September 29, 2013

Eco Friendly Travelling


I want to see the world, as much of it as possible! That’s the thought many of us share. The world is full of amazing places, and the more you see, the more you want to see. There’s been a lot of talk about eco friendly travelling, but is anyone really putting any effort into it? I myself am forced to travel by bike and public transport, since we don’t own a car anymore. I’m using the word ‘forced’ because I don’t think I would always choose the green option, if I had a car. I’m truly enjoying cycling everywhere, but sometimes when I’m feeling lazy and tired, would I use a car instead, if I had one? I think the answer is yes. But luckily we don’t have a car, and we are trying to survive without one. It does create some challenges for everyday life, but I like to see them as possibilities to take a nice bike ride to the grocery store, to travel by train to Amsterdam and be able to admire the landscape, to take the bus to the closest bigger town Doetinchem, when it’s raining… So these are the every day choices, but what about holiday travelling.

We all know that instead of flying we should travel by train. But most of the time it’s about saving time. If you have a one-week holiday and want to go to the Alps from Finland, the only option is to fly. But then you should really be thinking about your destination, is it really necessary to go to the Alps? What about taking the train to the Finnish Lapland? It certainly would be a much greener choice. 

Travelling eco friendly is all about the choices you’re willing to make. If you choose to fly abroad instead of taking the train somewhere inside your home country, there are still things you can take into consideration in order to make your trip a bit more nature friendly. For example: choosing an eco destination, accommodation, the way you travel in your destination… There are many ways to make your travelling a bit more planet friendly.

I have a friend who is a heroine of eco friendly travelling. At the moment she’s on her way from Finland to Germany, by bike! Now she’s in Denmark, and after she reaches Germany, where her sister lives, she’s going to leave her bike at her sister’s, and come and visit me! Then I’m hopefully gonna hear many interesting stories about her adventures and maybe will be able to share some of them with you.