Your eco-friendly caravan travelling experience [Ultimate Guide]

If you want to become an “untourist” then travelling on the road may just be your best option. Discover hidden spots with your caravan, save some bucks but don’t forget to be eco. Here’s just how you can make out of your trips an eco-friendly caravan experience!

Experiential travelling on the rise, caravanning is the new trend. Caravans and campervans are considered recreational vehicles (RVs), and in most countries, driving with exceptional vehicles require a unique license. The most interesting aspect to getting around by caravan is that these vehicles allow travelling on a budget and discover hidden spots and outdoor treasures on the road. Is it possible to choose to incorporate sustainability into the picture and make it a unique and eco-friendly caravan travelling experience? As much as it is to organise an eco-friendly camping trip, you can take some of the basics to uplevel it to your life on the road.

Are (eco-friendly) caravan trips a new trend? 

Caravans, beyond travelling, can also become a home on wheels. They come packed with premium facilities like beds, seats, toilet, shower, hot and cold running water, fridge, kitchen, washbasin, and enough storage to arrange your utensils, cooler, and microwave. Amigo, What else do you need for the vacation!

Caravans, to a great extent, encourage a more adventurous way of travelling while it’s also a big budget saver. This could be especially interesting for a diverse profile of travellers, such as solo, family or bunch trips. The caravans are ideal for travellers as they are furnished with every little thing that makes you feel comfortable, just like your home.

One of the most desirable purposes of choosing caravan trips is wandering over remote places far away from the chaos of the crowd. Choose areas and travel times that fall outside the outskirts of the cities. A wide number of individuals are getting influenced by experiential travel, and van or caravan trips have just become a new way to find undiscovered treasures.

But besides caravan trip trends, how can we become a more eco-friendly caravan traveller? In this article, we will explore some of the most important aspects of why it is important to become more sustainable with your outdoor trips.

Travelling on a caravan connects you with nature

Since the pandemic especially, caravan trips are growing due to the confusion about overseas travel. If holidaymakers thought of camping as not fashionable, now looking for some peace and fresh air in nature is the new hit. 

Nature has the best resources for healing the human body and mind. Travel trips allow us to connect with our surroundings. We are is quickly arising as a worldwide traveller to explore places where no one has been before, whether its coastal views, mountain roads or even city trips.

In Western countries, like Europe or the United States, caravan trips have been an ordinary method for taking a break from professional work, relaxing, and boosting up our conscience by spending time with nature. In comparison, in Eastern countries caravan trips might just not be the most common thing to see. Yet during COVID times, caravanning has also become a rising trend, where even locals surged towards the short trips and where private and open places became the main concern for travellers.

What’s yet to become a trend are camping spots that incorporate more eco-friendly practices, involving recycling, waste disposal, water management, decorating with sustainable materials, adding more green areas and substitute all single-use plastic items for eco-friendlier options;  very important too for is for eco-friendly caravan spots to engage their staff members with environmentally-conscious practices. A good example of how to do things right is this zero-waste guest house. 

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Is caravanning (sustainably) affordable? 

Investing in a caravan is a big deal and for those travellers who decide to purchase one, they’ll want to make the most of it for every trip. Families and elders have been the most common type of clientele to acquire caravans. 

Living in a caravan is definitely a suitable option for those who have a lot of spare time, hence that retired people have adopted the lifestyle on wheels for a while. But they aren’t the only ones, as families consider caravanning a great opportunity to spend more time outdoors with children, practice water and mountain-related activities, and enjoy the wilderness. Not just that, but families can save loads of money on plane tickets and hotels for everyone (without mentioning the meals in a restaurant, the bill gets drastically reduced when you can make home – aka caravan – prepared meals). 

Beyond the budget, caravan trips allow you certain comfort and convenience that traditional travelling just doesn’t. But if you attempt to estimate the tour expenses, you’ll understand that caravans are actually a budget-friendly method for travelling.

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How sustainable are caravan trips?

Since air travel accounting for about two per cent of global emissions, many people have joined the “no-fly movement”. Besides going on a bicycle (a bit difficult to reach faraway destinations), trains are one of the most sustainable methods for travelling. 

In the travel sector, certain factors hindering sustainable travel were disabling the growth of the tourism industry. However, caravan trips have overcome hindering factors and provide affordable trips across and ensured to maintain sustainable travel guidelines.

Trips on the road are not as sustainable in general unless you make an effort to add the “eco” aspect to it. So how can we make caravan trips more sustainable?

40 Tips to become an eco-friendly caravan traveller

If you are looking for some easy tips to become an eco-caravan traveller, here’s a quick checklist to get your hands on!

1. Choose a fuel-efficient caravan

2. Keep the right maintenance of your caravan to reduce fuel consumption (service right and check tire pressure)

3. Only camp in designated camping areas

4. Attempt to find eco-friendlier campsites

5. Pack lightly if you can

6. Park in the shade

7. Insulate your RV from the heat or cold

8. Get window covers to keep your van cool and reduce the use of air conditioner

9. Reduce your waste by getting into reusables

10. Choose to go plastic-free in most of your everyday items

11. Take a bicycle with you to explore the area

12. Recycle your rubbish

13. Always leave your campsite cleaner than you found it

14. Be mindful of your water consumption when taking showers, washing dishes, the caravan etc.

15. Wash your vehicle with biodegradable or eco-friendly detergents (with no or low phosphates)

16. Use enzyme-based tank cleaners

17. Have a sustainable camper van toilet installed

18. Dispose of your wastewater in the right places

19. Throw your toilet paper on the bin

20. Shop local supporting the small businesses

21. Explore places and protect them from mass tourism

22. When out in nature practice some mountain or beach clean-ups

23. Respect the wildlife and the natural habitat

24. Only start an open fire at designated fire areas

25. Bring used and rented gear

26. Purchase second-hand items whenever possible

27. Incorporate everyday sustainable or eco products into your routine (toiletries or kitchen items)

28. Pack your sustainable wild camping kit for the more adventurous days

29. Try citronella candles and natural repellents such as essential oils instead of toxic chemical

30. Choose to eat vegetarian meals instead

31. Swap regular light bulbs for LED bulbs

32. Pick energy-efficient appliances

33. Take with you solar powered gear to charge your technology 

34. Get a solar panel to place on the top of your RV

35. Try wind power by installing wind turbines on your caravan

36. If you have pets, be a responsible pet owner

37. Don’t take your pets to certain places, such as National Parks

38. When on National Parks respect the norms, and do not take anything from these protected spots

39. Stay on trails to avoid eroding the surrounding environment and spreading weeds

40. Engage in eco-conversations with other fellow travellers

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If you wish to enjoy nature pristine, there are enough reasons why you should keep your travelling as sustainable as possible. If you are striking to become an eco-friendly caravan traveller then you should adopt at least some of the environmentally-conscious practices. And most importantly, engage in conversations with other fellow adventurers on the importance of sustainable traveling to ensure we protect the wild outdoors we love so much!