Are My Family Vacations Ruining the World?

We're a family of travelers and travelers-to-be. Although I didn't get my first passport until I was 15 years old, I have made up for lost time by traveling where I can, when I can. One of my major life goals was to travel to thirty different countries by the time I turned thirty- by squeaking in a last minute trip to Canada for my thirtieth, I made it, with exactly 30 countries. I want to raise my kids to be travelers too- Boy #1 has already been to Thailand and several stateside locations, and both boys have been to the Virgin Islands. I am proud to be a "traveler", one that packs light (I did a month-long trip to Hawaii, Japan, and Fiji with only a carry-on), and one that tries to really appreciate the locations we visit and take away some lessons for personal growth. I am proud that I embrace other cultures the best that I can, try to avoid being an ugly American at all costs, and always go home knowing more about someone and somewhere else as well as myself. But I also just like to get away, and rest, taand see new and interesting things.

And I want that for my kids. In addition to giving them life experiences to remember and exposure to some of the worlds most beautiful and interesting places, I want them to learn patience, to appreciate other cultures and lifestyles, and to learn that the United States is not the freaking center of the universe. Can they learn these lessons closer to home? Of course. Was our beach vacation in St. John the source of some deep meaningful lessons? Probably not. But I love travel and I want them to be good travelers too.

BUT... traveling is hard on the environment. Something I've avoided thinking about until now. In less than a week we leave on a vacation that involves a cross-country flight AND a cruise. In terms of carbon emissions, flying is terrible for the environment. And cruises? Well, the consensus is that they are worse.

There's also the issue of resources used once at your location- absent an eco-resort or other eco-aware lodging you're almost always going to use more and have a larger impact on the planet than at home. And there's also this dilema - is it better to go to a more developed nation which may already have eco-friendly environments (like hotels or even whole cities that get their power from renewable resources) or at least eco-friendly options, or is it perhaps better to put your money into an economy where a lack of infrastructure and resources leads to practices that are heavier on the environment (like slash and burn farming or poaching of ecological resources) in the hopes that building a tourism industry will help provide incentives for more earth-friendly practices or, at a minimum, provide alternative sources of income.

So I struggle with the right answer, but I think like other earth-impact issues, the answer is complex. I know that for one thing, we won't be giving up our travel anytime soon- it's just to precious to me. We may take more trips closer to home, and maybe check out the train once in a while, but I want my kids to see the world if we can continue to afford it. But making sure there is a world left to see is important to, so I think we will start with these baby steps:

• carbon credits to offset flights and cruises- I do have some doubts about exactly how carbon offests work and whether they really do make a difference, but it's worth a try (even if they do turn out to be just conscience clearers)
• make a concerted effort to stay in eco-friendly lodging where possible
  
• to be more aware of our impact generally- small things like trying to use reusable travel bottles instead of buying throw away "travel sizes" and purchasing fewer one-time convenience products
  
• to try to bring at least one reusable bag with us on trips, just like we [try to] do at home (this is actually just a smart travel tip, depending on where you are going- many European or Asian stores, food stalls, etc do not provide the bags we find ubiquitous here- so this also keeps you from the hassle of trying to fit a baguette, a block of cheese, and a bottle of wine in your jacket pockets)
  
• use public transport when we can, and do walking tours over buses or similar (ths is actually a bit of a cheating one, as that's what we prefer to do anyway)
• renting smaller and/or hybrid cars when we do car rentals

Good links:
Planeta
Carbon Offests (Wikipedia)
Carbon Offest Consumer Guide (PDF)
Responsible Travel