Gentle tourism with children

For many families, vacation is the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, travel time often also results in a greater burden on the environment. The good news: With a little preparation and research, you can keep your ecological footprint low even during your family vacation. We have compiled 5 tips on how to make your travel time with your little explorer as sustainable as possible.

1. The preparations

A sustainable Family vacation begins with the right preparation. Because even if your thoughts and anticipation are probably focused on the exciting days ahead for you and your child, you can already do quite a bit at home to ensure that your ecological footprint remains as small as possible during the travel period. This includes thinking in advance about what you and your little explorer will need for your activities.
is needed. This way, you avoid having to buy unnecessary items on-site that you already have at home. So, in the suitcase, you should definitely include a jute bag and reusable water bottles. At the same time, the CO₂ emissions from travel are lower the less weight is transported – ideally pack minimally is therefore the motto. You can save some weight by, for example, transferring hygiene products into refillable travel sizes instead of taking the large package size, which you probably won't need completely anyway.

By the way, you can also easily avoid bulky diaper luggage: We ship your LILLYDOO subscription to many countries in Europe. In addition to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, we also deliver your subscription box to France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands right to the door of your holiday residence. Simply log in to the and adjust the delivery location and time or postpone the next delivery if necessary, until your return.

2. The destination

The destination plays a crucial role when it comes to having a as sustainable vacation as possible. Because: The longer the journey, the greater the CO₂ - Emissions . To reduce this, it is therefore advisable: not to stray too far into the distance too often. When choosing a destination, popularity should also play a role. More and more destinations are suffering from overtourism, which makes it difficult for nature to regenerate, for example when crowds of tourists leave behind more and more trash. Additionally, in particularly popular holiday regions, the risk increases that locals will be displaced, as rents rise and the infrastructure is heavily geared towards tourism. Many regions are therefore now deliberately focusing on gentle tourism , that is compatible with the local ecosystem and the population. A little research into the suitable travel destination is therefore worthwhile if you want to spend an environmentally friendly vacation. And after all, it doesn't always have to be the sea or the pool; splashing around at a lake or in a creek in your region is also wonderful – your little explorer will surely confirm that. ;)

3. The Arrival

The journey usually constitutes the part of a trip. greatest burden on the environment give. To keep the CO₂ emissions as low as possible, therefore, use the train, bus, or car whenever possible and avoid especially short-haul flights within Germany and Europe. The different modes of transportation each have very different advantages. Which one is the best depends entirely on you and your family and your
Vacation destination from.

• Arrival by train: Especially with small children, the train is often the most relaxed choice: You and your little explorer can stretch your legs, admire the scenery, play together, or have a picnic. When you can make good use of the time, the vacation begins already on the way. Tip: Reserve seats in the family compartment and find out if you can pick up your luggage and have it transported separately to the destination. The German Railway for example, offers this service, which saves you from lugging your suitcase.

• Arrival by car: The clear advantage of traveling by car is the flexibility in travel and on-site. Additionally, it allows you to take everything you need from home. The more people travel by car, the more
  the consumption also becomes relative, so that the ecological footprint may not be as high after all.

• Arrival by airplane: Some destinations can only be reached by air. So if a flight cannot be avoided, climate protection organizations such as atmosfair , to offset the CO₂ emissions of the flight through investment in climate protection projects. Many airlines now even offer this option during the booking process. Two more rules of thumb when it comes to flying: Prefer direct flights whenever possible, as the most fuel is consumed during takeoff and landing, and allow more time on-site for air travel to mitigate the impact of the flight.

4. The accommodation

Even the type of accommodation you choose with your family for your free days influences how sustainable your vacation is. The rule here is: small, nature-oriented accommodations like farms or agritourism farms are more environmentally friendly than huge hotel complexes or other mass accommodations. If you and your family are craving a bit of adventure, a holiday in a motorhome, tent, or can also be an exciting alternative for you.

5. On-site

No matter which destination you choose, you and your family can contribute to an environmentally friendly vacation through your behavior on-site. This also includes, even on vacation, regional and seasonal eating – double good, because you automatically get to know the regional cuisine and products. Generally, it is advisable to consciously with
Managing resources . You can implement this by reusing towels in the hotel instead of sending them to laundry after one day, and by using your own hygiene products instead of those in Plastic-wrapped sample sizes used, which mostly end up half-empty in the trash. Typical power hogs like the air conditioner should be used sparingly and only when needed, and turned off when you leave your accommodation. Especially in warm regions and during the summer, you also do the environment and the local population a big favor by avoiding a sparse water consumption test.

Even through the environmentally friendly transportation You can easily save resources on-site. How about exploring the holiday destination on foot, by bicycle, or using public transportation? A nice side effect: this way, you will definitely discover more than if you only travel from A to B by car. Finally, a sustainable vacation also means respecting the plant and animal life. This includes, for example, not entering designated natural areas, not leaving any trash behind, and not making fires in nature.

You see, it doesn't have to be difficult to plan a family vacation that takes our environment into account. Often, it's the little things that make a difference and help make your holiday a bit more sustainable. We wish you and your little explorer a wonderful time on your green adventure journey.