I know that Summer is almost over, but many of you are still planning on taking a summer trip soon.  Probably next week or perhaps right before the kids (or you!) go back to school.  You’ve probably already planned it and are wondering, “what the heck can this girl tell me about planning my trip?”  Well, it is possible to make the trip a little “Greener” than you planned!  Here are a few tips I discovered from the folks at Inhabitat.com that I thought you might want to know to make that vacation a little easier on the environment.

1. Book an Eco-Friendly Hotel. They use so much water, electricity and extra non-essentials, so make sure you’re staying somewhere that has the environment in mind all the time.  Try using online guides from Sustainable Travel International and Travelocity to find these places. Sustainable Travel Internantional’s Web site features a directory of eco-friendly options – just search by category using the “Lodging” options. Travelocity’s Travel for Good Green Hotel Directory ranks lodging options based on their environmental impacts.  You can also find eco-friendly resorts that cater specifically to the “green” traveler – That’s you!
2. Plan your Itinerary. By planning everything out, you will save time, money and usually gas because you will know exactly what you are doing, when and how to get there.  Map out how you want to maximize your time with Google Calendar. The online agenda lets you plan your day’s activities by the hour, and it will even send users an update when a scheduled activity is about to begin. Try getting that kind of reliable service from a paper planner.
3. Choose a Different Means of Travel. A flight, a train ride or a jaunt in the car can all seem like huge travel pollutants.  But depending on where you are going, changing from a flight to a train ride or a car drive can really save on fuel costs and air pollutants.  Did you know that taking a train will reduce your carbon emissions by 85%-96% from taking a jet plane?  And f you have a hybrid car, you can help save gas and of course your environment by choosing to drive over other options.
4. Remember your Memories Without all the Paper. I love photography and photos.  I also love to scrapbook.  So after a trip I will most definitely be printing a fair amount of pictures.  But I also know my family will want to see my trip as well and printing out extra copies to share around is not financially feasible, nor is it good for trees!  So save ink, paper, and resources by posting your photos on sites like Flickr, Photobucket, Snapfish, Facebook, and Shutterfly. These sites let users upload images, write descriptions, and save photos in an online album.
5. Have a “Staycation” Instead of Heading Out. Sure, it’s great to leave the area and visit other lands from time to time.  But isn’t the point of a vacation to rest, relax and enjoy?  You can accomplish all of these things by staying at home.  Sound boring?  Well, it won’t be if you allow yourself to turn the phone and computer off and head out to do somethings around your neighborhood you’ve alway wanted to try!  Websites like Time Out and Lonely Planet offer a ton or resources and information about many different cities, and you can pretend that you’re a tourist when you jot down tips about what to do in your own town.