Queercents

Kimberly and Elizabeth are the co-founders of Go Green Travel Green. As life partners and avid travelers, they’re committed to reducing their environmental impact. In addition to being eco-conscious, they’re budget conscious and have written a guest post that keeps both green and greenbacks in mind when exploring our lonely planet. These are their words…

One common deterrent to “going green” when traveling is the perceived expense. People think that being environmentally friendly will cost them a lot of money. But, in actuality, eco-conscious traveling can save you money.

For the sake of comparison let’s consider a weekend trip (3 days, 2 nights) from Washington, D.C. to New York City.

Transportation (getting there and away):
Regular Travel: Plane
cost: $160 roundtrip
Green Travel: “Chinatown” Bus (far fewer carbon emissions than a plane)
cost: $30 roundtrip

Savings: $130

Transportation (getting around):
Regular Travel: Taxi (let’s hope you wouldn’t consider renting a car in NYC!)
cost: $20/day
Green Travel: Walking
cost: free
Green Travel option 2: Subway
Cost: $8/day

Savings: $36-60

Accommodation:
Regular Travel: Hotel
cost: $250/night
Green Travel: Shared housing like Couchsurfing.com
cost: free
Green Travel option 2: Hostel (More people in less space, plus fewer wasteful amenities, means fewer resources are used)
cost: $30/night

Savings: $440-$500

Food:
Regular Travel: Dining out for every meal, ordering too much, and tossing leftovers
Cost: $60/day
Green Travel: Split one meal each day, eat just the right amount to keep from wasting food
Cost: $45/day

Savings: $45

Water:
Regular Travel: Buy a bottled water every time you’re thirsty, trash the bottle when you’re finished
Cost: $6/day
Green Travel: Bring your own reusable water bottle
Cost: Free
Green Travel Option 2: Buy one bottle of water and reuse it the entire trip
Cost: $2 (one time)

Savings: $16-$18

Total Savings by Traveling Green: $667-$753

That’s a savings of over $250/day.

The greatest part of traveling green is that you have options and it’s not all or nothing. You don’t have to do each and every one of these things - you can pick and choose. Maybe you really don’t want to share a bathroom with anyone and you have the highest standards for pillows; then stay in a hotel. But maybe then you will be conscious of your eating habits and order a little less or share a meal to avoid wasting food. How have you saved money by traveling green?

More about Kimberly and Elizabeth
Go Green Travel Green’s co-founders, Kimberly and Elizabeth, are avid travelers committed to reducing their environmental impact. Since living in Russia and traveling across Eastern Europe for 6 months in 2004, they’ve settled in Washington, DC with their golden retriever. They both work at non-profit organizations, love to travel across the US and around the world, and strive to go on at least two lower-impact international vacations every year. For more information go to: GoGreenTravelGreen.com