With so much awareness surrounding simple ways to achieve a greener lifestyle, it was only a matter of time before eco-friendly holidays were created for a niche market. Whether it’s a tree house getaway in Sweden or a tipi tent escape in Cornwall, there are now holidays which cater for all Earth lovers.
The first problem many face in their venture for a green friendly holiday are the transport options, especially when it comes to air travel, which is essential for overseas holidays but is notorious for increasing carbon footprints.
However, websites like J.P Morgan Climate Care can help lessen the impact flying can have on your individual carbon emission. The site features a calculator which can calculate carbon emission for most flights around the globe.
There is also the option to offset the carbon emission by paying a small sum which goes toward helping projects around the world.
These projects focus on reducing harmful emissions in other countries, such as supplying wind power in Shangdong, and more efficient stoves in Uganda. This means that guilt-free flying is in full force.
The first, and probably most unique “green holiday” out there is the Tree Hotel in Sweden. It opened in July 2010 and offers a tranquil retreat from the chaos of the outside world.
Set deep in the heart of the Swedish forest, the hotel offers its guest the chance to stay in a one-of-a-kind room: “We have a group of unique rooms created in harmony with nature, and with our ecological values. They are all set in the forest where we live, a refinement of the local conditions. “Dig where you stand” as the saying goes,” they state on their website.
The rooms vary from the amply named “bird nest”, a room nestled high in the treetops camouflaged by sticks and branches, to the “mirror-cube” which gives guests beautiful views of the untarnished forest through a one-way mirror.
If slumming it in a tent, which inevitably means waking up with a face full of canvas, isn’t your thing, maybe a holiday in a traditional tipi could tempt you. Many companies are branching out offering these as an alternative to the usual camping holidays, with tipirent offering ‘tenting’ solutions with a little more charm.
Tipi’s can be a home away from home, with most offering firebowls, eco-friendly, smokeless firelogs and authentic Moroccan lanterns.
TipiRent can deliver authentic tipis to anywhere in the South of England; just tell them where you would like your campsite and they do all the work. From arranging transport, to making sure your tipi is pitched when you arrive, TipiRent equals a no-hassle holiday.
As more and more companies latch on to the idea of green holidays, creating getaways for eco-warriors, travelling around the world doesn’t have to mean destroying it.
Great ideas, but it’s a shame that “going green” is such an expensive option. It seems that only those who earn good money can afford to have morals.