Has your family begun planning any summer trips now that the winter season has begun? If so, this post will provide a breakdown of a number of the ways your family can remain environmentally conscious throughout your travels on the road. First, it’s important to understand one of the largest hinderances on every family’s travel plans: parking. Recent research indicates that Americans spend nearly 17 hours a year searching for parking spots. If your travel plans include any of the nation’s most beautiful hotspots, it’s almost a guarantee you’ll be waiting longer than the average. Getting the most out of any vacation is impossible while parking. Here are some strategies that can alleviate this lost time, in addition to maximizing fuel efficiency and decreasing your carbon footprint whilst traveling.
While inefficient in some ways, the most fuel-efficient travel option is public transportation. Reducing the wear and tear on the family vehicle is great, but public transportation can limit where your family can travel at a reasonable rate. Some families look to bus tours as an alternative for more travel freedom. Learning from these options can help your family’s next road trip as well. For example, bus tours are predicated on reducing vehicles on the road by carpooling with all the accompanied travelers. Take the same ideology with your family trip, minimize the number of cars necessary to fit your family.
Any road trip can leave your family’s vehicle with some wear and tear. Reducing the stress on the vehicle while traveling is imperative. Two of the most requested features of the vehicle, air condition and heating, often cause hinderance on long distance trips. Sparingly using these features can save a great deal of burden on your vehicle throughout the trip. Throughout the summer months, open the windows to circulate air rather than using air conditioning. Winter month traveling will require heating, but rather than immediately cranking the heating element upon start up, allow your vehicle to gradually heat itself up before turning up the heat. The speeds at which you travel matters, too. Higher speeds may reduce travel time, but it isn’t as healthy as maintaining speed limits for your vehicle.
Long-term travel plans will require some additional consideration. While these excursions typically require the vehicle to be cycled on and off, too much cycling can result in unnecessary carbon emissions being released. Try to minimize the amount of stops you have to make along the way. When stopping for extended periods of time, it is best to turn the vehicle off to save fuel but remain mindful of how often this cycling is occurring.
On the subject of parking, avoid being too picky. Rather than wasting time looking for the most optimal parking spot, select a parking space that seems most convenient in the moment. Even if it requires a bit of extra walking, it’s much better than waiting for the best spot. Less time spent worrying about parking is more time spent enjoying the adventure with your family. For more information on how to efficiently travel with the family, take a moment to check out the infographic paired alongside this post.
Author bio: Ian Todd is Director of Automated Parking Systems for Westfalia, a York, Pennsylvania-based manufacturer. Todd has more than 15 years of experience in automated parking systems in both Europe and the Americas, where he has held roles in product development, project management, marketing, and business development and sales.
