12 Sustainable Travel Apps for the Eco-Conscious Traveler

In a world increasingly aware of its environmental footprint, sustainable travel is not just a trend but a necessity. As eco-conscious travelers, you have the power to make a positive impact on the planet while exploring it. This guide delves into a selection of innovative, sustainable travel apps essential for the modern, environmentally-minded wanderer. From carbon footprint trackers to eco-friendly accommodation finders, these apps are your digital companions in making travel choices that align with your green ethos.

1. Good on You

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Dean Drobot

Good on You is an indispensable tool for the fashion-conscious traveler who prioritizes sustainability. This app offers comprehensive ethical ratings for over 2,000 fashion brands, focusing on their impact on the environment, labor rights, and animal welfare. Whether you need a new backpack for hiking or a comfortable pair of shoes for city walks, Good on You helps you make informed choices that align with your eco-friendly ethos. The app also features tips on sustainable fashion. It highlights ethical brands, making it easier for you to find attire that is both stylish and responsible. It’s a great way to ensure your travel wardrobe doesn’t come at the cost of the environment.

Insider’s Tip

Use the app to discover local, sustainable brands in your travel destination, supporting local businesses and reducing your carbon footprint.

2. Eco Companion

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Drazen Zigic

Eco Companion transforms how you plan your trips, focusing on eco-tourism and sustainable accommodations. This app curates a selection of the world’s most environmentally responsible eco-tours and lodgings, emphasizing wildlife and conservation experiences. It offers an in-depth look into each option’s sustainability efforts, from energy efficiency to community engagement. This ensures that your travel choices minimize negative environmental impact and actively contribute to conservation and local well-being. With Eco Companion, you’re not just traveling but making a difference.

Insider’s Tip

Look for experiences that include interaction with local conservation experts to better understand the area’s ecological initiatives.

3. Green Globe

Image Credit: Shutterstock / FabrikaSimf

Green Globe is your digital guide for finding sustainable travel options worldwide. This app lists hotels, attractions, and even conference centers that adhere to rigorous sustainability criteria. Each listing includes detailed sustainability profiles and reports, making choosing accommodations and activities that meet your green standards easy. Whether you’re looking for a sustainable city hotel or an eco-friendly beach resort, Green Globe helps you make travel choices that are responsible, ethical, and environmentally sound.

Insider’s Tip

Use the app’s map feature to find certified sustainable stays near your destination, ensuring convenience without compromising your green standards.

4. Almond

Image Credit: Shutterstock / STEKLO

Almond is an app for the environmentally conscious traveler looking to understand and mitigate their carbon footprint. This innovative app lets you scan product barcodes to reveal their carbon footprint, suggesting more sustainable alternatives. It also rewards your eco-friendly choices with “conscious coins,” which can be used for future sustainable purchases or donated to environmental causes. Almond is a tool that empowers you to make travel choices that are better for the planet, from the food you eat to the products you use.

Insider’s Tip

Use Almond to scan food and drink products while traveling, helping you make more eco-friendly choices.

5. HappyCow

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Postmodern Studio

HappyCow is a lifesaver for vegan and vegetarian travelers, offering a worldwide comprehensive directory of plant-based dining options. Adopting a plant-based diet significantly reduces your environmental impact, and HappyCow makes it convenient, even in unfamiliar places. With its extensive database of vegan, vegetarian, and veg-friendly restaurants, complete with user reviews and ratings, finding sustainable and delicious dining options has never been easier.

Insider’s Tip

Use HappyCow’s trip planning feature to create a list of must-visit eateries in your destination.

6. OLIO

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Postmodern Studio

OLIO connects you with local communities to share surplus food, reducing waste and fostering a sense of connection. This app is perfect for travelers who want to minimize food waste while traveling. Whether staying in self-catering accommodations or simply having excess food, OLIO allows you to share it with others rather than letting it go to waste. It’s a great way to experience local cuisine, meet locals, and contribute positively to the community you’re visiting.

Insider’s Tip

If staying in a self-catering accommodation, use OLIO to source local ingredients and reduce food waste during your stay.

7. Litterati

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Litterati

Litterati is an app that tackles global littering in a creative and community-driven way. As a traveler, you can contribute to keeping the destinations you visit clean and pristine by using the app to photograph, tag, and dispose of litter. It turns environmental responsibility into a fun and engaging activity, allowing you to be part of a global effort to clean up our planet. This app helps improve the places you visit and fosters a sense of global community and shared responsibility for our environment.

Insider’s Tip

Join or organize a litter clean-up in your travel destination through the app, making a tangible difference in the local environment.

8. Ecosia Travel

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Ralf Liebhold

Ecosia Travel extends the tree-planting mission of the Ecosia search engine to your hotel bookings. Most of the commission is directed towards global reforestation projects when you use this platform to book your stay. It’s an effortless yet impactful way to ensure that your travel accommodations contribute to crucial environmental efforts. By choosing Ecosia Travel, your journey supports the planting of trees around the world, aiding in carbon absorption and ecosystem restoration.

Insider’s Tip

Use Ecosia as your primary search engine while planning your trip to maximize your contribution to their tree-planting initiative.

9. MyClimate

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Girts Ragelis

MyClimate is a comprehensive app for calculating and offsetting your carbon footprint. This tool allows you to measure the environmental impact of your flights, car travel, and daily activities. MyClimate offers a transparent and effective way to mitigate your travel impact by providing options to contribute to climate protection projects. It’s an essential app for those committed to responsible travel, ensuring that your adventures don’t come at the planet’s expense.

Insider’s Tip

Regularly track your carbon footprint during your trip to stay conscious of your environmental impact and offset accordingly.

10. Water-Refill Stations

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Octus_Photography

The Water-Refill Stations app is a game-changer for reducing single-use plastic during your travels. It helps you locate nearby water refill stations, allowing you to refill your reusable bottle easily. This is particularly useful in destinations where tap water isn’t potable. By using this app, you contribute to lessening plastic pollution and promoting a culture of sustainability in the places you visit.

Insider’s Tip

Carry a collapsible water bottle to save space in your luggage and refill it at these stations.

11. REI Co-op National Parks Guide

Image Credit: Shutterstock / PREMIO STOCK

The REI Co-op National Parks Guide is an indispensable tool for the eco-conscious explorer venturing into the U.S. national parks. This comprehensive app offers detailed maps, trail information, and sustainability tips for visiting these natural wonders. It ensures that your natural adventures are respectful and informed, helping you enjoy the parks responsibly while minimizing your environmental impact.

Insider’s Tip

Utilize the app’s offline feature to access park information without needing mobile data or Wi-Fi.12. JouleBug

JouleBug is an interactive app that makes sustainable living fun and engaging, even when you’re traveling. It turns eco-friendly actions into a game where you can earn badges and compete with friends for being the most environmentally conscious. The app includes challenges for energy conservation, waste reduction, and sustainable habits, perfect for travelers who want to maintain their green lifestyle. JouleBug also offers tips and how-to videos, making it easier to adopt sustainable practices in your daily routine, no matter where you are in the world.

Insider’s Tip

Participate in community challenges on JouleBug to connect with other eco-conscious travelers and locals, sharing tips and experiences.

The Bottom Line

As an eco-conscious traveler, these sustainable travel apps are your allies in making responsible choices. They empower you to make a positive impact through ethical fashion choices with Good on You, eco-friendly accommodation bookings with Ecosia Travel, or contributing to local communities with OLIO. Remember, sustainable travel is about more than just seeing the world; it’s about leaving it better than you found it. Let these apps guide you towards a more conscious and responsible way of exploring, ensuring that your adventures today contribute to a greener and more sustainable world tomorrow.