When looking at hotels, most people still rely on the stars to have a certain guarantee of quality. However, these ratings only indicate comfort and say nothing about sustainability. Yet many travelers now consider both comfort and environmental consciousness equally important when traveling. Here are our tips on what you can do to vacation more sustainably:

Eco-friendly arrival:Flying is still the focus here, and everyone should refrain from domestic and short-haul flights and switch to trains whenever possible.

Packing Correctly:Light luggage and waste reduction are the ideal "ingredients" for a vacation suitcase. For example, one should take a reusable water bottle instead of buying a new one every day.

Sustainable local mobility:And also in the holiday destination, one can travel from one place to another in an environmentally friendly way. One should use public transport, take advantage of local bike rentals, or go on foot – often discovering the most interesting things along the way.

Booking a sustainable accommodation:Many hotels now advertise sustainability, but one should not blindly trust any eco-labels. Here, control is better than trust, and a quick online check reveals how sustainable it really is.

Using the Opt-Out Option:Many hotels now offer guests the option to forgo daily room cleaning. This ensures a responsible use of resources such as water and energy.

CO2 compensation:And even when you are back home, you can do something meaningful, such as compensating for the emissions generated by your trip. You can pay a certain amount to various providers, who then channel these funds into sustainable projects that save or sequester CO2.

However:Compensation should not serve as a free pass for short flights or less effort in the area of sustainability. Compensation is only for what one unfortunately cannot avoid in order to travel.