It is absolutely not difficult and not expensive. Yes, you can do without it. Many people do so. In the case of a finicky police officer or an emergency, you may have problems. And some car rental companies may refuse to provide a car without an international license.

Rent A Car

If you are planning to rent a car (you have a hard time getting to South or North America on your own), be sure to carefully study the car rental companies beforehand. There are more and more of them now. Get acquainted with reviews on forums. It may well happen that the price that is acceptable at first sight in not very diligent auto dealers may increase almost twice. Do not forget about dimensions of the car. Do not take it “right to the size”. Take into account that during the trip you will be in the car for a significant amount of time.

Driving Regulations

Yes, they may be different in some countries. Somewhere insignificantly, somewhere considerably. It is desirable to learn in advance all the features of traffic rules of the country where you plan to go. So that it did not turn out later, for example, that there is left-hand traffic. Or speed limits are seriously different from those that are set in your country of residence. Find out about the toll roads. Fees, payment methods, the availability of free alternatives. Do not forget to read the rules on paying for parking.

Itinerary

Plan the route very carefully. Even minor flaws can ruin your vacation. Be sure to set aside extra time for travel. Move strictly to the schedule minute by minute, especially in unfamiliar areas, few people get. As a result, instead of enjoying the beautiful sights and national monuments, you, like a trucker, will have to keep frantically catching up to catch up with the destination or the end of the vacation.

Google And Yandex Maps. Paper Maps

Download as many maps and guidebooks as you can on your devices. But don’t forget the good old paper maps. They cost a couple of euros, and they can help you a lot. If your devices run out of juice or can’t find the internet, it’s often a good old-fashioned paper trail that gets you out of the middle of the night.

Accommodation

It is advisable to take care in advance about the key points of accommodation on your route. This thing is not as simple as it may seem at first glance. The fact is that by booking rooms along the route in advance, you lose the ability to maneuver. Somewhere to stay for a day if you like the city, somewhere, on the contrary, to speed up.

By reading my 10 tips for your road trip, you can travel hassle-free and have fun behind the wheel. Sure, you’ll have to spend a little more time to prepare for your trip, but it will be worth the wait! Do you already know where you’re going on your next road trip?