Guide to Sustainable Eating While Traveling
Food is and has always been an essential part of our lives, and that doesn’t change when travelling. Travelling allows us to experience cultures from all around the world, and especially through their cuisine. And not only that, but people’s eating habits can tell you a lot about who they are as a person as well.
When it comes to sustainable travel, food is one of the areas that are often overlooked. Unfortunately, food waste in tourism is becoming more and more of an issue, with the constant rise of restaurant and hotel chains in tourist locations all around the world. About 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year in tourism, not to mention that for all the wasted food, there is also a lot of wasted fuel, energy and packaging.
It’s understandable that, for some people, having to keep so many issues in mind while on holiday may seem daunting – after all, holidays are about enjoying yourself without too much worry, right? I’m here to tell you that sustainability is all about making the right choices and not necessarily the most comfortable choices, but even so, there are several tips and tricks to use, to make sure you travel as sustainably as possible while still getting the most out of your holiday.
Choose dining in over takeaway
One of the best improvements to your travels, that also helps reduce the amount of waste you produce, is choosing to dine in rather than takeaway. Think about it – ordering takeaway usually means using a food container, plastic cutlery, napkins, straws or cups, and a bag. All the packaging is for single use as well, which adds up to a lot of wasted materials.
Even if the packaging is technically recyclable, there is still a chance it may just end up in a landfill, and so the best way to reduce the waste is to prevent it in the first place by choosing to dine in whenever possible. Trust me, this is not a downside at all – by dining in, you get to enjoy the food while it’s still fresh and heated up, but you also get a taste (pun intended!) of the local atmosphere and culture, nice views, and you may even get to interact with locals, overall leading to a much more memorable experience.
It’s understandable that sometimes dining in may not be an option, so if you anticipate that you may need takeaway make sure to be prepared by bringing reusables. That could mean bringing reusable water bottles, cutlery, coffee mugs or cloth napkins – any small gesture will go a long way in helping the environment.
Eat locally
Sure, when travelling you may want to pamper yourself, and go try out that famous 5-star restaurant for a luxurious atmosphere, but that may not always be the most sustainable option. Instead, on your next holiday consider eating locally: eating at the local restaurants as opposed to the bigger chains in touristy areas helps develop the local economy and the community.
Not only that, but by eating at a local restaurant, you may help a family pay their bills or send their children to school, as opposed to putting more money in a company CEO’s pocket. After all, travelling sustainably is not only about the environment but also about being mindful of and empowering local communities. Chances are, your local bistro or café will also waste way less food than large hotel chains.
Local restaurants also have a higher chance to serve local dishes made with locally grown or locally sourced ingredients. This usually means less fuel used to transport items, less energy used in storing them for a long time, and overall less carbon emissions compared to imported goods. Bonus points – your food will be fresher and much tastier, and you also get to experience the local culture for a truly immersive holiday. Make sure to look up not only national dishes, but dishes specific to the region you are in – you will get access to an even deeper understanding of local culture, and eat the best there is.
Another great way to shop locally and uplift the community is by visiting the local markets – here, you will find fresh local ingredients like certain meats and fruits, but you can also find other curiosities and local products that make for great souvenirs for people back home (e.g., hand-made jams and cheeses). Wherever you shop, don’t forget to say no to the usual plastic bag – simply use your backpack or a canvas bag to carry your items around.
Eat seasonally
When eating out, a great way to keep your eating habits sustainable is choosing dishes that make use of local, seasonal ingredients. Using seasonal ingredients means less packaging, less fuel for transporting, and less electricity used for storage – there is just a lot less waste than when it comes to imported foods.
Not only that, but seasonal fruits and vegetables are grown without preservatives and chemicals, and have a fresher, more intense taste, so eating sustainably can actually have great benefits for your health and overall well-being as well.
What about meat?
The meat that comes from intensive farming, and especially beef, is damaging to the environment and is a big cause for climate change due to the immense levels of CO2 released into the air. Not only that, but mass farming is highly unethical, due to the poor living conditions of animals – there are really lots of arguments to be made in favour of a meat-free diet.
Cutting down on your red meat and dairy consumption is a great way to eat more sustainably, and you can easily replace them with vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Not to mention that poorly preserved meat is the cause for many illnesses, so trying to stay away from it can help your health as well as the environment. Switching meat with a plant-based diet will also help you perhaps diversify your tastes, and allows you to try new, exotic dishes you may have never tried before.
However, not everybody wants to live a fully vegan lifestyle and that’s okay – for those of you that still want to eat meat, make sure to choose poultry over red meat, as it is grown a lot more sustainably. If you love fish and seafood, you are better off travelling to a place by the sea and eating locally sourced products, as they require a lot less resources for preserving and transporting and also taste fresher.
Last but not least, STAY AWAY from restaurants that serve exotic meats, especially if they come from species that are in decline – protecting the environment also means helping preserve the local ecosystems, and killing those animals just for a meal does way more damage than it’s worth.
Choose sustainable accommodations
It’s true that on our travels, we can’t control the sustainable habits of the hotels we stay at, but what we can control is how we choose our accommodation in the first place. For example, if you are staying at a hotel where meals are included, look into how they dispose of their waste, both the recyclable and nonrecyclable ones – preferably, you want a hotel that keeps its waste to a minimal level, or one that composts its organic waste.
If you need tips for choosing greener accommodation, here’s one – the ones that are truly dedicated to helping the environment will always be very vocal about it, so always go for hotels that don’t shy away from making their voices heard. Some hotels may even brag about their green awards, usually given to them by large organisations dedicated to helping the environment, so you can trust that they put in the work to save our planet.
If your hotel doesn’t advertise any sustainable habits they implement or any green awards, it may just mean they don’t have any, and it would be better to stay away.
What about drinks?
We’ve talked a lot about food, but drinks usually go hand in hand so here’s how you can build sustainable habits even when drinking out.
First of all, drinks served in glass bottles require a lot more energy to be produced and packaged, so consider drinking canned drinks whenever possible. Either that, or if you are, for example, a beer drinker, consider drinking local drinks served from taps or barrels. Also, if you are planning to walk around a lot, don’t forget to bring your reusable water bottle with you!
If you fancy a nice cocktail on a night out, make sure to choose the ones that use fresh, seasonal fruit obtained from local sources – fresh fruit will always taste better in a cocktail than frozen alternatives anyway. Who knew bringing your sustainable habits to the party would be so tasty?
Eating sustainably doesn’t mean staying away from everything you enjoy, but rather adapting your tastes to more sustainable ways of satisfying them. If anything, choosing sustainable alternatives to your favourite foods can actually open up the doors to more enjoyable and culturally diverse holidays.