I love to travel: from eating in hole-in-the-wall restaurants to sending postcards to jealous friends back at home, from not having to fold my bed in the hotel to exploring the sights. It opened my eyes to the beauty and vastness of the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Ocean, the Colorado Rockies and so much more.

Yet what are we to do when traveling the world also pollutes it?

Whether you call it eco-tourism, sustainable travel or responsible travel, more and more environmentally friendly travel options are now available for those who wish to see the world without negatively impacting it.

Your mode of transportation is by far the greatest impact on the environment when you are traveling. Though traveling by boat or train creates a much smaller carbon footprint (walking and bike riding are the most eco-friendly), sometimes flying is the only way to get where you’re going.

My family is from Taiwan and we fly there every other year to see our relatives. Because biking or driving across the Pacific definitely isn’t an option, air travel is our only choice. To minimize our overall impact on the environment, we try to be more eco-friendly in other ways, such as using public transportation and eating locally.

For those who are unable to stay with family while traveling, green accomodations for all budgets are becoming more widespread.

For those who are traveling to an area without an eco-friendly hotel, there are a number of things you can do:

1. So you don’t have to fold your bed in morning, but you can still reuse the sheets and towels rather than having them laundered every day.
2. Though you don’t have to pay an electricity or utilities bill, it is still important to conserve energy and water. Keep your thermostat low and your lights off when you’re out seeing the sights.
3. Bring your own toiletries in reusable containers. Refrain from buying new travel-sized toiletries to conserve the amount of plastic waste you produce.

You don’t have to sacrifice seeing the world to help the world, especially with all the green travel options now available.

— Janie Chen is a junior from Olathe