Where to research and book eco-friendly travel

There is no denying that eco friendly travel is “in”. As more and more travelers become aware of their own carbon footprint, many of us are also becoming more active in reducing our impact.

This could be as simple as paying a little extra for a green certified hotel, or paying to offset the emissions from a flight. The Internet is full of fantastic resources for anyone looking to research and/or book an eco friendly trip. We’ve listed a couple of these resources here:

Gadling – We’ll start with ourselves – we’ve covered eco tourism for years, and in our archives, you’ll find 100’s of great articles on green travel.
ExpediaExpedia has an entire section of their site devoted to going green. They provide a list of green hotels, tips on reducing your carbon footprint and a special booking tool for finding hybrid rental cars.

Orbitz – The Orbitz Eco-Tourism site is one of the most comprehensive of all the travel booking sites. Their section offers everything from carbon offset purchases to a list of EPA Energy Star rated hotels. These hotels use at least 40% less electricity. The site also links to hybrid rentals, and even explains how you can volunteer to clean up a national park, or help protect the ocean.

Travelocity – The Travelocity Green Directory is another great initiative. On this guide, you’ll find links to green hotels, eco-friendly partners and a focus on green destinations. Their green hotel list is compiled through information from the EPA’s Energy Star, the Rainforest Alliance and Green Key.

EcoTravelLogueEcoTravelLogue is a member of the Bootsnall network. This site does not appear to be updated very regularly, but it contains a huge amount of eco-friendly travel resources.

The Travel Channel
The Travel Channel Eco-Friendly resources are still quite limited – and only cover a limited number of eco-friendly resorts and hotels. The site links to most of the eco related content covered by the Travel Channel.

ManacaManaca is a travel agency that specializes in eco friendly trips. They sell trips to eco lodges, and complete eco friendly packages all around the world.

SustainableTravelSustainable Travel International is an organization supported by many of the major travel companies in the world. Behind this organization are airlines like Continental and United, a cruise line, a car rental company and various hotel chains. Their site offers a huge amount of information on eco-travel, as well as a searchable directory of eco-friendly providers.

Got a good eco-friendly travel site you’d like to mention? Leave it in the comments section below!