How to Travel Sustainably with the Latest Eco-Friendly Travel Apps

Andrea Smith
Mobile App Circular
5 min readApr 2, 2024

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Tourism has become an important activity in society and an even more important one to the economy. Be it to put up on social media or because of an intrinsic need to explore, people nowadays travel en-masse across the globe.

With this never-ending chain of excursions, travel mobile application development to address the environmental concerns it poses has been rising over the past years as well.

Pollution caused by active global tourism has become a major contributor to the emission of greenhouse gases. However, the desire to explore should not come at the cost of sacrificing our planet’s well-being.

Humanity strikes a delicate balance with every other living creature on the planet, and we must remember that failing to do at least as much will might very well end with us being hoisted up by our own proverbial petard.

This article aims to introduce to you the best and most practical travel application development services with eco-friendly features and insightful tips.

Why We Need Sustainable Travel Mobile App Development

We are living in a time where the deteriorating state of our livable environment has become a boogeyman story that people try to look away from.

Though often ignored because tourism is a major economic driver, it is estimated that between 2009 and 2013, the global carbon footprint of tourism increased from 3.9 to 4.5 gigatons of CO2 per year.

According to a study, transport, shopping, and food are the main contributors to this, and today, these activities alone are responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions. This number is expected to more than double by the year 2030 according to a report published by United Nations World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) in 2020.

You may feel that you alone are too small in the face of these troubles to make any impact whatsoever, but even a minuscule effort to manage your emissions from transportation and choosing eco-conscious establishments can make an incredible amount of difference on the macro scale.

The Best Eco-Friendly Travel App Development Services

Eco-Friendly Travelling

Sustainable commuting is a crucial part of exploring the world without leaving behind a negative impact.

1. BlaBlaCar

The travel application development states that its mission is to “reduce the number of empty seats on the roads” and in doing so, reduce air pollution.

Essentially, the app allows you to connect with people in your vicinity with whom you can carpool, that too for a fraction of what travelling alone would cost.

To avail of the service, you need to schedule and book your travel, preferably a few hours ahead of when you want to be on the road.

2. Spinlister

The travel mobile app development service allows peer-to-peer bicycle lending that lists local bicycle lenders.

If you are physically able and do not mind expending a bit of effort in commuting, the app can help you easily find bicycle lenders in your location, helping you travel in a more environmentally friendly way, rather than travelling by car.

3. HopStop

A certified B Corporation (Good Business Standard company with a positive impact on its employees, suppliers, community, and the environment), the travel app development company provides a location-based service in several major cities.

The travel application development services help you to identify the best transit, walking, or biking route instead of driving a car, to minimize your carbon footprint.

Eco-Friendly Stay Booking

The implementation of energy-saving measures, water conservation, and waste reduction practices can significantly reduce the impact of one’s stay.

1. Expedia App

The travel booking app development company has an “Eco-certified” filter. A property type is designated as “eco-certified” if it possesses a voluntary certification from certain national bodies and international organizations, for example — the Green Key Award, the EU Commission Ecolabel, and Green Globe.

The certification makes it easier for travel booking app development companies to filter out providers that are truly eco-conscious.

2. Hopper Trees

The Hopper Trees travel app development company employs an old yet straightforward method to offset carbon emissions by planting 2 trees for every booking in the app.

They report that a single tree in its lifetime could offset more than double the estimated CO2 emissions from a flight or hotel booking

3. BookDifferent

The travel booking app development hosts eco-certified hotels of this label on four metrics i.e.- management, fair & local, culturally friendly, and nature & environment.

The hotels are marked with the bookdifferent.com “stay green check score” based on their performance on these metrics.

The ecolabels hosted on BookDifferent are qualified based on their compliance with three criteria -

1. Publicly available standard

2. Third-party audit

3. Onsite assessment

Eating at Eco-Friendly Establishments

1. Nosh Planet

Providing travel app development services designed to help users discover restaurants that prioritize sustainability, Nosh Planet uses your location to find eateries offering eco-friendly dining options near you.

The travel application development services provide detailed information about the sustainability practices of the listed restaurants besides their menu options and customer reviews.

2. GreenChoice

GreenChoice is made by a tourism app development company that rates products and eateries based on sustainability practices. It lets you scan barcodes in grocery stores to get information or search for the greenest options of restaurants nearby.

The travel app development services let you apply filters using detailed information about a restaurant’s sourcing, ingredient quality, and eco-friendliness.

3. HappyCow

A travel app development company that is popular for its database of vegan, vegetarian, and veg-friendly restaurants worldwide. It helps those looking to minimize their environmental impact by choosing plant-based dining options.

Users can filter restaurants based on various criteria, such as vegan, vegetarian, or even gluten-free options.

Allowing you to find places that cater to your specific dietary needs while being environmentally conscious has helped this travel mobile application development company create a niche among tourism app development providers.

Measuring Your Carbon Footprint

1. OnePlanet

The app assesses your daily carbon footprint by tracking various aspects of your lifestyle and generating a carbon score that reflects the environmental impact of your actions.

Only offering tips, challenges, and suggestions of eco-friendly transportation options sets this travel mobile application development effort apart from other app development for touristic companies.

2. EarthHero

The travel app developers have provided a carbon footprint calculator that focuses on promoting sustainable shopping choices.

It provides specific information on eco-friendly products by scanning barcodes and contains options for alternatives with a lower environmental impact.

Conclusion

We are all citizens of the world and it is our right and obligation to explore, experience, or at least be aware of the beautiful people, places, and cultures our planet has to offer.

It is our fortune that travel mobile application development available today allows us to live more sustainable lives, and make choices, however small, that contribute towards the greater good.

Through small yet united actions assisted with these travel app development services, we can pave the way toward a healthier and more sustainable world and leave the world better than we found it for future generations to come.

The responsibility to protect our planet rests with us, and these apps can become handy allies that make doing so a lot less cumbersome.

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Writer at Q3 Technologies. | A Tech Geek | Passion for Writing about Programming & Tech