Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
45
www.greenhotels.com
r ecommends g reen-rated member hot els ar ound
the world that fulfill the c ompany's stringent environmental requirements.
Also c onsult
www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com
f or mor e g reen
accommodation ratings.
• At hotels, request that your sheets and towels not be changed daily. (Many
hotels alr eady ha ve pr ograms like this in plac e.) Turn off the lights and
air-conditioner (or heat er) when y ou leave your room.
• Use public transport where possible—trains, buses and even taxis are more
energy-efficient f orms of transpor t than driving . E ven bett er is t o walk
or c ycle; y ou'll pr oduce z ero emissions and sta y fit and health y on y our
travels.
• If renting a car is nec essary, ask the r ental agent f or a h ybrid, or r ent the
most fuel-efficient car a vailable. You'll use less gas and sa ve money at the
tank.
• Eat at locally o wned and operat ed restaurants that use pr oduce grown in
the area. This contributes to the local ec onomy and cuts do wn on g reen-
house gas emissions by supporting restaurants where the food is not flown
or trucked in acr oss long distanc es. Visit
Sustain Lane
(w ww.sustainlane.
org) to find sustainable eating and drink ing choices around the U .S.; also
check out
www.eatwellguide.org
for tips on eating sustainably in the U .S.
and Canada.
2
in the most or dinary situations. S tart at
the information desk at whatev er attrac-
tion y ou're visiting, and make a plan to
meet there in case y ou and y our kids get
split up.
Another tip is to
use public transpor-
tation.
I f y ou ar e driving in to the city ,
park in a central location and walk or take
the El or bus. D on't plan on taking a cab
with small childr en unless y ou want to
carry a car seat with y ou. S ome par ents
find trains to be easier with childr en than
buses because y ou can r oll str ollers right
onto trains, and you don't have to stand on
a busy str eet corner as y ou would if wait-
ing for the bus.
Finally,
travel light
and av oid being
overburdened or distracted b y too much
gear. Carry water, juice, and snacks (down-
town, y ou will pay a ton to buy these
items). Also, be pr epared for a lack of
chain fast-food outlets.
major attractions, y ou may be able to
avoid taking a stroller because most places
rent them. If you do feel the need to bring
a stroller, make sure it's light and narrow—
some of the stur dy but wide str ollers ar e
hard to maneuver through city crowds and
narrow store aisles.
Several topics on the market offer addi-
tional tips to help y ou trav el with kids.
How to Take Great Trips with Your Kids
(The H arvard Common P ress; $9.95) is
full of good general advice that can apply
to travel anywhere.
Family Travel Times
(
&
888/822-4FTT
[822-4388]; www .
familytraveltimes.com) is an ex cellent
online newsletter updated twice monthly .
Subscriptions ar e $39 a y ear, $49 for 2
years. Sample articles are available on the
newsletter's website. Other recommended
family travel Internet sites include
Family
Travel F orum
(www .familytravelforum.
com), a compr ehensive site that offers
When visiting
