For the period 2021-2027, one of the key initiatives of the Erasmus+ programme is to encourage sustainable travel and a more environmentally friendly world. As the EU’s programme is firmly focussed on delivering exceptional experiences abroad for students and learners, it makes sense to try and reduce carbon emissions. TravelEdventures is the biggest and most reputable partner for Erasmus+ groups so we’ve put together some of the benefits of sustainable travel, to help encourage you to so leave a positive stamp on the world. Let’s dive in.
If you are more mindful about your sustainability while on your travels, you will lessen your ecological impact. This relates to choosing an eco-friendly place to stay, thinking about the activities you do, the waste you leave behind, the food you eat and more. The goal of sustainable travel is to minimise your impact. There’s a lot you can do, eat local produce, visit local restaurants rather than big chains, choose to buy your food from local markets rather than from supermarkets with lots of packaging. It also relates to thinking about how you travel – so, for example, perhaps rather than flying by airplane, you could get to your destination by train or bus. Of course, sometimes flying is the only method of travel, but choose wisely, for example, direct flights or flights which offset their carbon emissions.
Of course, foreign countries have different wildlife and use it to attract tourists to zoos and wildlife parks – but this isn’t good for the environment. So if you want to see animals, birds or tropical fish (or any fish), see them in their natural habitat. It’s kinder and also better for the ecological world. Don’t buy animal souvenirs such as jade, or tortoiseshell, as we need animals to stay alive, so they don’t become extinct. A lot of animals are badly treated just to rake in money for souvenir manufacturers. You could also do a volunteering project in conservation or an animal sanctuary, where they release injured animals back into the wild after bringing them back to full health.
Keep your destination clean. This means things like mindfully throwing out waste, avoiding single-use plastic, picking up your rubbish from beaches and even minimising laundry. Choose accommodation that supports green travel, uses sustainable methods such as banning single use plastic shampoo bottles etc. Ask questions too, such as where the places you eat or stay source their food from and what they do to reduce waste. You might even want to take things like reusable cutlery and food containers with you, cloth napkins, reusable plastic containers, reusable shopping bags and reusable water bottles, for example.
When you go shopping, rather than going to the big chain stores, support small businesses and buy from them instead. This is far better for the local community, and you’ll be giving back directly to the citizens in your area.
Sustainability both at home and abroad will pave the way for a better world for now and in the future. If we all learn how to be more sustainable, it becomes a way of life, rather than something we think about all the time. Sooner or later, we’ll do everything naturally and preserve the planet so that animals and humans continue to live here safely. Find out more about what we do for Erasmus+ and Turing Scheme projects by talking to our team here.