Comments on: 5 Green Travel Destinations For 2008

By: OurExplorer

OurExplorer — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:59:13 +0000

I’m really surprised with India on the list. Couldn’t use general impression to neglect their improvements.

By: Ultimate Directory of Top Green Travel Destinations: 25 Days to Green Travel, Day 3 | Go Green Travel Green

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:06:46 +0000

[...] at Brave New Traveler definitely has the right idea about green travel; she believes it’s “about finding and [...]

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By: Naomi

Naomi — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:31:54 +0000

Ã¢â‚¬Å“patronizing a place that makes the effort to be green is important.Ã¢â‚¬Â

…as an individual this has always been important to me. As a vacation rental owner I’m betting that it is important to other vacationers as well. When renovating our cottage near Lake Michigan we paid special attention to the sustainability of the products we used and continue to strive to be “green”. I think it’s important to try to make that effort whether you are next door or the next continent. http://www.saugatuckgetaway.com

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By: Olivia Giovetti

Olivia Giovetti — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:36:46 +0000

“but if youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re traveling anyway, patronizing a place that makes the effort to be green is important.”

Absolutely. Especially for governments that are, for the most part, taking a chance (financially speaking) on this.

And, of course, there’s always the Brooklyn Brewery

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By: Tim Patterson

Tim Patterson — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:49:43 +0000

Good thoughts, Chris and Olivia (and yeah, Chris, your piece is on the calendar for mid-February…)

Air travel is extremely high-impact, but if you’re traveling anyway, patronizing a place that makes the effort to be green is important.

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By: Olivia Giovetti

Olivia Giovetti — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:38:44 +0000

That was partially the point of this article and why I aimed for a variation of destinations. The idea of getting on a plane and flying to a remote location in Asia absolutely makes no sense. You’d be greener for traveling to the next state/city from where you currently are. However, if you’re backpacking through Southeast Asia or traveling across Europe these are cities that are worth checking out for their positive contributions back to their environment. It’s by no means a comprehensive list, and if you look at the fabulous guides on Matador it’s clear how easy it is to make 85% of your destinations sustainable destinations.

It’s especially amazing outside of North and South America how much you can see without getting on a plane. And, if the tunnel connecting Alaska to Russia takes shape, we could become a sort of distance Pangaea again.

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By: Chris LaRoche

Chris LaRoche — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:41:27 +0000

I agree with Tim (especially considering the Chuck Thompson interview I read just before this piece- eco-tourism is the new fad, and the multi-billion dollar tourism industry wants to soak it for all they can). Traveling all the way to Laos or India (unless by boat) just to visit a “green destination” is…um, counter-productive? Missing the forest for the trees? Doing more harm than good? (Hey Tim, are we still on schedule with my conflicted piece?).

A great portion of the tourism industry is inherently bad for the environment. And not just “bad”, but when you add up the millions of people flying, it’s a huge chunk of CO2 in the atmosphere. Perhaps a new objective could be truly low-impact travel. Ian, I have a 500 word essay about taking the ferry to Bremerton, or how I’ve only driven 50 miles so far this month, or growing my own sunflower seeds to make biodiesel so I can visit mom next Christmas. Interested? Probably not…

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By: Olivia Giovetti

Olivia Giovetti — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 04:03:47 +0000

I think when most people hear Eco-Travel/Tourism, they think of some chi-chi spa in the middle of a jungle. But since green is the new black, many cities have become very eco-friendly for travelers. I tried with this article to cover several areas of the globe that can be accessed by methods other than plane. The third part, an interview with Mark Smith (www.seat61.com), goes a little further into this. And after a lovely e-mail exchange with Mark, I’m ready to hop a ferry over to Oslo!

On a personal note, I got my driver’s license last year (New Yorker…late start) as my significant other and I prepped to move to Los Angeles. We drove instead of flying and (combined with a road trip I made up and down Italy and into Munich), I’m a huge fan of driving anything that isn’t an SUV. I don’t think I really “saw” or “got” America until I had thai food in Des Moines, put up with the horrors of Ohio rest stops, got pulled over for not driving fast enough in Indiana, driving through a tornado in the Salt Plains, seeing the sun set in the Nevada desert (seeing a desert in general), or holding my breath along the Pacific Coast Highway. Such a cool experience.

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By: Kango Suz

Kango Suz — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:13:00 +0000

Great article! Very timely as well. Tim- great comments, it’s a little strange that Green Travel has become a tourism niche, but in a way perhaps it’s a good thing that will help grow awareness. Of course, not everyone can figure out how to do the long-term travel thing so for those doing short-term travel anyways, it’s good that there are a growing number of Green options…

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By: Ian MacKenzie

Ian MacKenzie — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:11:15 +0000

If only they could invent some sort of plane that runs on water…or artificial gravity propulsion…come on, where’s the help from more advanced alien races when you need it?

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=3e57926c-bfeb-4ff3-acf6-50c575ee996c

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