1. Flying: Less is More
Air travel consumes a lot of energy. Instead of making many short trips, plan to stay longer in one spot. Reduce your air travel. Because takeoff and landing require more fuel than cruising, a series of short-haul flights can cause more damage than a non-stop flight over the same distance. Alternate modes of transportation are better than short-haul flights. Rough Guides’ mantra has become “Fly less, stay longer.”

Try travelling locally. If you live in a big city, try researching walking tours of natural and historically significant areas. Whether you live in a city or in the country, consider camping at a nearby lake, instead of flying somewhere far away.

Try to use public and alternative modes of transportation whenever possible. Try renting a bike as a healthy and fun way to see a city up close. Check out www.rentabikenow.com for a list of over 200 bike rental stores across Canada and the U.S.

2. Pack Light
Only pack the things that you need and don’t bring things that you will end up throwing the in the garbage. By reducing the weight of your luggage, you can both cut green house gas emissions and eliminate waste.

3. Book with a Green Conscience
Select tour operators, service providers, and hotels that have sound sustainability practices. Go to company websites and look for information on environmental strategies and initiatives. Investigate how the companies save energy and minimize waste. Even check if the companies are affiliated with a sustainable tourism certification program. Find out if the construction materials, food and linens are from local supplies, if the accommodation is environmentally sustainable, and if any of the company’s revenue goes to local communities and/or initiatives. Find out if the company has fair labour laws. Choose your travel provider on the basis of their eco and social practices. Check for social responsibility or sustainability reporting from tour operators.

4. Look for Partnerships
Look for partnerships between tour operators and destinations. For example, the government of Cuba is looking to create partnerships with Canadian and European tour operators to foster responsible tourism. Look for partnerships between tour operators and NGOs or environmental conservation organizations.

5. Buy Local and Organic
Choose local and organic foods. This will reduce ‘food miles’ while on your vacation. See whether there are any farmer’s markets in the place you are visiting. If you are staying in accommodations that provide your meals, inquire about where they get their food from, and where their food waste goes. Use local transportation, guides, hotels, restaurants and markets to benefit the local economy.

6. Be Water-Conscious
Don’t take long showers or baths. Ask your hotel or lodge not to wash your sheets and towels everyday. Find out where your hotel or lodge gets its water and where waste water goes. Be aware of resource shortages such as water and food as many tourist destinations are under increasing pressure.

7. Save on Energy and Emissions
Before you leave for your vacation, turn off the lights and unplug your household appliances. Similarly, when you arrive at your destination, turn off all the lights and air conditioner/heater when you leave your room and unplug unnecessary appliances.

When planning your travels, consider both direct and indirect carbon emissions. Some examples of direct emissions are electricity in hotels and emissions from passenger aircrafts and railways. Some examples of indirect carbon emissions include electricity used in travel agency offices and emissions from the transportation of goods and consumables. You can reduce both direct and indirect emissions by traveling and buying locally.

Avoid bringing or buying products that require batteries. If you do need to bring items that require batteries, such as flash lights, be sure to buy rechargeable batteries.

8. Respect Local Ecosystems and Cultures
Read about local eco-systems before you go on your trip. Respect local environmental practices. For instance, don’t drive a vehicle too close to the wildlife, even if it will give you a better photograph. Discourage your guide from hunting endangered/threatened species or harvesting rare plants for your consumption. Camp at least 70 meters away from lakes and streams and remember that campsites are found, not made. Do not follow or approach wildlife, especially during sensitive times. Respect cultural differences and dress respectively. Cover up when you are not at the beach and cover your head when visiting a religious place. Respect local dress codes.

9. Offset your Footprint
Contribute to a carbon offsetting program to support renewable energy, conservation initiatives, and other energy saving projects. Air Canada has teamed up with Zerofootprint and WestJet with Offsetters. Other vendors include My Climate and Atmosfair. At Zerofootprint, 90 per cent of all money goes to a tree-planting initiative near Vancouver. The David Suzuki Foundation advises travelers to invest with companies that offer "additionality.” A few car rental agencies that offer carbon offsetting include Enterprise, National, and Alamo.

10. Look for Certified Tours
Sometimes it can be difficult to discern between legitimate eco tours and green-washed tours. For example, some tours advertise being green, while taking tourists on motorboat rides to observe marine life. Other "green" tours require excessive transit to get there, or take you to land where developers have evicted indigenous communities in order to erect “eco lodges.” The best way to avoid greenwashing is to look for tours and lodging certified by a reputable program such as Green Globe 21, Blue Flag International and Costa Rica's Certification for Sustainable Travel. Additionally, you can check out established conservancy groups such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) or Nature Conservancy, both of which offer trips to natural areas. The WWF offers short ecotours to draw attention to some of its conservation issues. For accommodation, look at Audubon International and the Hotel Association of Canada websites.

Resources
Centre for Environmentally Responsible Tourism
Connected Traveller - Good Travel
Environmentally Friendly Hotels
Icarus Foundation
International Ecotourism Society
Leave No Trace
Lonely Planet Code Green: Trips of a Lifetime That Won't Cost the Earth, by Kerry Lorimer.
National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations
Nature Conservancy
Ontario Ecotourism Society
Permaculture Canada
Power and Politics: Sustainability in Islands?: Determining Barriers and Successes to Implementing Sustainable Tourism Policy in Two Mediterranean Islands: Calviá, Spain and Malta by Rachel Dodds
Pro Poor Tourism
Sustaining Tourism
United Nations World Tourism Organization
World Tourism Organization
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms Canada
World Wildlife Fund