How to Save Money by Traveling Green

Plan an independent holiday rather than a package tour. While all-inclusive packages may seem reasonably priced at first glance, astute research into greener alternatives in terms of transportation and lodging may lead you to bargains, such as discounted rail fares and camping options. Traveling independently, you'll "generally have a chance to see more, and meet more people locally, while the environmental standards of your journey may also be higher," writes "Sunday Telegraph" environmental correspondent Greg Neale in "The Green Travel Guide." (See References 1, page 14)

Pack light to avoid adding to your transportation fuel load as well as avoiding checked baggage fees (see References 2). Brainstorm the minimal clothing and footwear needs for your destination and research whether you can buy specialty shoes, hiking boots or basic clothing more cheaply at your destination. Try to fit clothing and shoes in a single rolling carrying case that meets airline specifications for carry-on luggage. Pack vacation reading and guidebooks in a daypack and your passport in a security pouch that hides under your clothes. If you really want a challenge, try traveling with no baggage at all, as writer Rolf Potts does, with essential spare clothes and toiletries in his pockets (see References 4).

Stay at your destination in the most affordable lodging options that meet your comfort requirements. Options, depending on your personal hardiness quotient, may include no-electricity traditional Mayan huts on the beach in the Yucatan; family-run losmen in Indonesia, which are simple but clean rooms with traditional scoop-water showers and bathrooms; or affordable small hotels in the Caribbean aimed at housing community college students or long-term, inter-island workers. All fall well short of traditional Western hotels in amenities, certainly, but also have limited environmental demands and may be a tenth or less the price of a four-star hotel. Try tent camping for a super-cheap and green choice (see References 1, pages 62-63).

Save a bundle over air transportation by taking ground transportation, such as buses, trains, and ferries between cities (see References 1, pages 27-28). At your destination city, tuk-tuks, cyclos, samlars, trishaws and other auto rickshaws can get you around urban areas in Thailand and Honduras more cheaply than a taxi, with the bonus of an unhurried conversation with your driver. Matatus in East Africa, converted school buses in Honduras, maxi taxis in Trinidad and trucks with passenger benches in Tahiti move you many miles for your dollar, with no extra charge for the reggae or salsa on the sound system, the elaborate windshield decorations and the vehicle names emblazoned with saints or slogans.

Avoid motorized transport altogether and save even more. Pedicabs and cycle rickshaws, as well as pony traps, can be found to take you around Beijing and Burma. Or find your way by dugout canoe, rented Chinese-made Flying Pigeon bicycle, Greek island donkey, Mongolian pony or your own well-shod feet for the ultimate in green transportation. "We try to walk as much as we can when we're traveling," notes travel writer Sofia von Porat on her online site As We Travel. She often hits five miles a day and surprises herself with how quickly she can get around (see References 3).