Green travel: Tips and tricks

Because tourism has a big effect on the environment and communities in an area, more travelers are becoming conscious about the impact of their presence on the places they visit. By adopting "green travel" strategies, tourists help lessen the negative impact of tourism and help preserve these environments. Here are some examples you can follow for your next trip:  

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Getting from point A to B
Flights with stopovers tend to have larger carbon footprints because take-offs use up more fuel than any other phase of the flight, so it's better to choose a direct flight when possible for the benefit of the environment. You can also go green by renting a hybrid or biofuel car. Even better, you can also bike or walk around. This isn't just good for the environment – you'll also be getting good exercise!

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Green accommodations
The increase in eco-conscious tourists means that there are more green hotels for all sorts of budgets. However, it's important to know what makes your chosen resort "green" by researching on the sustainability measures it employs.

Reuse what you can
Bringing a reusable tumbler means you won't have to buy bottled water every time, especially if the local water's potable. Plastic bottles typically travel a long way before you buy them, contributing to carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

Similarly, consider taking a reusable shopping bag along so you can avoid having too many plastic bags when you go shopping.

Buy local
Instead of buying items that had to be flown or shipped in, consider purchasing local produce or handicrafts. This is a good way to support the economy, and is eco-friendly to boot. That said, take care not to buy products made from protected plants or animals.

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Offset your carbon footprint
You can do this by flying "carbon neutral" with an airline that offers carbon offset programs or purchase carbon credits to support reforestation, energy efficiency, renewable energy projects, and the like.

These are just some of the many ways we can make sure that our vacations are as eco-friendly as possible. As you can see, being a responsible tourist doesn't have to be too difficult. All it needs is awareness and love for the environment.

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On "fake-cation": Tourist replicas around the world

These days, you don’t have to go all the way to Paris just to see the Eiffel Tower. Living in Germany? There’s one in Berlin. Living in the US? There’s one in Las Vegas. Living in China? Lucky: there’s one in Shenzhen and another in Hangzhou.

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Recent years, plus the increasing costs of vacation travel, have given rise to the growing trend of replica tourist attractions. Popular reconstructions include the Eiffel Tower, the Lascaux cave paintings, the Taj Mahal, and the Valley of Kings.

The construction of replica monuments is a response to the growing tourist traffic at the original sites. Thousands of tourists walking through an area may cause changes in temperature and humidity, which ultimately damages ancient wall décor.

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The solution lay in the hands of companies such as the Madrid-based Factum Arte, which employ special scanning systems to create highly accurate reproductions of ancient structures. The result? Cast elements as close to the original as can be, thanks to 3D scanning technology that is able to measure up to 100 million points every square meter of a cave or underground tomb.

Copying a monument has numerous benefits for all concerned. For one, the original is kept safe, and is easy to maintain. Tourists will be able to view the most accurate replicas of these legendary sites, in places much more convenient for them. Revenues from the tourists visiting the replicas can also be redirected toward the preservation of the originals, allowing them to be more properly scrutinized by researchers and scholars.

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So whether it’s an Eiffel Tower in China, a Taj Mahal in Bangladesh, or King Tut’s Tomb in the UK, replica tourism is a good idea that is likely to be around for a while.

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