As exciting as travelling may be, the surge in the industry in recent years has had quite a few serious implications on the planet. In order to keep your environmental impact as minimal as possible, here are a few tips on how to stay green while travelling to Europe.

Reusable Water Bottles and Shopping Bags
In the majority of European cities, tap water is safe to drink, so instead of purchasing bottles of water while you spend your days sightseeing, bring along a reusable water bottle instead, which you can fill up as and when needed. To make it even easier for you, many European cities also have public water fountains, so that you can fill up your bottle on-the-go. When it comes to shopping, bringing along a reusable shopping bag will cut back on the amount of packaging that you need when you are shopping, and it is something that can easily be folded up into your luggage and will not take up too much space.

Planes, Trains and Buses
In order to travel to Europe, planes often cannot be avoided, but you can try to keep your plane travel as green as possible by choosing an airline that uses energy efficient aircrafts. Direct routes are also preferable, as is coach instead of first-class, as all of this makes the most of the plane’s fuel consumption. However, for travelling around within Europe, trains and buses are a much better option, as these emit up to seven times less gas than planes do. To make life easier, the train and bus network around Europe is extremely advanced, and there are many apps that you can download to help you to get your head around it all.

Choosing Accommodation
When it comes to choosing accommodation, staying with family or friends is much more eco-friendly than staying at a hotel, although this is not always possible. If this is the case, try to choose a green hotel, which can be done by visiting its website to check out its environmental ethics. From the recycling programs that they have in place to the measures that they take to reduce energy consumption, there are many aspects to an eco-friendly hotel that you should consider.

Dining
When it comes to eating green, the same principles apply all around the world, in that fresh, local and organic produce is always the best option. Rather than spending your mealtimes at large chain restaurants, choose independent local eateries instead, preferably ones that make the most of sustainable ingredients, and buy their produce from local farms. You will find many of these around Europe, and the food served up at these places is likely to be far tastier than other restaurants.

Green travel is a term that is increasing in popularity, and not only refers to preserving the environment while travelling, but also paying attention to social and economic sustainability. From eating at local restaurants to keeping your carbon footprint to a minimum, these are tips that every eco-conscious traveller should be following.