Green Travel a Growing Trend

For all you beach bums out there, here’s our holiday travel site recommendation! Who says your responsibility for good stewardship needs to take a break just because you’re on a vacation?

More than one million vacationers will hit the beach in 2011, but with the help of the growing eco-friendly vacation trend, their impact on the environment can be minimized, protecting the fragile ecosystems of our beloved jungles, beaches and oceans and enhancing relationships with the local culture.

Eco-friendly travel is more just than a buzzword; it is a way to preserve beautiful destinations for future generations and for the locals lucky enough to live there.
Apple Vacations is proud to partner with a variety of resorts that have made an extra-effort to preserve our planet. Eco-friendly resorts can fit any budget and will leave travelers with a more authentic vacation experience, due to a deeper understanding and respect for the places they visit.

“Green” resorts can now be found throughout Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii. For example, Sandos Caracol Eco-Resort & Spa in Riviera Maya, Mexico offers travelers luxury accommodations coupled with a light carbon footprint. Features include:

• 96 ecological rooms that reduce CO2 emission by 75%
• Solar water heating
• Ultra-efficient air conditioning systems with low electrical consumption
• Furniture made from certified wood
• Guided Eco Tour exploring the Mayan jungle including 16 natural cenotes, indigenous animals and exotic plants.
• Recycling and separating the trash
• Use of biodegradable bottles throughout the resort
• Wildlife conservation
• Using recycled paper for all printed material

To get the full list of Apple Vacations’ eco-friendly resorts, please visit www.applevacations.com/gogreen.

Welcome to the Air Age.......

Have you seen this car? Well it'll be out in the market this year (but not on our island yet). Its called the AIRPOD and runs on air.

It was invented by French auto engineer Guy Negre, who is in his mid-60's and used to design race engines for Renault. So basically, this neat lil auto runs on compressed fresh air (believe it or not) and produces only a fraction of the carbon emissions of a standard engine, reaches speeds of 30mph and can travel 65 miles on a one minute recharge. Best of all it cost only around $7500, but of course if it reaches our shores that'll be a different story heh heh. These three-wheeled buggies, which will also include a range of four-wheeled, five-door family salons, have a joystick instead of a steering wheel. Thats not the only funny thing, the driver has to use the windshield to enter the car and passengers the rear. Since these air-powered engines run very cold, thick ice quickly forms on the engine, air conditioning is free! A plus point for our hot tropical climate!

Each car has an onboard pump that can refill the tank overnight and dear Mr.Negre has also developed a high-pressure air pump that can fill the tanks in less than a minute. These small nifty cars are great for urban driving but there is also a hybrid, battery assisted version for longer journeys which Negre claims can reach 100mph and travel 900 miles on one gallon of petrol. Well its pretty cute and looks comfortable enough for me and my baby boy to zoom around in and if it's good for Mother Earth then its good enough for me. Peace out!

Tip of the Day: Remember to switch off all main power when you leave the house and when appliance is not in use. Don't get lazy with stand by appliances - they use 'phantom power' too!

Help with booking that eco holiday :)

Eco-Friendly Tour Operators:

AdventureSmith Explorations: Expedition cruises

Backroads: Biking, hiking and adventure trips around the world

Country Walkers: Walking tours around the world

Dragoman Overland: Overland tours

Earthwatch Institute: Research expeditions worldwide

Elevate Destinations: Travel combined with local philanthropy

Escape Adventures: Biking and multi-sport tours in the North American West

G.A.P. Adventures: Small group adventure tours

International Expeditions: Nature tours to South America, Africa and more

Intrepid Travel: Off-the-beaten-path tours emphasizing responsible travel

Kumuka Worldwide: Environmentally responsible tours around the world

O.A.R.S.: Outdoor adventure tours

Oz Bus: Flight-free travel from London to Sydney

REI Adventures: Carbon-neutral adventure tours

Responsibletravel.com: Eco-friendly tours worldwide

Seacology: Volunteer trips to various conservation project sites

Sierra Club Outings: Outdoor adventure trips

Trusted Adventures: Worldwide adventure vacations

Undiscovered Country Tours: California bike tours

World Wildlife Fund: Adventure and eco-tours around the world

Now there's no excuse not to travel green! :)

All about "Ecotourism"....

Many people hear the terms "green travel" or "ecotourism" and picture someone sleeping in a treehouse in the jungles of Borneo or canoeing down the Amazon. But this type of eco-adventure is just one end of the green travel spectrum. You don't need to sacrifice creature comforts or go off into the middle of nowhere to be a green traveler; you can visit big cities or small villages, and stay in small ecolodges or luxury hotels. All that's required is an effort to preserve and protect the environment of the place you're visiting -- and it's easier than you might think.

What is Green Travel?"Green travel" is one of many catch phrases -- like ecotourism, sustainable tourism and responsible travel -- that are bandied about with increasing frequency these days. But what exactly do these terms mean?

There are various shades of difference among all these terms, but at the heart of the matter is the importance of protecting the natural and cultural environment of the places you visit. That means conserving plants, wildlife and other resources; respecting local cultures and ways of life; and contributing positively to local communities.

Why Go Green? With nearly 1 billion tourists crisscrossing the globe every year, it's more important than ever for travelers to minimize their individual impact on the earth's natural and cultural treasures. The potential negative effects of tourism are both local and global; oceanfront hotels contribute to beach erosion in Hawaii, rising numbers of visitors threaten the fragile ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands, and carbon dioxide emissions from planes are a growing contributor to global warming.

Taking a green approach to travel is an easy and essential way to protect the places you love to visit, not just for yourself but for the travelers who come after you and for the people who will continue to live there long after you've flown home. As an added bonus, it often makes for a more rewarding, authentic travel experience, encouraging deeper connections with the people and places you visit.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't necessarily have to pay more in order to travel green. While offsetting the carbon emissions from your air travel will set you back a negligible amount (usually between $10 and $40 per flight, depending on the length), you can find green lodging options in all budgets, from hostels to luxury hotels. And earth-friendly transportation options like biking, walking and taking public transit are often cheaper than taking a cab or renting a car.

Stay tuned for our ecotourism tips to greener travel....