The point of a holiday is to relax. To switch off the whir of our brains and deny responsibility and accountability for a blissful week or two during which we can pretend actions don’t have consequences and the only conundrum in our world is what factor sunscreen to apply. But, where does environmental accountability come in? Especially when surrendering to relaxation means surrendering to convenience. We slip off our morals like a jumper as we run into shops for “holiday bits”, accept the airplane coffee in the disposable cup, say yes to the Carrefour plastic bags for our first supermarket shop, take taxis when we could walk.

Convenience culture is inherently damaging to our planet, producing excessive amounts of waste in the form of fast fashion, plastic pollution, and transport emissions. And yet we deserve what it offers during the brief respite the summer months provide. We deserve to live hassle-free for a week or two, to feel liberated from the constant planning and organising that defines our quotidian life. So how do we square convenience culture with environmentalism? Beyond the usual cries of “Don’t fly!?, “Don’t use multiple hotel towels and demand fresh sheets just because you can!? and “Buy reef-safe sunscreen!?, how can we be climate activists when on holiday?

CHOOSE A SUSTAINABLE DESTINATION

If you have your heart set on holidaying abroad, look for locations that are accredited for their efforts in responsible eco-tourism and champion initiatives that put money back into the local community. Green Destinations lists the most sustainable locations to travel to (Slovenia, for instance) while travel companies such as Lokal and Intrepid Traveller can help you build an ethical holiday experience that benefits both planet and people. For accommodation, use a site like Bookdifferent.com to choose a hotel with good eco-credentials. Bookdifferent.com works like price comparison sites but compares the carbon footprint of different accommodation options and makes finding an eco-friendly hotel hassle-free.

COME PREPARED

It’s true – fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Whether you’re going to a festival or jetting off to Indonesia, think about steps you can pre-emptively take to keep your footprint to a minimum. I’m talking shampoo and soap bars, planning and packing to avoid last-minute fast fashion buys, insulated reusable water bottles to sidestep the temptation for cold supermarket water. If water quality is going to be an issue, invest in a self-filtering water bottle. Finding ways to make items multi-functional saves space, time, and plastic so get creative with repurposing items. Think Tupperware for holiday picnics that house toiletries when in transit, a sarong that doubles as shawl and towel, a body wash bar that also moisturises.

My favourite thing about holidays is the array of exciting and novel snack foods to be found in markets. If travelling in Europe, it’s actually easier to be waste-free if you can find local market alternatives to supermarket chains. Bring reusable bags so you can purchase these in bulk. I prefer cotton drawstring bags that, when travelling, I use to neatly pack underwear before they become receptacles for trail mix, fresh fruit and pretzels sourced from market stalls.

TURN ENVIRONMENTALISM INTO AN ACTIVITY

Trying to make an activity eco-conscious often feels like an instant mood-killer and turns you into the holiday killjoy. I know because I’ve been there countless times, watching friends’ and family’s faces darken as I ruin the holiday fantasy with sombre climate reality. I now have a different approach. Now, I try and build holiday activities around my environmental consciousness rather than the other way around.

For example, to circumvent the impulsive fast fashion haul before a sun holiday or festival, I plan a charity shop crawl in advance. This isn’t a stressful streak down Henry Street with a two-hour deadline. It’s an event – a whole Saturday afternoon given over to gazing at outlandish jewellery displays and contemplating lime-green culottes in Oxfam. I invite the friends particularly susceptible to an online shopping splurge to circumvent their fast fashion wastage. Augment the occasion with a brunch or christen it with an aperitif at day’s end and voilà! You’ve successfully avoided fast fashion, coerced others into doing the same, and had a foray into sartorial creativity that truly brings a buzz unlike anything else.

The same goes for transportation. On a family holiday to Lanzarote, we rented bikes to avoid taking taxis everywhere. Our Von Trapp-style cycling around the island was collectively voted the best part of the trip. We saw more of the island than we ever would have from the back of a car, got some much-needed fresh air after one too many afternoon sangrias, supported a local tourism business, and reduced our collective carbon footprint. Best of all though, we turned what is normally a boring necessity – the unglamorous and unexciting act of commuting – into an event. The journey became the destination – something that I often find happens when we bring environmental activism into our everyday lives.

LITTER PICKING

While living in Australia, I made environmentalism the conduit to sightseeing. Instead of booking a traditional island boat tour, I found a volunteer group conducting litter pick-ups on the islands and instead spent a morning beach-cleaning undiscovered isles far from the tourist droves, picnicking with locals, and boating around the Coral Sea for free. Litter picking – be it on a Mediterranean beach or in the muddy puddles of Electric Picnic – is instantly impactful, delivers instant gratification, and also requires little time or energy. You don’t need to spend hours scouring coastlines – a five-minute litter pick while sunset strolling along a bay or charging towards a festival food truck is enough. My point is, find ways to bring environmental consciousness into your holiday so that it adds to the experience, rather than takes from it. It is possible to embrace the free-spirited disinhibition of holiday fever without sacrificing your values or the planet. All it takes is a smidgin of mindfulness, a dollop of creativity, and an adventurer’s curiosity. @holly_hughes_words