Green and Cheap Traveling Tips
Traveling Green is a way of life. It’s a great way to travel the world, or just around your own town. There are several options to take into consideration when going on your next trip.
1.Couch Surfing.org
Couch Surfing is one of the greatest achievements the Internet has come up with for what it was intended for: Bringing People Together. Couch Surfing is more than a social networking site, it’s a way of life. It features people from all over the world, who let travelers stay with them. What’s great about Couch Surfing, is that it differs from most social networks simply because 90% of the people on the site are very cool and interesting people.
It’s a great way to stay green as well since Hotels are extremely wasteful when it comes to laundry, water, energy, etc. With a Hotel you also don’t get that experience of truly visiting the place you are, hanging out with locals, finding the right spots to see, avoiding tourist traps. There are a million reasons why Couch Surfing is the greatest site ever, but you should go check it out for yourself. Host some people, you will make lifelong friends and meet a ton of very interesting people.
2. Trains and Busses Aren’t Just for the City!
When traveling don’t instantly think that you have to take a flight. Sure many of the options take much longer, and sometimes there isn’t much of a price difference, but it makes for greener transportation and adventures of a lifetime. Next trip you make look into Trains and Busses. Amtrak has several deals, especially if you are going on long tours of several towns. Also if you are a student or military you can sign up for student advantage card and get a 20% off discount. That will save you a bundle on the Multi- Ride Tickets.
Mega Bus is also a great service for extremely low-priced Bus Rides. Right now they only serve New England, the Mid-West. and the UK. All rates start at $1 plus a $1 booking fee. Make sure to order as soon as advanced, the prices go up by the day. You will most likely get a ticket from anywhere to $2.00 to $35 depending on when you get it.
Greyhound works as well, but I haven’t found that many great deals. If your going far, take a train, but if you are only going regional I suggest looking into local bus lines. A fairly big chain is China Town Bus. They are featured in nearly every big city, and will take you anywhere in the region. They have great rates anywhere from $10-40 depending on how soon and how far you’re going.
3. Ride Share Programs
There are a few sites out there that feature rideshares. Generally you can find others to tag along with to a near by big city, or event such as a big Jam Band Festival. They’re in never a shortage of people looking to meet other cool people and to split the gas.
Craigslist has a great Ride Share message board on their site. You can find people who are looking for other riders and you can even post that you are looking as well. The only thing with this option is that it is hard to plan far ahead, many of the postings are for the next weekend so look especially for last minute/last change travel.
4. Travel By Bike
Bicycle Touring has become more and more popular along with the recent rise in Bike Riders. Now this takes a lot of research and planning, and is in no way easy, but is the most rewarding badass way to travel. This will be a personal milestone for you as well as you get life long bragging rights.
There are several great routes you can take, many of them are the same historical routes of American history. The Underground Railroad, Oregon Trail, Louis and Clark Expedition, etc. It’s a great way to enjoy nature and go for a bike ride. For more information and routes check out the Adventure Cycling Associations Website.
What is great also great about these forms of transportation is that it’s an adventure as well. There is something amazing about traveling the country by bike, rail, or bus. Its very nostalgic, and it will also give you lot of time to take in the scenery and have some serious thought time. In the near future, I will be posting some of my favorite travel routes and journeys.
Off Grid Hipster is a blog about living life as green as sustainably as possible. Off Grid living for a new generation.
Check out more articles at