Sustainable Travel: How to be an eco-friendly visitor

At Unique Hideaways, we cherish nature and the joy of spending time outdoors. We are passionate about the unique charm each season brings and encourage you to escape to nature year-round. Whilst we seek immense joy in connecting with the natural world, we also recognise the importance of giving back. In this guide, we explore how to be an eco-friendly visitor, so we can enjoy these precious places long into the future. Keep reading for our top tips for an environmentally responsible getaway.

What is sustainable travel?

Sustainable travel is about making conscious choices that reduce our impact on the environment while still allowing us to explore and enjoy new destinations. It’s about finding ways to travel that align with the principles of conservation, respect for local cultures, and support local communities and economies. Whether it’s opting for low-impact transport, staying in eco-friendly hideaways, or simply being mindful of our actions, every small step counts. It’s an important movement toward preserving the natural beauty and biodiversity of our world for future generations.

UK Staycations

Staycations not only reduce the carbon footprint associated with international travel but also offer an opportunity to discover hidden gems closer to home. The UK is a fantastic destination, boasting a diverse range of landscapes from stunning coastlines and enchanting forests to picturesque rural countryside. Beyond its natural beauty, the UK is rich in culture and history, offering everything from ancient castles and quaint fishing villages to beautiful gardens and historical landmarks. The list of low-impact activities is extensive, whether you’re exploring coastal paths, hiking through forests, or visiting historical sites.

A major advantage of UK staycations is the ability to avoid air travel. By forgoing flights, we take a significant step towards planning a more sustainable holiday. Instead, we can consider group transport or public transportation options, which are far less resource-intensive.

For ideas on where to visit, view our hideaway collection across hidden corners of the UK.

Low-impact accommodation

We love unique, low-impact accommodation options because they help us to feel more connected to the outdoors. Glamping offers the perfect blend of adventure and comfort, combining the thrill of staying in nature with the luxury of modern amenities. This makes it an ideal choice for eco-conscious travellers who want to enjoy the natural world without sacrificing comfort.

Many of our hideaways are repurposed structures, or constructed using natural materials and other items that would have otherwise been discarded. These hideaways are lovingly crafted to harmonise with the environment, creating a more sustainable escape that complements, rather than disrupts, the surrounding landscape.

Choosing low-impact accommodation, especially off-grid options, significantly reduces our carbon footprint and energy consumption. Off-grid hideaways are entirely self-sufficient, generating their own energy through solar power, capturing rainwater for use, and completely avoiding fossil fuels.

Browse our eco-friendly hideaways for inspiration.

Wildlife watching

The UK is teeming with wildlife, from seals and dolphins to deer and foxes to incredible bird species. Observing these creatures can be a highlight of a visit, especially if done responsibly:

Observe from a distance: Using binoculars to watch wildlife helps us to keep an appropriate distance, so we don’t disrupt their natural behaviours.

Avoid feeding: Refraining from feeding wildlife can help prevent health issues, or from encouraging animals to interact with humans.

Respect nesting and sites and young animals: Disrupting nesting sites and areas with young animals can significantly impact their chances of survival. Keeping a wide berth gives the best chance to future generations of the animals we know and love.

Report sightings: Whenever we are fortunate enough to see any significant or unusual wildlife, reporting sightings to local conservation organisations helps scientists to track animal populations and health. The Wildlife Trust is always interested in knowing about sightings of large marine animals, including seals, whales and dolphins. You can also contact them to report sightings of interesting animals or birds on land.

Leave no trace

Adopting the principle of “leave no trace” helps us to maintain the UK’s incredible habitats. Whether we’re coastal walking, birdwatching or enjoying a picnic, being mindful of what we take with us helps us to avoid leaving unwanted items behind. Avoiding single-use plastics is a great starting point, but even biodegradable items take a long time to disappear. Ensuring we take everything with us and dispose of it in the correct way is therefore important too. By leaving a place the same, if not better, than we found it helps us to sustain the health of the environment.

Campfires

Sitting around a campfire is a wonderful way to connect with the outdoors. Gazing at the stars after a campfire-cooked meal is one of our favourite activities. To minimise disruption to the landscape and wildlife, we try to use portable stoves or the fire pits supplied at many hideaways instead of campfires. When fires are appropriate, keeping them small, using existing fire rings, burning only natural materials, and ensuring they are fully extinguished before leaving reduces our environmental impact.

If you prefer stargazing from indoors, we have an incredible selection of hideaways with magical stargazing windows that will transport you into the most restorative sleep.

Trail etiquette

Whether it’s woodland trails or rambling along the coast, walking in nature always leaves us feeling refreshed. It’s a great way to explore the areas surrounding our hideaways and to gain an appreciation for local wildlife. Following proper trail etiquette helps us to enjoy the experience whilst protecting the local environment. Here’s how:

Stick to marked trails: Staying on designated paths means we avoid trampling vegetation, disturbing wildlife habitats and causing soil erosion. Straying from trails can damage fragile insect ecosystems and nests of small mammals and birds.

Respect signage: Paying attention to signs and guidelines help us to stay safe while minimising environmental impact.

Being quiet: Keeping noise levels down avoids disturbing wildlife and other visitors, whilst also allowing us to enjoy the sounds of nature. Listening to birdsong and the rustle of leaves helps to cultivate a sense of peacefulness.

Our collection of forest hideaways offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy woodland trails.

Supporting local conservation

Many conservation organisations offer volunteer opportunities for tree planting, habitat restoration, and wildlife monitoring, such as our recent day of bracken clearing with Cornwall Heritage Trust. Participating in these activities is a great way to give back and learn more about local ecosystems and also makes for a fun day out.

Participating in a beach cleanup is an additional way to have a positive impact, ensuring we leave a coastal location better than we found it. Collecting litter we find during our visit and disposing of it properly helps to reduce the risk of animals being injured or eating plastic and other harmful items. Many coastal communities hold regular group beach cleans which they welcome new volunteers to join.

Beach cleans: Take part in self-guided or organised beach cleans to help turn back the tide on plastic pollution. Local and national organisations are on hand to provide you with equipment if needed and will also offer information on how to keep safe and dispose of litter correctly.

Volunteer days: From site clearance and tree planting to nature surveying and more, there are all sorts of ways to get involved in local conservation efforts. Look out for volunteer days close to your retreat and enjoy a magically rewarding day, learning about the local environment, giving back to nature, and making unforgettable memories.  

View our collection of hideaways with sea views to discover your next coastal destination.

Supporting local economies

One of the most impactful ways to practice sustainable travel is by supporting local economies. By choosing to spend our money on local businesses, we help sustain communities, preserve local culture, and reduce the environmental footprint associated with transportation and mass production. Here are some ways we support local economies during our eco-friendly travels:

Eating locally: Opting for eateries that prioritise locally sourced ingredients goes much further than simply enjoying great food. It also reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting food over long distances and supports local farmers and producers.

Buying local produce: When we prefer to cook our own meals, purchasing ingredients from local farmer’s markets and farm shops helps us to support local farmers too. It’s also a fun way to enjoy fresh, organic produce whilst learning more about the delicacies of the region.

Supporting independent shops: Visiting local craft shops, boutiques, and galleries ensures we find unique gifts and souvenirs, whilst keeping traditional crafts alive. We come away with much more memorable items when we purchase products that are made locally using sustainable practices.

Continuing eco-friendly habits at home

Aside from being an incredible experience, eco-conscious holidays can inspire us to adopt more sustainable practices when we return home. Here are a few things which we’ve been doing to mitigate our impact on the environment:

Use eco-friendly products: Using eco-friendly products such as natural cleaning supplies, biodegradable toiletries, and reusable household items reduce our environmental impact and often work just as well, if not better, than conventional alternatives.

Buy seasonal and organic: Choosing seasonal, organic produce and products whenever possible helps us to support our local economy. Seasonal foods are also fresher, require less transportation, and are often more affordable. Organic products are grown without harmful chemicals and are better for the environment and our health. We also love foraging when the opportunity arises - discover our guides for foraging in spring, summer, autumn, and winter across the UK.

Conserve energy: We’ve switched to energy-efficient appliances, LED light bulbs, and smart thermostats. Unplugging devices when they’re not in use and switching to renewable energy sources if available in your area also makes a big difference.

Walk more: We’ve been trying to reduce the number of short distances we drive, by walking there instead. Not only is this good for the environment, but it’s also better for our health. If driving is a necessity, then organising carshare wherever possible is also a positive step. 

Overall there are many ways we can plan and enjoy our next adventure whilst reducing our environmental impact. Travelling in a more sustainable way is extremely fulfilling, adding an extra element of joy to our escapes. By adopting some of these ideas and sharing them with others, we can continue to improve our relationship with the natural world. The better we care for it the more we can enjoy it and know we are making good decisions.

If you’d like to give low-impact travel a go, take a look at our unique hideaway collection.