Sustainable Travel Saves You Money

A recent article sent to me by TravelMole provides some useful tips for how to lower your holiday costs. The article, which is found at TravelMole's Destination page, refers to a Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) poll of its members asking them to provide universal tips for saving money travelling. “There’s never been a better time to travel,” says Bea Broda, SATW president. “With the economy the way it is, there are deals everywhere — and the Internet has made them easy to discover.” Although no mention in the article is made of sustainable travel, it just so happens that many of the "practical tips" are also "sustainable travel" tips. Without even knowing it, people that choose practical low-cost ways of seeing a place just so happen to go easy on the environment and support local communities.

Here are some of the tips from the article that are also sustainable tips:

* Get to know local bus/metro transportation for city stays. Ask about multi-day specials and special one-day tourist cards. Some international rail and travel cards must be purchased before you arrive in that country. Look at transportation Web sites for the cities and countries you will visit. “Public transport allows you to get to know the flavors and nuances of the people in a foreign country, and you have the serendipity of encountering kind gestures and helpful questions. Using public transportation is not only less expensive than car rentals or cabs, but can also be ‘green,’ helping a community keep open streets and clean air.”

* Picnic instead of eating every meal in restaurants. Visit markets, bakeries, local shops and delis. “Shopping at local markets is not only a less expensive way to eat, it can be healthier. You get a local’s view of the area and you can try lots of interesting foods and then eat them in parks and gardens. A good bottle of local wine from a liquor store costs a fraction of those on restaurant menus. And takeout food from local gourmet shops and markets not only give us quality equal to a fancy restaurant, but it is what the locals eat and take home. And we never buy water in a hotel, which is usually overpriced.”

* Use public transportation between airports and cities. Don’t rent cars in a city and pay for parking. “Stay in a big city’s suburbs and use public transportation to save money. "

* Go to less well-known destinations. “Across the world, less well-known destinations — i.e. getting off the beaten track - is cheaper as well as more fun.”

* Do a home swap or rent a vacation home rental rather than a hotel. “Renting a real home in a small town, or better, village, gives you a chance to feel that you live in the place - you meet more people, find out more about how they live and more about their culture.”

Of course, this is only a snapshot on the types of things you can do to have yourself a sustainable holiday. I'll be setting up a new blog on Sustainable Travel Tips - in support of my new book Sustainable Australian Travel For Dummies - to provide you with a series of travel tips that will help you have a sustainable holiday wherever you decide to go.