Why simply reusing your hotel towel isn't saving the planet

For a long time, travellers believed a comfortable lie about ecotourism: that simply reusing a hotel bathroom towel could offset the environmental toll of a long flight.

This passive approach to ecotourism has allowed travellers to feel good while doing very little to change real behaviour on the ground.

But the good news is there are still plenty of ways a traveller can be environmentally and socially conscious while holidaying, it just takes a little bit of work.

Curtin University's Professor Kirsten Holmes said true sustainability begins when a holidaymaker considers the ramifications of their visit, both positive and negative.

"You've got to think 'when I go somewhere, what impact am I going to have? What can I do to leave the most beneficial outcome of my visit?'" she said.

Here are 10 ways to be a more thoughtful traveller.

World-famous holiday hotspots, such as Venice, Barcelona, Santorini and Kyoto, are struggling with over-tourism.

Over-tourism pushes delicate ecosystems and communities to a breaking point, but travellers can ease this pressure by spreading their footprint elsewhere.

Plan trips that bypass saturated global hotspots completely or only visit during their quieter, off-season times.

Griffith University Professor of Tourism Susanne Becken said, "Avoiding major hotspots, or at least avoiding peak times, will alleviate some impact."

Viral social media posts can create overnight tourist destinations, meaning that fragile natural environments become overwhelmed with rubbish and crowds.

"Someone posts a destination online, and then everyone says, 'Oh, we've all got to go there now'. But how do [local operators] manage that sudden influx of people?" Professor Holmes said.

Omitting location details from social media posts can be a great way to discourage over-tourism, she said.

Truly sustainable tourism means leaving behind daily habits, like taking a long shower, and adapting to the local reality.

Professor Becken recommends researching the constraints of your destination before you arrive and adjusting your habits accordingly.

Immersing yourself in a useful, hands-on task is one of the best ways to ensure an area is truly better off because you visited.

Instead of holidaying for pure relaxation, volunteer for a beach clean-up or other practical, local project, Professor Holmes said.

"It's about trying to leave the destination in a better state than when you went," she said.

The environmental toll of flying internationally makes frequent trips unsustainable, so if you're heading overseas, make the most of the time you have.

Professor Becken said travellers should prioritise destinations that are close to home, or book fewer but longer trips.

"We need to think about whether travel closer to home could be equally fulfilling ... If we travel long haul, perhaps we can stay longer, making it really worthwhile," she said.

If you're spending your travel budget at multinational hotels and corporate restaurant chains, the money is likely not finding its way back into the local economy.

"Buying local products is really important. That creates local employment, reduces transportation footprints," Professor Becken said.

Don't blindly rely on a resort's slick marketing or sustainability claims on their homepage.

Professor Holmes recommended checking if the business has been certified by an independent body, such as Ecotourism Australia.

Sustainable travel involves the community, asking what types of tourism they want in their area.

A responsible traveller seeks out experiences that have been shaped and approved by the locals themselves, rather than forced upon a neighbourhood by outside tourism operators, Professor Holmes said.

Real traveller feedback provides an on-the-ground reality check, so it's worth reading online customer reviews of the hotel, tour or destination.

By scanning the spectrum of crowd-sourced reviews, you can cross-examine a business's real-world practices against their environmental marketing.

Did you spot dodgy practices while on holiday? Use your voice as a consumer and contribute to online reviews to give fellow travellers a true idea of what they're booking.

Call out unsustainable practices such as unnecessary plastic waste or poor treatment of wildlife.

"Reporting unsustainable practices in reviews is also likely to trigger response by a business. If enough guests complain ... then the business might see an incentive in changing," Professor Becken said.