From steel cutlery to eco-stays: The rise of NCR’s eco-travellers

From carrying a cloth bag for buying groceries to avoiding plastic water bottles, NCR residents are increasingly becoming environment-conscious. However, it all goes for a toss when travelling as buying a packet of chips, plastic water bottles and using plastic bags for shopping, seem unavoidable during a vacation. However, a number of people from NCR are choosing to travel in an eco-friendly way. These eco-friendly travellers take a host of measures like carrying their own cutlery, bringing their trash back home and refusing to use single-use toiletries available at hotels. Some are also opting to book eco-stays that promise them an environment-friendly stay.
Tourists are becoming conscious of the damage they cause to the place they visit
‘We travel by public conveyance to reduce carbon footprint’
Eco-friendly travellers are ditching the comfort of their own vehicles and travel by public transport instead. “Last year, we made a conscious decision to travel by public transport, not just intercity but intracity, too. Travelling by local buses in the city you are vacationing in is a new experience. It’s not a long journey, but I chose to travel to Dehradun with my family by bus,” says Gurgaon resident Sameera Satija.
Kaushambi resident Prerna Prasad adds, “We only travel by our own car if all the seats of our vehicle are occupied. If just two people are travelling from the family, we take a bus.”

‘We carry our own cutlery, toiletries’
Be it a teacup, water bottle, plates or spoons, eco-travellers carry their own cutlery while travelling. “I have my own set of stainless steel cutlery that I use whenever we eat at roadside joints or any other place that serves food in disposables. In Dehradun, we were at a teashop, where they served chai in disposable cups. Since I was carrying only one steel glass, we asked them to serve tea in that glass, and my husband shared it with me,” says Sameera.
Noida resident Supriya Sardana adds, “Apart from the cutlery, I also carry a steel water bottle that I refill whenever we stop by at any hotel or restaurant. I also discourage my kids from buying packaged food on the way, and we carry home-cooked food.”
Apart from this, eco-travellers also carry their own toiletries to avoid using disposable ones in the hotel. “I recently travelled to Jageshwar Dham with my family and carried our own wooden toothbrush, shampoo and toothpaste and asked the hotel staff to take away the disposable toiletries from the room,” says Madhu Mittal, a resident of Noida.
Many tourists bring back trash to create eco-bricks
‘We made eco-bricks by recycling plastic, paper’
Eco-travellers bring back whatever little trash they generate during their trip in order to recycle it. “Even after trying our best, some trash was generated during our two-day trip to Dehradun, including a couple of tissue papers, two paper plates and two wrappers of chips. I brought it back home to make an eco-brick out of it,” Sameera tells us.
An eco-brick is a concept that recycles plastic bottles and trash paper or wrappers. “We stuff the plastic bottles with trash until its limit is reached, so they become solid as bricks. These eco-bricks have multiple uses. At my home, I have made dividers in my lawn and a dog-house out of them,” adds Sameera.

‘Look for destinations with eco-friendly practices’
To ensure an eco-friendly stay, travellers do extensive research before embarking on a trip. “I always look for places that incorporate environment-friendly practices and are constructed with mud rather than concrete. Being a birder, I also ensure that the location of the hotel is not hindering the natural habitat of the region,” says Delhi resident Nishand Venugopal. On his recent trip to Jaisalmer, Nishand found a homestay operated by the locals and was eco-friendly.
Supriya adds that she prefers homestays to hotels while travelling. “I am not aware of any eco-friendly hotels, so I mostly prefer staying at homestays, specifically, because they do not contribute to the wastage of single-use plastic, which most hotels do.”
Prerna, the founder of an eco-friendly travel agency, says that there has been a rise in the number of people choosing to stay at environment-friendly establishments. “Over the past year, queries for environment-friendly stays have doubled up, with many opting for places that indulge in environment-friendly practices, such as rainwater harvesting, growing own veggies and avoiding the use of single-use plastic products,” she says.
Some tourists are helping local handicraft industries
‘Some appreciate the effort, others make fun of us’
Supriya recalls that she has often been stopped by an airline for carrying steel cutlery. She tells us, “I once had to fight with the airline staff as they did not allow me to carry my own steel glass and water bottle as hand luggage. I was miffed as I did not want to use their plastic bottles or cups. In the end, they finally gave in.” Sameera adds, “While some give us weird looks for bringing our own cutlery to a hotel or a restaurant, others appreciate it saying they are inspired by us.”
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In Video:Here's how these tourists are opting for eco-travel