Sustainability Is the New Sexy
It’s Valentine’s Day. Whether you think it’s the most romantic day of the year or a complete joke, it doesn’t change the fact that the number of couples booking steamy weekend getaways increases this time of year. For those who are attempting to be more eco-conscientious and sustainable, a short romantic trip can come with serious eco-guilt. So, how do you enjoy time away with a partner in a way that will cause as little damage to the environment as possible while still being a fun, relaxing break?
A good bit of advice is to keep things simple. Don’t stress too much. Try to make small changes to how you would usually travel; these little changes genuinely make an impact. To give you a bit of a hand, I’ve put together some activity ideas, what to look for regarding eco-friendly accommodation, travel methods, and tips that will help keep you on the right side of sustainable tourism without too much thinking or effort on your part. That way you can focus on keeping the spark alive without worrying about the planet burning.
Take Things Slow
Our first port of call is always the transport; how are you getting to your destination? In the past couple of years, there has been a heightened interest in slow travel with tourists foregoing domestic, short-haul flights and opting for the more scenic approach offered by train, bus, and car journeys.
Train Travel Is In
This one may sound a bit old-fashioned but it is making a comeback as people try to travel over land rather than through the air in an effort to be sustainable. And I, for one, am fucking ecstatic that it’s returning!
If you have read my other blog posts, you will know that I’m a massive fan of travelling by train — it is my absolute favourite way to travel. But I do understand that it isn’t for everyone. For one, if you aren’t a regular traveller, the idea of planning out a multi-destination train trip through various countries that speak multiple languages, while dealing in multiple currencies might give you the fear and planning a trip by train may be a bit too overwhelming.
If this is you, then I would recommend putting your itinerary creation in the hands of professionals. There are dozens of operators to choose from, each catering to a wide range of needs, budgets, and travel experience and servicing a host of locations. While not the cheapest method, you know that your itinerary will be sorted from beginning to end and customer support is available 24/7 to help if anything goes wrong – not in your relationship, just regarding the trip. By far, my top recommendation for train-based travel is ByWay, based on their meeting four specific criteria:
1) Consistent 4.7 - 4.9 star rating range on Google, TripAdvisor, and Trustpilot
2) B-Corp certification
3) Sustainability and environmental impact transparency
4) Give back to local communities
And, if you click the link above and book, I get a little something while you get to sit back, put your feet up, and feel good about your sustainable travel choices. It’s all-round wins.
If you are a seasoned traveller, love mapping out travel itineraries, or simply cannot and will not relinquish control of your holiday planning then I would recommend using train-specific websites and apps to help you get the best deals and comprehensive timetables. I travel by train a lot, especially when I’m going to and from European destinations, and the apps I use the most are Trainline, TrainPal, and the websites and apps of domestic train companies.
Insider Tip: I will often check the trip on Trainline or TrainPal to see the available routes, times, and train companies that are servicing the journey. I then compare those app prices and available routes to the train companies’ website prices and journeys. Usually, Trainline and TrainPal are cheaper by a few quid or Euros but sometimes you get lucky booking directly with the train service providers themselves and get a reduced ticket or a decent discount if you sign up for their (usually free) loyalty programmes. Good luck!
Overnight Ferries & River Cruises
Cruises get a bad reputation and it’s not unjustified. They have been known to dump inconceivable amounts of sewage into oceans and waterways, cause destruction to cities, towns, and villages with their overwhelming ‘day-tripping’ tourist numbers, cater to passengers who travel with an insulting lack of consideration for local cultures and destinations, and be fear-inducing regarding their approach, or lack there of, to onboard crime (the joys of sailing through international waters and under tax-haven country flags). Yet, there are a growing number of countries and companies fighting this negative image by trying to make cruises eco-friendly and sustainable.
If you can afford it (they can be eye-wateringly expensive), these five green cruise companies provide a beautiful way to slow things down while exploring destinations that otherwise may not have been on your radar, and from a completely new perspective. One downside is that you often have to fly to and from your port destination, adding to the cost and the carbon footprint.
The upshot is that it allows, or forces (depending on whether this romantic getaway is an opportunity to grow as a couple or a last-ditch effort to hold together a relationship that probably should have ended long ago), you and your partner to communicate; you can’t escape them on a boat. Unless one of you jumps overboard. But then I think the relationship was probably dead in the water anyway (no pun intended).
Slow Travel Let’s You Enjoy Each Other’s Company
The loveliest aspect of slow travel, besides the overwhelming smugness you get to feel for travelling more sustainably, is that you actually get to spend time with your partner from the moment your trip begins. Nothing dampens the romantic holiday mood quite like excitedly boarding your budget airline flight and realising that you will be sat in different parts of the plane, next to other people’s partners. Or, finding that upon landing in your dream destination, you and your beautiful partner are, in fact, 30km outside of your actual destination at 11:30 at night, exhausted, unable to speak the local language, as the realisation that all public transport has stopped working for the night hits you, and that you now have to spend a fuck-tonne of your sexy holiday money on a taxi to your accommodation. Queue the whispered argument or angry, exhausted silence – a phenomenal start to your Valentine’s romp-away. Spare yourself and your relationship the strain, do the smart thing, and take things slow.
Where to Sleep. Or Not Sleep…
One of the most important, but overwhelming, aspects of planning a holiday is finding accommodation — there are just too many options. For Valentine’s Day getaways, this pressure is heightened, get it right and your romantic time away will be intimate bliss, get it wrong and you could find yourself single come February 15th. But the overlap between sexy and sustainable isn’t always clear, so below are a handful of accommodation options that take the guess work out of being simultaneously sexy and eco-friendly.
Booking Platforms Making an (Eco-Friendly) Impact
Not all booking platforms are equal and starting your accommodation search on a platform or website that you know are putting sustainability at the forefront of everything they do makes things easier. Utilising these sustainable platforms means that you can confidently book places that match your travel ethics. Major sites such as Booking.com have a sustainability feature while platforms such as Fair BnB are transforming the negative social impacts of the homestay industry, and companies like Sawday’s meticulously select and inspect each of the hundreds of available accommodation options found on their booking site for sustainability and eco-friendliness.
These companies are now putting in the grunt work so being sustainable while travelling is more accessible to a wider range of travellers. If you still want to make sure a company is sustainable, a simple trick is to look for B-Corp certification – the platinum standard for sustainable businesses; it’s hard to get and is regularly audited.
Sexual Wellness & Intimacy Retreats
Expect to hear a lot more about orgasming your way through your holiday in the next couple of years as these getaways have been gaining traction in the travelsphere. Publications such as Condé Nast Traveller, The New York Times, and CNN Travel (articles linked) have all written about the up and coming (pun fully intended this time) popularity of putting sexual intimacy and intimate wellness at the centre of travel plans. If it still sounds a bit taboo or out of your comfort zone, then maybe that’s your sign that it’s precisely what you and your love life need.
Eco-Resorts & Hotels
A new, perhaps obvious, choice and one that comes with a higher price tag and destinations that are a bit farther afield. Eco-resorts are nothing short of extraordinary. For transparency, I must admit that I make this claim, not based on heaps of personal experience, but due to the research rabbit holes I have found myself going down while looking into them in the past few months. Be careful, as the term ‘eco-resort’ is loosely used and, therefore, it’s easy for companies to greenwash by using it. Your ability to research thoroughly will be necessary here.
Genuine ‘eco-resorts’ will have a range of criteria and unique selling points which will be clearly stated and easily verifiable. These could include intention of the architects to make their design eco-friendly, net or negative carbon emissions, the use of only locally sourced food and products, the paying of staff living wages and the hiring of locals, community give-back programmes, up-cycled furniture, closeness to nature, the list really does go on and on. Even if your budget or schedule doesn’t allow for a visit to an eco-resort or hotel, I recommend you have fun looking some of them up and fantasising about visiting one day.
The Perfect Romantic Activities
Not that…cheeky.
Well, ok. That.
There’s zero travel involved, it’s good for your health, and, as long as it doesn’t result in the creation of another human adding to overpopulation, could be described as a pretty eco-friendly activity. But I’m here to give advice on what sustainable activities you can enjoy while on your romantic holiday that are both easily available and unlikely to result in your arrest when done in public.
Cycling
This one is mostly for the Germans. And I say this with a mixture of love and deep, personal upset because I lived in Germany for years and have dated quite a few of their lovely countrymen. Their idea of a perfect romantic activity is cycling or ‘walking’ – which gets put in inverted commas because it is never a walk, it’s always a fucking trek. And that’s just your first date.
Jokes and personal digression aside, cycling is a sustainable way to slow things down on your holiday, go a little further out of cities and towns than you might otherwise go, and take time to fully appreciate the beautiful nature that your chosen destination has to offer. Take a picnic lunch with you and your eco-friendly day out is perfect and romantic. The great news is that with an increasing demand for alternative, eco-friendly ways to get around from locals and tourists alike in cities around the world, city bikes are now common and easy to rent making cycling an accessible, budget-friendly choice for many. Now, with this being said, may I offer an experienced word of advice? Google whether your destination is bike and cycle friendly before you make it a key part of your itinerary. Trust me. Please.
Blue Flag Beaches
A day at the beach is a classic holiday pastime. It’s up there with arguing with your travel companions, getting sunburn, and ordering an entire meal in your own native language but saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in the local language and then feeling quite pleased with yourself for embracing the local culture. Classic holiday behaviour.
But not all beaches, marinas, and boating activities are sustainable or eco-friendly; some of them are detrimental to indigenous wildlife and biodiversity and in extreme cases, think the Great Barrier Reef, the damage can cause mass devastation to numerous species, ours included. But the good news is that it is relatively easy to pick water-based destinations and suppliers that focus on eco-safety and sustainability. The programme known as the Blue Flag aims to cut wildlife and biodiversity devastation by 2030 in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Want to feel beachy, sexy, and eco-conscious? You can find a list of countries and their Blue Flag beaches, marinas, and approved boating companies here.
A word to the wise…always double check, especially if you’re travelling around Europe, if the beach that strikes your fancy is FKK or nudist. If you don’t, you may end up seeing a lot more of the local people than you had ever hoped to. A word to the not-so-wise…if you are planning on going to a nudist beach, don’t go to be a pervert. Go because it’s freeing, it’s a cultural experience, it’s healthy, but behave with decency. Just because your dick or fanny is out doesn’t mean you have to act like one.
Ditch the Ride - Start Strolling
To any Irish readers, not that ride. To every one else, this one might sound obvious, especially if you are doing a city break where the key sites are relatively close to one another. However, it is something that a lot of people panic about. In a new place, there is always going to be a feeling of excitement which, for so many, can quickly be followed by feelings of confusion, unease, anxiety, or fear. What if I get lost? Is it safe? What if I can’t find my destination? What if I can’t read any of the signs or ask for directions? All valid questions.
What I would recommend, if you are an anxious traveller or worry about these sorts of things, is go a bit old school. Before you go out for the evening, decide together where you want to go, Google the directions, and write them down on a bit of paper. I know it sounds weird but there are a few reasons I suggest this:
1) We are far more likely to remember something we physically write out
2) If you can’t get Wi-Fi connection, you have a hard copy of your directions
3) When returning, you can simply retrace your steps by going backward through the list and inverting the directions (for example, turn right will become turn left)
4) It means you are not looking at your phone which can make you look like a lost tourist – for safety reasons, you never want to look lost even if you are
Walking through a new place with a partner allows you to take in your surroundings, chat, find things that you like, hate, think look silly or different to your norm, and, essentially, do what the entire romantic getaway is all about – enjoy your time together and each other’s company.
Besides, there really is nothing very romantic about sitting in the back of a taxi worrying that you’re going to be ripped off or driven into the countryside and murdered. Not very romantic at all.
Pro Tip: Ask your accommodation reception, bar staff, restaurant staff who speak the local language if you can record them saying (and pronouncing correctly) your destinations, be it a restaurant, train station, museum, street name, or day trip destination. If you truly are lost when out and about, you can stop a local and play the recording. They might, at the very least, be able to point you in or mime the right direction. It has saved many of my tourists in the past!
So there you have it. A simple guide to making this Valentine’s travel, your sexiest, most sustainable holiday yet. Enjoy!
And as always, happy travels!