Travel Positive is a new column where we celebrate the exciting sustainability wins in the travel industry that are giving us hope for the future.
How you get on holiday is something I spend an inordinate – possibly too much – time banging on about, passionate as I am about championing the flight-free transport options that are far less carbon-intensive than taking to the skies. But what about once you’ve reached your destination? Are hotels actually becoming more sustainable, or is it just so much greenwash when they boast of axing those plastic mini toiletries bottles or encouraging you to skip getting your towels laundered (a move that, a cynic might argue, is more motivated by saving them money than by a new-found love of the environment)?
One holiday accommodation option that’s caught my attention recently is home swapping. “What, that thing from The Holiday where Cameron Diaz and Jude Law have a one-night stand that leads to something more meaningful over Christmas in Kate Winslet’s Cotswold cottage?”, you may well be thinking. Why, yes! That’s exactly what we’re talking about. The concept has been around for decades, but it’s becoming ever-more popular, particularly as the cost of living crisis bites. As well as being a more affordable way of going away – allowing participants, if they do a straight swap, to stay in someone else’s place for free, or accrue points that they can then “spend” on the site when they allow people to stay in their own home – it can also be a more sustainable way to travel.
It’s undeniable that people across the world, no matter their location, are becoming more and more environmentally conscious
Emmanuel Arnaud, HomeExchange
HomeExchange, which earned its B Corp Certification last year, argues that the whole model “optimises use of homes, rather than building new ones and pushing/pricing residents out of their cities”. It’s a compelling counter-offer to some online accommodation platforms that have been accused of inflating rental rates in popular cities, exacerbating overtourism issues and effectively pricing out locals who can’t afford to pay in rent what a tourist is prepared to spend on just a few nights away.
HomeExchange also calculates its carbon footprint each year with the aim of continually reducing it; compensates the emissions that remain…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…