5 Ways To Travel Sustainably In 2024

Today, the world is becoming more aware of the waste that we are producing, the drastic change in climate and the ultimate impact of said things on our lives and future generations. Due to the valiant efforts of youth climate activists, today's generation has woken up to the horrors that this way of living is propagating. Hence, the need for sustainable travel is felt now more than ever.

According to recent studies; tipping points of forest loss, melting ice caps, soils overheating, the rise of sea levels, plankton dying, over-burdening waste production and rampant misuse of fossil fuels are going to render the Earth almost unlivable in a few years. If we do not mass mobilize to fix these issues, then the carbon tipping point level of 500 parts per million (which is near extinction level) is going to consume every living being on the planet.

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Here Are 5 Simple Tips That Make Sustainable Travel Possible In 2024 -

1. Reduce airplane travel

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Airplane travelling around the world burns up thousands of gallons of jet fuel every single week. It has been scientifically proven that air travel is by far one of the most harmful to the environment. Swedish activists have coined a term that supports their activism against airplane travel. It is called ‘flygskam’ and translates to ‘flight shame’.

2. Avoid littering during travel

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This one is a no-brainer. According to The Energy and Resource Institute, the waste generated in Himachal Pradesh is going to rise from 400 tons/day to 705 tons/day by the year 2041. Even now, local authorities and NGOs are struggling to cope with the sheer amount of waste produced. And not surprisingly, a good percentage of this waste amounts to littering by tourists. There is just one simple tip to prevent this. Do not litter. When trekking or hiking on a Himalayan trail, carry all your waste with you in your backpack so that you can safely deposit it once you are down. And if you see a friend or fellow trekker doing it - STOP THEM!

3. Reduce the usage of single use plastic

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Innumerable scenic locations around the country and especially in Himachal are being turned into open-faced mini landfills simply because of the stark amount of single-use plastic waste that people choose to dump there. The once clandestine location of Rohtang Pass is now heavily littered with plastic, which is clogging up streams and smaller rivulets. Water bottles, crisp packets, napkins, plastic wrappers, candy wrappers, glass alcohol bottles, tyres and carry bags are the most notorious of all. How we can help is to opt for reusable water bottles, and tiffins and carry our cutlery during a trek.

4. Use more public transport

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This one is not really applicable for the treks but more so for when you are travelling to a city. We know it is very tempting to book an Uber, hop into a local cab or hire your own private vehicle - but doing this on a mass scale does have disastrous consequences on the environment. Especially in cities like Delhi- where the AQI is always at an all-time low. The smart thing to do when travelling in a city is to use public transport. Almost all cities have high development, cheap and fully functional modes of transport like buses, metros and local trains.

5. Choose dorms over private rooms

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Single occupancy or double occupancy hotel rooms require a lot of energy and power to be kept comfortable and electrified than multi-person dorm rooms. Starting from a personal kettle, water heater, and space heater to the television and iron - a personal hotel room is much more of a vice than communal dorm rooms. Dorm rooms are not only environmentally friendly, but they are also cheaper and allow you to meet travellers from around the globe. With a backpacker revolution beginning to stir around the globe, now is a great time to transition from lonely, drab, power-hungry hotel rooms to fun, friendly and budgeted backpacker hostels.

So, here are our top 5 tips to enjoy sustainable travel in 2024. We hope that reading this gave you some idea about how small changes from our side can result in big changes overall. Spread the word, tell your friends and next time you want to travel - do it sustainably.