This was published 7 years ago
Environmentally-friendly family travel: Ten best tips
Take reusable water bottles to fill up on the journey and at your destination.Credit: Getty Images
For the kids, the most compelling moment of the opening ceremony for the Rio Olympics wasn't the favela dance party.
Nor was it the giant glowing insects emerging from the primordial ooze (prompting 10-year-old Grace to ask, "Is that the Zika virus, Mummy?")
Or gorgeous Giselle sashaying down the world's longest catwalk (prompting 11-year-old Taj to ask, "Why are we watching a woman walking in a pretty dress? What sport does she represent?")
It was the environmental message at the end about carbon dioxide emissions, melting ice caps, and dangerous sea levels. Accompanying each team was a child with a potted plant, representing a cleaner future.
Our kids pride themselves on being "Earth Angels" and "Waste Warriors" to use the parlance of the environmental effort at their school.
But how does this translate to travel?
It seems as soon as we flop and drop at a resort, all worthiness goes out the window.
So, we've compiled our top 10 tips for environmentally friendly family travel.
1. Before you leave home switch off all appliances (except for the fridge) at the wall. If you have a gas hot water system, put it on the lowest setting or turn it off.
2. Pack light. A heavier weight means planes, trains and cars use extra fuel, emitting increased greenhouse gases.
3. Bring reusable water bottles to fill up on the journey and at your destination. Give the kids reusable lunchboxes for bushwalks, sightseeing or day trips.
4. Remind the children to recycle during holidays. Magazines, glass jars, plastics and aluminium cans are recyclable at most hotels, campsites and resorts.
5. Camping is the most sustainable ways to enjoy your natural surroundings. Bring solar lamps, BBQs and cook-stoves, rather than those run on charcoal or gas.
6. Buses, trains and hybrid cars leave the lowest carbon footprints. The big baddies are SUVs and first-class jets. If you must travel by air, aim for an energy-efficient plane like the 787 Dreamliner, and always offset your emissions.
7. Choose a green hotel (not literally, of course). Call to ask about their recycling programs and energy consumption. Encourage the kids to keep showers short, reuse sheets and towels, and leave plastic toiletries on the shelf.
8. Shop at farmers' markets and dine at locavore restaurants. Lots of CO₂ is emitted transporting food over long distances.
9. Ask about the abatement policies of your tour organisers. Many, like Intrepid Travel, are carbon neutral.
10. Avoid any animal parks without clear commitments to wildlife conservation. (Usually, I suggest avoiding zoos altogether.) Check out Worldwide Fund for Nature and World Animal Protection for more information.
Most importantly, be the change you want to see. It's tough teaching kids about the dangers of plastics in the marine environment, while pinching small toiletries from the bathrooms of five-star hotels (guilty as charged).
The endless images of pollution in Rio are a reminder of why we must remain vigilant, for the sake of ourselves and our children.
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