This article is the third segment in the three-part “green living” and traveling series covering sightseeing, dining and your green living lifestyle on vacation.

Maintaining Your Green Living Lifestyle as You Sightsee and Dine

You’ve settled in and now you are ready to let the fun begin!

And how do you have fun when off traveling on vacation?

Head out to see the local sights …

Head down to the local beach or watering hole and catch the atmosphere ….

Dine in some of the areas best known establishments and partake in local fare …

So after you head out for a day of food and fun, here are a few more tips to help you keep up with your green living lifestyle:

• Whenever possible, minimize personal vehicle travel (walk, bike, use public transportation) when heading out for your day of fun in the Sun;
• Only take those brochures you actually need when stopping at an information booth and make an effort to recycle them when you are done.
• Always carry a trash bag with you and never LITTER .
• Buy recyclable products for your trip and recycle them when done with them!
• Always try and dine at “eat-in” restaurants and hotels since they use washable and reusable materials and cut down on waste disposal of plastic and paper goods.
• Only take the quantity of condiments, plastic-ware and napkins that you need when wasting from carry-out diners.
• Take reusable utensils, plates, cups, bowls, etc. on picnics and other outings to reduce the amount of waste generated. Always clean-up after your party before leaving the area.

And remember when traveling during the summer it’s to time to get away from the normal daily grind but doesn’t mean there has to be a reduction in your green lifestyle.

Using any combination of the seven tips above once out having fun in the Sun (or at night for that matter) will definitely allow you to keep living your green lifestyle.

Maintaining Your Green Living Lifestyle at Your Destination Lodging

Once you have reached at your destination and checked into your lodging facilities, there are several more tips you can use to insure you are living as green as possible while away from home!  In today’s world, more and more lodging facilities have waste reduction and energy conservation programs.

Even during the preparation phase you should be checking facilities meeting your requirements for these programs as well. If your selected facility doesn’t have a program, you could always suggest one

After you’ve checked in consider these seven green living lifestyle tips as you get settled in for your stay:

• Be an active participant in the hotel/motel or other facility’s recycling program.  If they do not have a program, ask where the closet recycling facility is and remember to suggest the facility start one;
• Remember to turn off all electrical devices (TVs, radios, lights, chargers!) and heating/cooling system (or at least adjust it to conserve energy) when leaving the unit for extended periods of time.
• Make appropriate use of curtains and blind systems to help keep the room cool during the heat of the day or warmer at night by drawing them closed.
• If you are staying in the same unit for a week or more, work with the facility to reduce the frequency of changing linens to once every few days rather than once per day.  We used this practice last summer when renting a cabin with housekeeping for several weeks while vacationing in New England.  The extra privacy was nice and the proprietor appreciated the cost savings!
• Recycle any unwanted periodical reading material (pamphlets, newspapers, magazines).
• Take opened containers of shampoo, soaps and other useable complimentary items with you when departing but remember to leave the un-opened items behind for the next guest.
• Use the electronic check-out system (usually available through the communications or media system) to reduce the need to generate excess paper.

A Real Green Hotel

And remember when traveling during the summer it’s to time to get away from the normal daily grind but doesn’t mean there has to be a reduction in your green lifestyle.  Using any combination of the seven tips above once you arrive at your lodging facility will definitely allow you to keep living your green lifestyle.

Does traveling really mean you have to abandon your efforts to maintain your green lifestyle?  Absolutely not keep on living green!

This article is the first in a three-part “green living” and traveling series being added to the Nature’s Green Remedy blog-site in the near future.

Green Living Traveling Preparations

So before you hit the train, plane or automobile, consider these tips as you get ready to embark on your travels:

• When preparing for a road trip, inspect your vehicle to be sure you are really ready to “hit the road” in the most fuel efficient way possible:
  • Take the vehicle in for an oil change and lubrication;
  • Check tire condition, wheel alignment and tire inflation; and
  • Wash/wax the vehicle (clean vehicles drive better!
• If you subscribe to a home newspaper delivery service, be sure to notify the publisher/delivery person of your departure or donate it to a neighbor in your absence;
• Remember to bring your own camera (digital if possible) on the trip to avoid purchasing multiple disposable versions.  If using a traditional film camera, use film rolls with a greater number of exposures (24 or 36) rather than the smaller 12 exposure rolls to save on waste materials.
• When heading out on the road, prepare sandwiches, snacks and drinks in bulk to keep in a cooler therefore cutting down on wrapper and container waste.
• If traveling by train, plane, bus or boat use electronic tickets (e-tickets) which not only generate less waste but also are far easier to replace.
• As each year passes, more and more car rental agencies are including high efficiency or alternative fuel vehicles in their fleets.  Make an effort to rent these eco-friendly vehicles whenever possible.
• Always try and book lodging accommodations in close proximity to planned outings to minimize vehicle use when feasible.

Much traveling occurring during the summer is related to time away from the daily grind but doesn’t mean there has to be a reduction in your green lifestyle.  Using any combination of the tips above when preparing to travel will definitely allow you to keep your personal “green living” standards.

And when you stop to think about your green living traveling preparations, they only reflect minimal changes to most people’s normal routines when getting ready to travel!