Go Green: Eco Travel 101
Go green, you say?
Why, yes, of course. In this day and age there’s no reason not to go green by choosing eco-friendly options when you are planning your next trip or vacation. It’s easy to do the right thing while seeing the world if you know what to look for in terms of offsetting carbon emissions for air miles, booking green hotels and rental homes, and patronizing tour operators and other vendors who pay attention to sustainability.
Here are some ideas about where to go next while keeping a clean, green conscience…
A Green Getaway
The Virgin Islands" Maho Bay puts conservation first.
Finding Grace in Dominica
The lush, tropical Jungle Bay Resort on the Caribbean island of Dominica offers a natural retreat of the highest order…
Denmark’s Green Keys
Denmark is so eco-conscious that the arriving traveler doesn’t have to seek out green oases: examples of sustainable development are all around.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Saving Oceans through Ecotourism and Activism
My heart began beating faster as a large, black shape swam toward my flimsy kayak, moving effortlessly in and out of the deep blue water…
Segway Safaris
One of the first distributors of Segway Human Transporters (HTs), Amelia’s Wheels at Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Florida has offered guided tours and rentals since 2004. The option to rent Segways is relatively new for the resort, but a tradition of environmental integrity is not. Development of the property was restricted in 1971. Now, the site has been transformed into a destination that has harmony with nature in mind.
Eco-Friendly Travel in Australia
Eco-friendly travel in Australia is making significant positive contributions to the cultural, economic & environmental well-being of the country.
Flora, Fauna and the Deep Blue Sea: Bermuda Works to Recreate its Natural Past
It is peaceful on Nonsuch Island, a 14-acre nature preserve at the eastern entrance to Bermuda’s Castle Harbor. Migratory songbirds flit through canopy trees, their calls disturbed only by the distant and distinctly incongruous whine from a motorcycle track on the mainland. With its Bermuda palmetto, olivewood and cedar forests, scuttling Sally Lightfoot crabs and nesting Bermuda petrel seabirds just offshore, the island represents a rare opportunity to experience Bermuda as its first visitors saw it.
Safe & Eco-Friendly Travel in Asia
When traveling in Asia, with so many ancient and sacred sites such as temples and forests, it’s especially important to be respectful and preserve the places you visit.
Back on Track
A Rail Renaissance Connects Trains to Natural Destinations While it’s true that trains use about half the energy per passenger-mile that planes do, and less than cars, too, most travelers have a more pressing concern: Are trains a viable alternative to flying and driving? Train service in Europe is fast and convenient, but in most […]
Alaska in Miniature
With our two young kids in tow, ages two and eight months, my husband Matt and I drove nearly 10,000 miles from Los Angeles to Alaska and back, spending a month in a cabin on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.
Paradise in Punta Cana
Finding Paradise in the Dominican Republic – As the plane skids to a stop on the tarmac of Punta Cana International Airport, the first impression of the Dominican Republic is of open-air breezeways and thatched roofs.
Laos Welcomes Tourists but Still Feels Undiscovered
Off-the-beaten-path Laos may just be the best eco-travel destination you’ve never thought about visiting.
Into the Wilds
The San Juan Islands offer endless places for outdoor exploration, provided you prefer the slow life.
Costa Rica, Once Removed
We set out to explore the more unexplored parts of Costa Rica, from a colorful city to a rainforest eco-lodge accessible only by boat.
Ocean Escapes
Dreaming of an ocean getaway? Rather than hop on a ferry or spread out the beach towel, dive into the world’s most pristine waters while helping to support conservation efforts. Biosphere Expeditions is one of the pioneering organizations behind this philosophy. Since 1999, the nonprofit has joined “voluntourists” with scientists working in remote areas around […]
Trekking for Change: Vietnam’s Hill Tribes Benefit from Ecotourism
Handspan Adventure Travel is using tourism to improve quality of life & environmental conditions for the most isolated, at-risk of Vietnam’s Hill Tribes.
Beautiful Belize
It is possible to stand in the midst of a rainforest in Belize, surrounded by dripping trees and the cries of howler monkeys, and think that you’re in a particularly unspoiled corner of Costa Rica. Or maybe Brazil, before that country’s air was choked with smoke from burning trees and the ugly scars of clear-cuts. Possibly because of its small population of 200,000 scattered among 8,876 square miles of coastline, mountains and dense forests, Belize has escaped the headlong development that has marred so much of Latin America’s natural beauty. Even its largest metropolis, Belize City, is home to no more than 60,000 people.
How to Minimize Your Carbon Footprint While Traveling
Traveling is a great way to see the world & experience different cultures & environments, but it can also contribute to environmental strain.
Riding the Green Coaster
Theme parks have come a long way & a couple of eco-themed parks are even in the works, boasting environmental literacy centers & conservation programs.
Florida, Naturally
There are still many ways to immerse yourself in unspoiled beauty in Florida, and there are many people working hard to preserve what’s left of this lush paradise.
Peace in the Poconos
Poconos Vacation with environmental twist
Magical Mystic
New England’s coastal towns are some of America’s oldest, and few have a more storied or colorful past than Mystic, Connecticut in the southeastern part of the state. Wedged roughly half way between Boston and New York City, Mystic Harbor is filled with sailboats and surrounded by gently rolling hills and quaint, historic buildings.
Bamboo Chic
Eighty miles northeast of Guangzhou, Crosswaters Ecolodge & Spa — China’s first eco lodge — is a fusion of five-star comfort and eco-ambience…
The New Eco-Apres
Ski Lodges Go Eco-Luxe
Copenhagen By Bike: Green Spaces, Eco-Friendly Hotels & Organic Restaurants
There’s no better way to get around Denmark’s capital and to see the sights than than by riding a bicycle…
7 Smart Tips for Traveling Sustainably and Responsibly This Summer
Millions of us anxiously await our summer vacations, but does getting out of dodge for some rest & relaxation have to mean forcing Earth to pay a toll?
Mobile Adventure
There’s much more to Mobile, Alabama than its rich cultural history, given the unusual ecosystems in and around town and lots of opportunities for adventure
Family Explorers
One of the best ways to introduce children to the great outdoors is to take them camping. As with other learning experiences, it’s best to start small, hiking in nearby woods or pitching a tent in the backyard.
Restoring the Local Gold
Travel in slow-food style on the Italian Riviera.
Undiscovered Florida
Think Florida vacation and the mind turns inevitably to Disney World, which takes up 47 square miles of prime Orlando real estate and is as big as San Francisco. But there’s another side of Florida, one that places you amid some of the nicest white sand beaches anywhere, and within shouting distance of the state’s unique and sporadically protected wildlife.