Sustainable Travel with Kids: 10 Eco‑Friendly Family Adventure Tips

Travelling with children is always an adventure – but can it be a sustainable one too? We think so! Over the past year, we’ve been finding simple, budget-friendly ways to explore the outdoors as a family while leaving a lighter footprint. Whether it’s weekend walks, van life road trips, or picnic pit stops, these eco-friendly habits help us enjoy nature without costing the earth (literally or financially).

Here are 10 ways we try to make our family travels more sustainable – and how you can too, without any pressure to be perfect.

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1. Choose Foot-Powered Adventures

If we can walk it or bike it, we do. Walking isn’t just free – it’s the greenest way to travel. For local days out, we’ll often start straight from the front door or park up once and explore from there. Bonus: tired legs make for excellent naps later.

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2. Travel Smart in the Campervan

Vangelina the Van lets us explore further without constant hotel stays or takeaways. We batch locations to cut mileage, and once we have the kitchen, we will bring reusable kit for cooking, and plan stops with refill points for water. The boys will even help set up the solar panel when we get it, and are already brilliant at sorting the recycling.

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3. Pack Waste-Free Snacks & Meals

Reusable snack bags, beeswax wraps, tupperware pots, refillable water bottles – we pack them all. It’s cheaper, tidier, and way better for the planet than endless crisp packets and cling film. Don’t get me wrong – chocolate and crisps still sneak in, but the wrappers come home too and join our soft-plastics recycling bag that get taken back to the supermarket each week!

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4. Embrace Second-Hand Outdoor Gear

Children grow fast, and outdoor gear isn’t cheap. We love hand-me-downs, Vinted finds, and charity shop gems. Once our two have outgrown theirs, we pass it on again. Bonus: pre-loved gear is already slightly muddy, so no stress about keeping it pristine. 😅

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5. Leave No Trace – or Better Yet, Leave It Better

Our boys now know: if you brought it in, take it out. That includes banana peels, snack wrappers, and even loo roll (yep – we pack a separate compostable bag just for waste).

We also try to leave places better than we found them, whether it’s picking up a rogue bottle or reminding the boys not to trample bluebells.

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6. Teach Kids to Respect the Outdoors

We chat about why we stick to paths, avoid trampling or picking wildflowers, and keep quiet near wildlife. Children are naturally curious – they just need us to model mindful behaviour. And yes, sometimes that means explaining why pine cones or that cool stick have to stay in the forest.

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7. Keep a Ready-to-Go Eco Kit

In our adventure bag: reusable water bottles, bamboo cutlery, compact picnic mat, and compostable bags, to name a few! It stops us needing throwaway extras mid-trip, and makes spontaneous adventures way easier.

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8. Skip the Single-Use Toiletries

For van trips or longer hikes, we’ve got refillable soap, refillable hand sanitiser and reusable crockery and cutlery. They’re light, leak-proof, and cut down on packaging!

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9. Adventure Locally (Most of the Time)

There are hidden gems just a short drive (or cycle) away. We’ve fallen in love with places we used to drive past. Local adventures also mean less fuel, less stress, and more time outside instead of stuck on the motorway. If we want to travel far, we try to mix in two or more adventures from the same place, instead of having to come back.

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10. Progress Over Perfection

We’re not a zero-waste family. We sometimes forget bags, buy the odd wrapped snack, and get caught out by rogue juice boxes. We’re only human, but we’re trying, one small change at a time! We keep learning and involving the children – and that’s what matters most.

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Every Little Bit Counts

Being more eco-friendly on your family travels doesn’t mean doing it all perfectly. Honestly? We still forget our reusable forks, get caught out by last-minute snack buys, and have days where the van looks like a compost bin in a storm.

But that’s real life. And that’s what we hope to show here.

You don’t need zero-waste kits, picture-perfect hikes or matching eco-coats to raise outdoorsy children who care about the planet. You just need to start – with what you’ve got, where you are. One muddy walk, one hand-me-down boot, one reused sandwich bag at a time.

So if you’re figuring it out too – welcome. You’re in good company.

Got your own tip or totally un-glamorous green win? Drop it in the comments – I’d love to hear it – let’s build a trail-friendly tribe together. 💚