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Eco-Friendly Travelling !

The world has changed radically and many of us are tired of hearing it. The younger generation is tired of the mess the former generations have made, but we can all agree that today, we are aware that our planet needs help.

Ironic that we should be mentioning this as a holiday rentals company, right? Travel has been diabolised as one of the main sources of pollution, from airplanes to cruise ships dumping their trash in various corners of the world, and we have all seen images of rivers flooded with plastic and floating square kilometres of garbage on oceans.

>> So let us make a few suggestions to make your travels just as much fun, but also eco-friendly.

Take a train whenever you can, instead of the plane or the car. There are so many advantages to taking the train, aside from the fact that it is less polluting. You can take more luggage than on a plane, and no need for one person to take on the chore of driving. No need to worry about staying awake to focus on the road. No need to leave at the break of dawn for fear of traffic, there is no traffic to worry about.

And train tickets usually work out cheaper than airplane tickets, or petrol for the car across Europe. A special mention to the perk of living in Belgium with the TGV that leaves from Brussels. It is a quick and easy trip, taking you from the heart of Brussels to the centre of Avignon in six hours. Take a nap, have a meal and you’re under the Provençal sun. Unless you need to finish a last-minute chore for the office? These TGVs have Wi-Fi!

Avignon is central and you can access many of our holiday properties in the South of France from there.

Once you reach your destination, take local buses, or rent bicycles, and you will get a whole new perspective. What about the new trend of e-bikes and electrical scooters? No worrying about parking, and it’s a lot of fun! If this does not work for some places you want to visit, then rent a car for a few days, it will still work out for you. Also, let’s not forget that quaint little villages in France, Italy and Spain are poor in parking and expensive in fines. Why worry about any of it? Take a local bus, get dropped off in the centre of any village you wish to explore, and that’s a lot of huffing and puffing and sweaty bad moods avoided. Or take a scooter. Or a bicycle. Or an e-bike. The car is not always the better option.

This is also a way of respecting local communities. Life in main northern cities, with the average family and its SUV, has different codes than laid-back medieval towns. Parking an SUV in Provence? Best of luck!

If you have an electric car, that’s of course another matter. Just make sure you have the charging points at hands to avoid mishaps and aggravation.

Think of everything reusable: whether you bring your own metal straw – I have one, I love it, no more paper straws melting in my drink, no more wondering if a glass has been properly washed – or have your own reusable water bottle, any little bit helps.

Make your own snacks and forget plastic! Buy your snacks at the local fresh market, no more industrial snacks wrapped in plastic and filled with conservatives and colouring. Fresh fruit can taste just as sweet, sold to you in a paper bag, and dripping with vitamins. Yummy!

Sleep with the windows open instead of air-conditioning. Lemongrass and lavender essential oil will keep the bugs away from your beauty sleep, and you will avoid wasting electricity, and waking up with something between a sore throat and a cold.

Take cool showers, no need for the endless hot showers we are used to under our grey skies. Hair can dry naturally too!

Have barbecues instead of heavy home-cooked meals.

One last note: since you’re going somewhere sunny, I suppose most of you are anyway, then don’t forget a solar powered charger for your electronic devices! Simple and efficient under the Mediterranean sun.

There are so many ways to be eco-friendly during your holidays. Unwind and live a simpler life, and that in itself, is sustainable.