Sustainable Travel for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

You want to travel more sustainably but don’t know where to start. That’s okay — most people don’t. Sustainable travel isn’t about being perfect. It’s about making better choices where you can, being aware of your impact, and gradually shifting how you explore the world. This guide covers everything a beginner needs to know.

What Is Sustainable Travel?

Sustainable travel means exploring the world in a way that minimizes negative impacts on the environment and local communities while maximizing positive ones. It’s not about deprivation — it’s about traveling smarter. The three pillars are:

• Environmental: Reducing carbon emissions, waste, and ecological damage
• Social: Respecting local cultures, supporting fair employment, preserving heritage
• Economic: Ensuring tourism dollars benefit local communities, not just multinational corporations

The Biggest Impacts (and What to Do About Them)

1. Flights (The Big One)

Air travel accounts for about 2.5% of global CO2 emissions — but for individual travelers, it’s often 50-80% of their trip’s total footprint. What helps:

• Fly less, stay longer (one 3-week trip beats three 1-week trips)
• Fly direct (takeoffs and landings use the most fuel)
• Fly economy (smaller seat = smaller share of emissions)
• Take trains when possible (Europe and Japan especially)
• Offset what you can’t avoid — see our carbon offset guide

2. Accommodation

Large resort hotels consume enormous amounts of energy and water. Better options:

• Choose locally-owned guesthouses, B&Bs, or eco-certified hotels
• Look for sustainability certifications (Green Key, EarthCheck)
• Use Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable filter
• Skip daily towel/linen changes (most hotels offer this option now)
• Browse our top eco-lodge picks

3. Food & Drink

What you eat on the road matters more than you think:

• Eat local and seasonal — it’s fresher, cheaper, and supports local food systems
• Reduce meat consumption (even slightly) — livestock is a major emissions source
• Carry a reusable bottle and cutlery — see our water bottle reviews
• Avoid imported foods at tourist restaurants
• Visit local markets instead of chains

4. Activities & Wildlife

Some tourism activities are actively harmful:

• Never ride elephants — the training process is cruel
• Never take selfies with wild animals — if you can hold it, it’s been drugged or abused
• Choose certified guides — responsible operators follow wildlife viewing codes
• Support genuine conservation — read our guide to ethical wildlife tourism
• When in doubt: observe, don’t interact

5 Easy Wins for Your Next Trip

You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Start with these:

• Bring a reusable water bottle — saves 2-4 plastic bottles per day
• Pack a tote bag — refuse plastic bags when shopping
• Walk more — best way to see a place anyway
• Eat at one local restaurant per day — instead of chains
• Say no once — to an animal selfie, a plastic straw, an unnecessary taxi ride

Common Objections (Addressed Honestly)

“Sustainable travel is too expensive.” Often the opposite. Trains beat flights, local food beats tourist restaurants, walking beats taxis. Read our budget sustainable travel guide.

“My individual choices don’t matter.” Individually, maybe. But tourism is a $10 trillion industry. Where travelers spend money shapes what gets built, what gets preserved, and who benefits. Your choices are votes.

“I don’t want to sacrifice my experience.” Sustainable travel often leads to better experiences. Local food tastes better. Walking reveals hidden gems. Slow travel reduces stress. Eco-lodges are often more beautiful than chain hotels.

“I’m just one person.” There are 1.4 billion international tourist trips per year. If even 10% shift behavior, that’s 140 million trips done differently. It starts with one.

Ready to Start?

Pick one thing from this guide and do it on your next trip. Then add another. Sustainable travel is a practice, not a destination. Every better choice counts.

Explore our eco-destination guides, gear up with our sustainable packing list, and find your perfect stay in our eco-lodge roundup.