For many families, vacation is the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, travel often comes with a bigger 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 to help you make your travel time with your little explorer as sustainable as possible.

1. The preparations

A sustainable Family vacation begins with the right preparation. Even if your thoughts and anticipation are probably focused on the exciting days ahead for you and your child, there is still plenty you can do at home to keep your ecological footprint as small as possible during your trip. This includes thinking ahead about what you and your little explorer will need for your activities.
This way, you avoid buying unnecessary items on-site that you already have at home. In your suitcase, you should definitely include a jute bag and reusable water bottles. At the same time, CO₂ emissions from travel are lower when less weight is transported—ideally, pack minimally is the motto. You can save weight by transferring hygiene products into refillable travel sizes instead of bringing large packages that you likely won’t use up 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 you return.

2. The destination

The destination plays a crucial role when it comes to having as sustainable a vacation as possible. Because: The longer the journey, the greater the CO₂ - Emissions . To reduce them, it’s advisable not to travel too far too often. When choosing a destination, popularity should also be a factor. More and more places are suffering from overtourism, which makes it difficult for nature to regenerate—for example, when crowds of tourists leave behind increasing amounts of trash. Additionally, in particularly popular holiday regions, the risk increases that locals will be displaced as rents rise and infrastructure becomes heavily geared toward 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 a suitable 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 that places the greatest burden on the environment . To keep CO₂ emissions as low as possible, use the train, bus, or car whenever you can, and avoid short-haul flights within Germany and Europe in particular. Each mode of transportation has different advantages. Which one is best depends entirely on you, your family, and your
vacation destination.

• 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 on the way. Tip: Reserve seats in the family compartment and find out whether you can have your luggage picked up and transported separately to your 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 flexibility—both during the journey and on-site. It also allows you to bring everything you need from home. The more people who travel together by car, the more
  the consumption is shared, so your 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 offer ways to offset the flight’s CO₂ emissions by investing 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 when you travel by air to help mitigate the impact of the flight.

4. The accommodation

Even the type of accommodation you choose for your family’s time off influences how sustainable your vacation is. The rule of thumb is: small, nature-oriented accommodations like farms or agritourism stays 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 includes, even on vacation, regional and seasonal eating —double good, because you automatically get to know the regional cuisine and products. In general, it’s advisable to consciously
manage resources . You can do this by reusing towels in the hotel instead of sending them to the laundry after one day, and by using your own hygiene products instead of those in Plastic-wrapped sample sizes , which often end up half-empty in the trash. Typical power hogs like air conditioning 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.

You can also save resources on-site through environmentally friendly transportation . How about exploring your 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 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.