Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Travel Greener

Thinking about a destination holiday this Winter season? Maybe an exotic Christmas or New Year's? Eco-tourism has become big business and a viable travel option.

Eco-travel is typically based on principles of respect and working with the local community. Eco travel destinations usually buy local, hire local, and often reinvest funds to help the local community. There are some pretty amazing options out there for eco-friendly travel, but even if you're just confined to going to Grandma's this year, there are still things you can do to off-set your carbon footprint.

1. Escape Adventures.: is a US based Eco Tour company heavily favoring cycling destinations. Imagine biking Lake Tahoe, the Grand Canyon, or the volcanoes of Hawaii. The company also plans trips in a handful or more exotic locations like Belize and Argentina. Using a bike as your primary mode of transport once at your destination not only forces you to truly experience nature, but also drastically reduces your travel carbon footprint.

2. Green People.: offers a huge variety of eco-tour selections from hiking in the Himalayas to swimming with dolphins, or cycling around Russia. Being green while traveling never sounded like so much fun.

3. Equitrekking.: offers a great selection of equestrian vacations--another destination mode of transport that minimizes your carbon footprint. They cover everything from the Wild River Mountains in Wyoming to stopping along for a pint at various Irish castles to give your trusty steed a well-deserved rest.

Before you even set foot out the door, The Carbon Neutral Company is an excellent place to plan how to neutralize your travel footprint. The site will calculate how much CO2 is generated by your flight and give you resources to programs like the Future Forest where you can ensure trees are planted to off-set the carbon cost of your flight.

Expedia and Travelocity now both have a carbon off-set option when you book online. And using a Savings.com coupon for 20 to 40% off select hotels makes it all the easier to splurge on the supplies you might need to plant a tree at home upon your return.

Have you ever gone on an eco-friendly vacation, or do you plan to? Tell us about it in the comments section and check out our top ten green deals for more ways to save money--and the planet! And for some great deals on duds to spice up your trip follow me on Twitter @CoupieSavings for fashion deals.