There’s nothing we love more than responsible tourism; seeing the world and going on new adventures is something many of us seek, and it's great to be able to travel in a sustainable way.
If you’re traveling about and looking for some handy apps to offset your carbon footprint, eat sustainably, or help make an impact in the local area you’re visiting, we’ve got the guide for you. Here are some of our favorite eco-friendly apps and guides to help you travel consciously wherever you’re visiting.
Happy Cow
Happy Cow is a restaurant finder for vegetarian and vegan restaurants, active across the world. In the style of Yelp, the app allows you to find restaurants nearby, read and upload reviews, and filter based on dietary preferences. It’s great for travelers looking to find some food on the go, especially when visiting places that have fewer menus geared toward plant-based diets.
The app also has a forum where users can share recipes or ask for dietary advice. Additionally, there’s a community tab where users can connect with others in their area and see the latest reviews of nearby restaurants.
Power to the plant-based community!
Good Fish Guide
The Good Fish Guide is the brainchild of the Marine Conservation Society in the UK. Their research found that 75% of people are concerned about the sustainability of the fish they consume and are conscious of preserving the ocean. With little info out there regarding sustainable fishing practices, they created the app.
The guide uses a traffic light system: green for fish that is from sustainable farms or caught in eco-friendly ways, and red for fish that is endangered (some even more so than Bengal tigers!), or are caught and raised through methods causing huge damage to habitats.
With almost 600 sustainable ratings, detailing 130 species, the app gives credible and transparent guidance. Data is reviewed and updated every three years to ensure it follows changes in marine life. Factors such as environmental impact, capture method, and welfare of farmed fish are all taken into consideration to generate an accurate rating.
Oroeco
Oroeco is an eco-friendly app with a simple aim: to make individuals aware of their carbon footprint and understand how they can make positive changes to their impact.
The app asks users to take a quick survey on their climate impact, which comes back with an immediate CO2 emission result. This is based on factors such as home energy, transportation, diet, shopping, and entertainment.
Oroeco allows you to connect with others to compare your footprints and gives clear actions and visualizations on how you can improve your score. You can even link it to your spending to see how green your dollar is!
Too Good To Go
Too Good To Go is a European app on a mission to end food waste. The eco-friendly app allows users to purchase ‘surprise bags’ of reduced food from local restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores, which they can collect at an allotted time (usually the end of their trading day).
Too Good To Go allows you to enter your dietary requirements, with vegetarian and vegan options available. For only a few dollars, you can get your hands on a bag full of pastries or groceries for a fraction of the retail price.
As an added bonus, it means stores won’t be throwing away food at the end of the day, so everyone’s a winner! The app works in multiple countries across Europe so you can use it when you’re traveling on the continent!
FairTrip
FairTrip is a user-driven collaborative guide that allows individuals to rate places on their social and economic impact, promoting responsible tourism.
The interactive map allows users to review homestays, restaurants, activities, and NGOs across the globe. While it’s still patchy in places, the app has plenty of traveler recommendations in Central Europe and South East Asia.
The sustainable travel app aims to get rid of third parties, connecting individuals with local businesses that are authentic and oftentimes independently run. The ‘from producer to traveler’ mindset benefits both parties—everybody saves money, and the local community directly benefits.
Best of all, the app is free to download and use on your travels, so you can help continue to build this little community.
Climate Wise Travel
Climate Wise is an eco-friendly app that focuses on affordably addressing climate change. They support projects and initiatives that allow individuals and businesses to offset their carbon footprint. Their outreach work focuses on improving the lives of those in poor communities globally.
The app provides an easy tool to track your carbon offset, with a handy little display that shows the number of equivalent trees planted, and tonnes of CO2 that you’ve reduced through your efforts.
Start with a simple questionnaire, answering questions across five categories: food—questions about diet and food waste, travel—questions about public transport and flying, home—living situation and energy use, and stuff—your purchasing habits.
This will then be broken down into a score based on your location, estimating your carbon footprint in tonnes, and giving you a percentage score based on your country’s average—the results may surprise you! The app then gives easy solutions and tips to reduce your carbon footprint.
Long story short…
By checking out these eco-friendly apps and guides, you can travel consciously and sustainably. Why not spread the word with your fellow travelers and backpackers, and share a bit of responsible tourism around—wherever your adventures may take you?
Written by Alex Callahan
