When planning your next trip, consider checking your green options first.

Mini disclaimer: I don’t aim to cover all options in this one post.

There are of course labels for eco friendly accommodations; there are non-profits that take care of socio-economic impact of your long-distance travel to exotic far-away destinations; there are regional and “slow” travel concepts like monasteric guesthouses; there are companies that offer CO2-compensations for frequent flyers worrying about their CO2 footprint.

It’s to cover those topics and to talk about my favourite destinations that I’ve started my green and slow travel series as well as the blog category ECO TRAVEL.

Today I’d like to show you three platforms that I use when planning my European travels. I resort to more conventional booking systems if there’s nothing available here, but this is where I look first.
As always, no sponsored posts, no ads, no affiliates.

Green Pearls:
International Platform for Unique Destinations

Founded in 2013 in Germany, Green Pearls is a platform for sustainable, unique, very modern upscale hotels, resorts and destinations – worldwide – to communicate their work. The criteria are quite flexible (but also transparent) to ensure the individual, hand-picked character of Green Pearls members. Many members are trailblazers in terms of urban eco gardening or recycling programmes.
The website has a search tool but no booking system. Instead, it provides a link to booking partners.

Green Tourism:
UK Certification Programme

Offering a few destinations in Canada, Italy and Zimbabwe, Green Tourism‘s main focus are England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and the Channel Islands. Planning a “who wants to live forever” tour in the Highlands? A business trip to London? Holiday parks, luxury resorts, golf hotels, b&b, even language schools are available.
Pop over to Green-Tourism.com, use their search engine, jump to the website of your favourite and book away.

Bio Hotels:
European Eco-Friendly Holidays

With listings of sustainable hotels and resorts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Greece and Spain, Bio Hotels offer holiday destinations for wellness & weddings, golf & gourmet, family & fitness – that kind of fun, to book right away. Business hotels are listed but not many.
Additional service: a searchable online guide to organic restaurants with filters such as “fasting” or “food intolerance”.

I hope this was helpful for those of you planning a travel, maybe your annual leave, and interested in one of the destinations covered by these organisations.