Travel green: A wanderer's journey

From train rides and bicycle tours to eco-friendly stays and community projects, mindful travel can be adventurous, meaningful, and leave a positive impact on the planet.

For me, travel has always been more than seeing new places. It means stepping into stories bigger than your own. Each trip becomes a lesson: in culture, connection, and in how our actions ripple across the environment.

Recently, I embarked on a journey I call green wanderlust. The goal was not just adventure, but to put in practice, things that I have learnt over the years about adventure that leaves a gentle footprint.

It began with a simple choice: to travel in ways that protect, sustain, and honour the places I visit.

Rails, roads and two wheels

I boarded The Madaraka Express, from Nairobi to Mombasa for an adventure that wove through rolling hills and bustling towns. From the window, I watched the world unfold, patchworks of farmland, rivers, and forests, and urban centres. I realised how much easier it is to absorb life’s lessons when travelling slowly, and sustainably. Trains, buses, even cycling, offer a rhythm to travel that cars and flights rarely give.

At my destination, the vibrant coastal town, I hired a tuk-tuk. The wind tangled my hair, the scent of salt and raw sand filled the air. Every turn revealed hidden corners, local markets, and stories of people protecting the coastline. This was not just the usual trip, it was immersion. Public transport, walking, and tuk-tuk rides  are invitations to feel a place with all your senses.

Sustainable and conservation travel also encompasses accommodation as part of the adventure. I chose an eco-friendly bed and breakfast, powered by solar panels. Ingredients were sourced from nearby farms, every meal felt like a gift to my taste buds.

From Michael Kasaine, a seasoned tour-guide, I had learnt that staying in green-certified lodgings teaches travelers a subtle truth: sustainability can feel luxurious, thoughtful, and nourishing.

Food choices became a conscious act, with plant-based meals, locally sourced produce, and restaurants that support farmers.

Sustainable travel extends to everyday actions: reusing towels, conserving energy, and packing light.

In a remote mountain village, in Kilifi, I volunteered at a sustainable farming project. Digging soil and planting seeds alongside villagers revealed the delicate, symbiotic relationship between people and the land.

Supporting local artisans, choosing eco-tours, and respecting wildlife are ways to leave behind something positive: not just memories, but tangible contributions to a thriving community.

Small impact

Every journey reminded me that travel is not about leaving marks, but about leaving the smallest possible impact while taking home the largest possible lessons. Conscious travel is a gift to the environment, the community, and to ourselves.

Sustainable travel is a mindset. It begins with asking questions, and so here I was, asking, the expert tour-guide how my choice of transport would affect the air I breathe? Which local businesses deserve my support, and if I could leave this place as beautiful as I found it, or even better?

On my journey, I discovered that conscious decisions do not limit the thrill of adventure; they enhance it. Observing wildlife responsibly, exploring by bike, dining on locally sourced meals, and interacting with communities all added layers of meaning to my travels.

Returning home, I carried a notebook full of discoveries and a renewed sense of responsibility. Sustainable travel is not about limitations, it is about possibility, and about exploring without harm, learning without exploitation, and inspiring others to follow suit.

Green wanderlust, I realised, is a journey that never truly ends. Each trip, each decision, each choice to travel with care, is part of a story worth telling, and retelling.