As today is Wednesday, April 22, 2026, the theme for Earth Day 2026 today is “Our Power, Our Planet” — but even though they may not fit the theme, you can take some actions which may be related to travel that will help the environment throughout the year.
6 Simple Things You Can Do While You Travel: Earth Day 2026
Without further ado, the six simple things you can do while you travel — with links to articles for additional information and details — are as follows in no particular order:
1. Where to Get Free Air For Tires On Your Rental Vehicle.
When driving your own personal vehicle around the area where you live and work, you likely know of the best places to fill it up with fuel and to put air in your tires to keep them properly inflated — you might even own your own air pump — but when renting a vehicle while traveling, you can use a certain tool which helps you find places where you can fill up the tires free of charge, which thereby saves you money on fuel while simultaneously contributing less pollution to the environment.
2. Clean the World by Recycling Used Soap.
Thousands of bars of used soap — as well as small plastic bottles of toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, mouthwash and skin cream — can be discarded from one single hotel property daily. Find out in this article how Clean the World gives those discarded soap bars — as well as the aforementioned single use plastic bottles — a second life.
3. 6 Ways to Conserve Water.
Access to fresh water is something which many people around the world take for granted. For example, guests automatically expect hot water in the bathrooms of rooms at hotel and resort properties — so much so that the question was asked as to whether a guest who is in a room without hot water for a shower or bath should be compensated. Find out what are the six ways in which you can conserve water.
4. Conserve Energy and Fuel.
Leave as few electronics and lights on as possible when leaving a room at a hotel or resort property. If you have enough clean towels and really do not need housekeeping services, have members of the staff come the next day to take care of the room. Just because electricity may be included at no extra charge in the room rate does not mean that it should be needlessly wasted.
Be efficient with climate control systems in hotel rooms. For example, do not leave the window shade or curtains open and allowing the hot rays of the sun to shine strongly into the room while the air conditioner is operating; and do not keep the door to the room open while heating the room.
Also, take routes that help to conserve fuel when driving a rental vehicle; and do not leave the motor vehicle idling for more than 30 seconds — except when in traffic.
5. Consider Alternative Transportation to Your Destination.
Although I have walked to and from several airports around the world instead of using a taxi cab or a rental car, no one expects you to walk 20 miles to get from your hotel room to a restaurant…
…but if a dining establishment is within a mile from where you are staying, consider taking a nice walk. You will get some exercise, work off some of those calories on your way back from your meal, and you can explore your surroundings at your own pace.
If for some reason walking is not an option, consider taking public transportation — such as an electric trolley or a bus that is powered by natural gas, if they are available. Both Waymo and Vay offer driverless transportation options using electric vehicles — but they are currently available in a limited number of cities. You can also specify with a ride sharing service that you want to use an option that is energy efficient.
6. Recycle When Possible.
As an increasing number of lodging establishments are furnished with bins in which to dispose of materials that can be recycled, please use them properly and do not use them as places to throw away regular trash. Plastic may not always be an option, as it is not as easy to recycle as people are unfortunately led to believe. In fact, the very concept of recycling plastic is controversial at best.
Bulk dispensers are becoming ubiquitous at lodging establishments for such toiletries as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and moisturizing skin lotion — but if you still encounter single use plastic bottles during one of your stays, forget about those silly and confusing recycling symbols that are embossed under them, as recycling single use plastic bottles does not necessarily mean throwing one in a designated recycling bin and hoping that it will become reincarnated as a useful item for someone else. Rather, simply use a single use plastic bottle filled with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or moisturizing skin lotion until the product inside has been exhausted — and then refill it and use it again for your travels.
Final Boarding Call
Caring for the environment does not mean one has to panic about global warming, block roads, and otherwise act like a lunatic. Doing your part with simple little things will help and can potentially go a long way — like waiting until approaching a container for the disposal of trash rather than simply littering. Not using more water, energy, or fuel than necessary is another way to help conserve natural resources.
Common sense — not fanaticism — is what will allow us to strike the best balance between traveling with a lifestyle of conveniences while simultaneously doing our parts to conserve our resources, protect our environment, and preserve the planet.
All photographs ©2017, ©2019, ©2020, ©2022, ©2024, and ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
