Keep Your Holiday Travels Green This Year

(Image courtesy of epSos.de)

The Holidays are the perfect time to make the trek home to see family members, friends and loved ones that you haven’t seen in awhile. But, for many of us, this can involve quite a bit of travel. Though conventional modes of transportation are not always earth-friendly, with a little bit of planning, your holiday travel plans can be earth conscious.

Being kind to the earth doesn't have to stop you from getting to your loved ones this year. This article from apartmenttherapy.com offers a few tips to keep your holiday travel a little greener this year. Keep reading to learn more.

Pack light: avoid checked luggage, back pain and added expense at the baggage counter. If flying for the holiday, you'll probably be bringing gifts. With only one bag, you have a couple of green options to appease those expecting gifts: purchase tiny gifts or purchase them locally once you get there. Additionally, the reduced weight will lower fuel consumption in whatever vehicle it happens to be you're traveling in. Onebag.com offers useful suggestions on how to pack lightly.

Turn off everything: When you leave your home, unplug your TV, computer, and anything that might require a phantom load so your home isn't expending unnecessary energy. Also, lower your thermostat but do keep it above 60 to prevent your pipes from freezing. Additionally, it could be wise to turn off your main water line "just in case." Mine has sprung a leak twice this year so this is something that I'm sure to do next time I travel.

Carpool if possible: it seems like college students have this down. Because many college students lack cars, they seek out friends from nearby hometowns, load up and travel together. If only we could be so accommodating as we grow older. See if other family members or friends might be traveling nearby and could offer a ride.

Take public transportation: even if it's only to the airport. Sure, it'd be great if we could all take the train to grandma's, but even cutting down on one taxi by carpooling or taking a bus to the airport can reduce emissions.

Bring your own snacks: Avoid overpriced meals that aren't produced in environmentally-conscious ways by bringing your own food on your trip. You make the choices at your local grocery store on what you want to eat and it's better for everyone.

Video conference: if you do decide to stay home, you can still connect with friends and family via Skype or other online video calling applications. You phone in for business meetings, so why not do the same for family and friends?