Hostels

For people who worry about what their travel footprint may be, ecotourism can help eliminate a little of the guilt. Eco type hostels are springing up and in some good places. Whether you are traveling on your own or with a family, these places offer some very good budgeted rooms.

Most of the best eco hostels will be found in Costa Rica, of course, but Brazil, Ecuador and even Spain have some good ones. Theres a fantastic cattle ranch in Brazil where you can stay and work. You have to sign up with Hostel Ecological Expeditions but its worth it to get to this deep in the jungle location. Of course, the South American countries are going to have the most beautiful scenery and if you are on the road for a long time, you should definitely check out that part of the world. But you will find hostels in bigger cities making the eco effort. Washington, D.C. The HI there is lovely and is up to the minute in eco technology, and the same can be said for the High Street Hostel in Edinburgh. Its 100% carbon neutral and thats a big claim for a hip place to stay. Check out how they do it all if you stay there. More and more youll start to find the concept of being eco minded. Afterall, its a state of mind and an ongoing theory.
And if you are into sustainable travel, it is well worth doing research before you take off. If you stay well-informed and mind some cultural rules like dont haggle too hard and dont give things away too indiscriminately, youll leave an area having done your part to sustain its ecology. Its hard to put away the camera at times, but do it.