Tips for sustainable travel in Luxembourg
Luxembourg strives to be a destination encouraging sustainable tourism. We want to play our part and have compiled 7 tips for sustainable tourism in Luxembourg!
Car-free travel
In 2020, Luxembourg became the first country in the World to offer all forms of public transport (buses, trams, trains) completely free of charge to residents and tourists alike. While Google Maps works quite well to plan your trips, we recommend the use of Luxembourg’s very own transportation planner, www.mobiliteit.lu, to plan your journeys within the country.
Bring a reusable drinking bottle
To our knowledge, tap water is safe to drink anywhere in Luxembourg – and certainly within our hostels. All our in-house restaurants offer free tap-water, and we encourage anyone heading out for a daytrip to fill up their drinking bottles at our hostels.
Try to be conscious about resources
It’s quite easy to save resources daily by following a few very simple steps that we try to remind of guests of: When you leave the room, switch off the lights, turn down the heaters, and close the windows. Don’t keep the tap running when brushing your teeth. And next time you take the lift, ask yourself whether you would rather burn calories or electricity.
Support local businesses
Like pretty much everywhere else in the World, the most common international café and fast-food chains are represented in Luxembourg. However, rest assured that for just about any of these international chains, an (oftentimes superior) local equivalent exists!
Immerse yourself in the local culture
Despite being sandwiched between bigger nations and despite its small size, Luxembourg boasts a strong national identity and cultural heritage. Exploring the country’s museums, nature reserves and traditional festivities is a great pay your respects to the local community, employees and volunteers responsible for maintaining this offer.
How you book makes a huge difference
Did you know that when booking your stay through an OTA (online travel agency), 10-15% of the price you pay goes to the OTA instead of your accommodation? While it’s certainly convenient to use OTAs for your travel planning, direct bookings ensure that your accommodation can better cover costs and has more money available to reinvest into the quality of your stay. Think about who most benefits from having more staff, a better breakfast buffet, nicer amenities and a wider range of services: Guests such as yourself.
See something? Say something!
At Luxembourg’s youth hostels, we are proud of our efforts with regards to encouraging sustainable tourism. However, if you see something that could be improved in our hostels, don’t be shy to voice your opinion. Either approach a member of staff or fill in the digital post-departure questionnaire that includes a section on sustainability. We evaluate feedback regularly and are always happy to receive constructive criticism.
