Eco Travel Checker is a web app that helps individuals assess and minimize the environmental impact of their travel choices. It checks whether travel choices are hurting or saving nature.

The app considers various aspects of a trip, including transportation, accommodation, consumption, and waste, to help users make more sustainable travel decisions.

Eco Travel Checker can be accessed at this link: https://imfreee.com/eco-travel-checker/

Travel can harm the environment in several ways, but the impact depends on the type, scale, and practices involved. Here’s a breakdown:
Carbon Emissions: Transportation, especially air travel and cars, produces significant greenhouse gas emissions. For example, a single transatlantic flight can emit about 1 ton of CO2 per passenger, contributing to climate change.
Resource Depletion: Tourism often strains local resources like water and energy. Resorts and hotels in water-scarce areas, like parts of Bali or the Maldives, can overuse groundwater, leading to shortages for locals.
Habitat Destruction: Developing tourist infrastructure (hotels, roads, airports) can destroy ecosystems. For instance, coastal development in places like Cancun has damaged coral reefs and mangroves.
Wildlife Disturbance: Activities like safaris, diving, or hiking in sensitive areas can disrupt wildlife. In Antarctica, for example, tourist ships can disturb penguin colonies or introduce invasive species.
Waste and Pollution: High tourist volumes generate trash and sewage, often overwhelming local waste systems. Popular destinations like Mount Everest have faced issues with litter, including abandoned climbing gear.
Cultural and Environmental Overload: Over Tourism in places like Venice or Machu Picchu causes soil erosion, vegetation loss, and strain on historic sites due to excessive foot traffic.

Sustainable travel practices, like choosing low-emission transport (trains over planes), staying in eco-friendly accommodations, or supporting conservation-focused tourism, can reduce harm. Offsetting carbon emissions or visiting less-crowded destinations also helps.