We live in a world in constant transformation, where the desire to travel is always on the rise and distances seem to be getting shorter and shorter thanks to globalization and today’s means of transport. Traveling is an increasingly common and accessible experience for many people, but, nevertheless, it also causes a significant impact on our natural and cultural environment. We talk about pollution, the ecological footprint we leave wherever we go.
This is why it is increasingly important to travel sustainably, adopting practices that minimize negative effects on the environment and promote respect for the local communities that host us! Traveling sustainably means making conscious and responsible decisions at every stage of the trip, from planning to returning home. Do you want to know, through our test, how sustainable you are while traveling? Surely it helps you rethink many aspects of your travels, as well as these 6 tips to be more sustainable while we travel!
There are many actions to reduce our ecological footprint, and we have talked about all of them in this blog: practicing Slow Travel, using sustainable mobility as transport, buying food in local markets, etc. But this time we come to recommend 10 mobile apps that will help you on your way to sustainability while you travel!
Get ready to enjoy your travels while contributing to the conservation of the environment!
Screenshot of the Happy Cow app for vegan, vegetarian and organic restaurants.
1. Fuel Manager App
Available on Android.
Fuel Manager is an application intended for transport. It will be very useful when you make a trip, as it can calculate how much petrol or diesel you can spend if you decide to use the car and, in this way, you will see your ecological footprint and you can compare it with other means of transport to choose the most indicated for your trip!
2. BlaBlaCar
What’s better than sharing a car when you want to go on a trip to save money and pollute the environment less? Sometimes it is difficult to find friends or relatives to share a car with, therefore, with this application you can find other people like you and that they have the same destination!
3. Car2Go
Car2Go works in most European cities! It is a car rental service (mostly electric) that will allow you to move around the city you are visiting in a sustainable and safe way. This will help you combine the different means of transport available to move in a more efficient and environmentally conscious way!
4. Maps.Me
Traveling and exploring the places you visit is a much easier task with this app! At Maps.Me you can consult all the city and town maps you need without an internet connection! In addition, it will create intelligent routes for you that will recommend certain types of means of transport or others according to the optimization of the same route. Great, right?
5. HappyCow
HappyCow is a search engine. But not just any search engine… This app will show you on a map all those restaurants and bars that are vegetarian, vegan and ecological. In this way, wherever you go you can eat consciously and try to reduce your ecological footprint as much as possible. A very, very useful app!
6. Too Good to go
What do you think if we tell you that with this app you can save food? Yes, yes, as you read it. Too Good To Go is an app that tackles food waste. How does it work? Very simple: the establishments have the opportunity to put a cheaper and special price on all those foods that have not been sold during the day , and we are given the opportunity to go shopping and collect these leftover foods, but in perfect condition state!
7. Closca Water
Use the Closca Water app when you’re on the go to save buying water in plastic bottles every time you need it. Bring a canteen, open this app and search if there is a nearby source around you to fill your reusable bottle! Closca Water is the best app to reduce plastic waste.
8. Go Zero Waste
Go Zero Waste is the app that will help you reduce your ecological footprint while traveling as well as when you are at home! It has a map of businesses and services to shop without plastics, reduce, reuse and repair, tips for Zero Waste and a very, very large community. In addition, you will also find challenges to get closer to Zero Waste through gamification.
9. Bicycle rental
We all know the benefits of moving around cities and towns by bicycle, as it is a sustainable way to travel and, at the same time, exercise! We have not put any specific app here, since you will surely find different ones in every place you go, such as Bicing in Barcelona, Ambici in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Bici Baci in Rome, ListNRide in Paris, Santander Cycles in London, etc.
9. Wikiloc
Wikiloc is another map app! With this application you can discover the best routes wherever you travel. There are routes of all styles: hiking, running, cycling, MTB, etc. What’s more, it has a great community: you can see your friends’ routes and record your own wherever you go, including waypoints and photos!
In a world where traveling is increasingly common, it is important to adopt sustainable practices to minimize environmental impact. Luckily, there is a wide variety of apps that can help us travel consciously and responsibly, from calculating the ecological footprint to finding sustainable transport alternatives and eco-friendly places to eat. With these apps, we can transform our adventures into sustainable experiences that respect the environment and local communities!
Finally, remember that if you care about the environment and are aware of the importance of sustainability, we invite you to stay at the Alberg Center Esplai when you make a trip to Barcelona! An eco-friendly hostel, adheres to the BIOSPHERE Sustainable Tourism Commitment and has the EMAS environmental improvement certificate! We are waiting for you!
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY:
- Sustainable mobility: what is it and why should you use it while traveling?
- Slow Travel in Barcelona: A different way of travelling.
- 6 Ways to be more sustainable when you travel.
- Barcelona Public Transport Guide.
- Get around Barcelona by bike.
- 10 Advantages of practicing sustainable tourism.
- A new ecological bar in Prat de Llobregat!