Travel is doing a lot of good for this world. With ever more holiday packages from Qatar, In many nations, tourism is a significant part of the local economy and supports the protection of historic landmarks and natural wonders. And for tourists themselves, seeing the globe is a powerful force for cross-cultural solidarity.
Despite its many social merits, however, travel has considerable environmental disadvantages. An approximate 8 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions are related to tourism, and this figure continues to grow every year and GoMosafer is a staunch supporter of Eco-tourism.
That is why we urge you to take 5 minutes of your daily routine and really comprehend what we are trying to discuss here and try to analyse how you can do your part in building a future for your children who can enjoy the same freedom of tourism that you enjoy today!
If you live in the industrialized world, it is likely that your carbon footprint is already high simply by participating in a modest middle-class lifestyle – much higher than the 3 tons of carbon per person per year that would be needed to stop climate change.
Few people are in a position to radically change their habits and completely remove themselves from the routines of daily life in the name of saving the planet–doing so would be harmful to our jobs and relationships. In fact, most of the big, sweeping changes that need to be made if climate change is to be reversed are outside the pay-grade Average Joe. Governments and corporations will have to pave the way for greener living by widespread public transport and alternative energy if we ever make meaningful strides in reducing global emissions.
But that being said, vacation is one of those times when our personal carbon consumption is particularly high. Between traveling, staying at the hotel and eating out, your two-week trip abroad is potentially the most carbon-intensive part of your year.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! With a little self-reflection and determination, you will greatly reduce the carbon emissions associated with your travels. Here’s how:
- Fly less and smarter when you have to.
At 54%, air transport is the single largest contributor to the carbon footprint of global travel. In reality, a single one-way flight from New York to London would set you back half a ton of CO2. Whenever possible, consider alternative means of transport to and from your destination. If you can take a carpool, a bus, a ferry or a train, or just take up one of the holiday packages from Qatar, it will emit just a small fraction of the CO2 that would be driven.
Many destinations, of course, include flying. When air travel is your only option, there are still a few things you can do to reduce your carbon emissions. Wherever possible, only take direct flights, as take off and landing are the most carbon-intensive part of flying, and those layovers quickly add up.
In addition, try planning your trips abroad so that you can only board a plane twice for your entire vacation–for the trip back and for the trip back. For example, if you live in Australia but want to travel across Europe, you might want to fly to Barcelona. When you’re done, you can take a train to Paris, then take a bus to Berlin, and when you’re done, you can fly home from Berlin.
- Pack light.
Plane travel isn’t so carbon-intensive just because of the human bodies on board–it’s also because we insist on bringing so much luggage with us when we travel. The heavier the aircraft, the more fuel it consumes. For this reason, making a point of cart as low a weight as possible with you will add up to huge savings in CO2 over time, particularly if you’re traveling by plane.
- Leave your bulky gear at home and rent it at your destination.
Plan to hit the hills, catch a storm, or spend the night under the stars? Before packing your skis, surfboards or camping gear, do some research to see if you might be able to rent this equipment at your destination or if it is already included in any of the holiday packages from Qatar. This will not only save a ton of weight during shipping but will also contribute to the local economy. And furthermore, it’s better for the environment to share things like this than to insist on owning everything for themselves.
- Live like the locals.
Take the public transport. Cook your own dinner with ingredients bought at the farmer’s market. Drink locally made wine, beer and coffee. Don’t buy plastic trinkets from an overseas assembly line. The more closely the day-to-day habits during your stay resemble those of the locals, and the shorter the distance the items you buy, the lower the carbon footprint.
- Consider carbon offsetting.
Being conscientious while driving is only going so far to reduce emissions. If you really want to erase the carbon footprint associated with your holiday, consider carbon offsetting.
Carbon offsetting is a method of investing in recycling projects around the world that will help to reduce the global carbon footprint. Carbon offsetting projects include everything from reforestation, installation of solar panels in schools and hospitals, replacement of outdated and inefficient appliances such as ovens in developing countries.
This is one of the cases which is harder to implement, but if you can do your part in helping the world in reducing the carbon footprint, we urge you to do so because it would be no less of a super hero deed!
Since we champion eco-tourism on a daily basis all our holiday packages from Qatar have always been curated to reduce as much of carbon footprint and eliminate the use of single use plastic.
We urge our fellow Mosafers to really think green in terms of travel. We are always available to chat with you on 33235777 ( WhatsApp). Feel free to drop us a ping if you feel we could help you make your travel more greener!