Sustainable travel in Germany
Jul 22, 2020
Corona throwing a wrench in your travel plans this summer? With 16 national parks, 46 inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Sites and already summer temperatures, our home state is anything but a second-choice destination.
In this post we give you inspiration for your eco-friendly yoga holiday in Germany, where you don't have to miss out on adventure or relaxation. Not only will you support local tourism, but you'll also save yourself the stress of a long trip.
From chalk cliffs, deep forests and wide beaches to spas, high peaks and crystal clear lakes - our homeland has an incredible variety of landscapes to offer.
We seem to have forgotten how to appreciate the special beauty of our homeland. Because let's be honest, when was the last time you went hiking in the Harz Mountains or preferred a Baltic Sea beach holiday to a trip to an exotic country?
Even if the last months were nerve-wracking and we feel restricted, nature enjoys this phase of recovery without air pollution and mass tourism. One more reason to pay even more attention to sustainability on future trips.
How do I travel sustainably?
When travelling, a sustainable lifestyle is a bit more difficult to implement than in everyday life, because we don't have full control and are less familiar with the holiday destination. However, there are a few basic principles that will help you be sustainable on the road:
1. reduce your C02 emissions
1. reduce your C02 emissionsThe current situation already takes a decision away from you, because we can't fly to exotic countries at the moment anyway, or travel by plane is only slowly getting going again.
Instead, you now have the chance to switch to more environmentally friendly transport options such as trains or buses. For more flexibility, you can alternatively rent an electric car or hybrid, or opt for a bike tour.
2. support environmentally friendly accommodation and local businesses
Invest a little time in your search for sustainable tourism businesses that take their environmental responsibilities seriously, and shop local instead.
3. treat yourself to relaxation and deceleration
We are part of nature. Traveling greener means not only respecting the environment, but also yourself. Take your time, don't plan every free hour and pay attention to what your body needs. A vacation doesn't have to be productive, but regenerative.
4. become part of your environment
If you feel relaxed and want to get active during your holiday, there are numerous environmental projects where you can help as a volunteer. You can find projects for example on the page of Bergwaldprojekt.
Through interaction with nature, you create a connection between you and your environment. This connection grounds you and heightens your awareness of the interconnectedness of all life. And along the way, you'll learn a thing or two about our local ecosystem. Which landscape has always fascinated you?
Discover the best kept secrets of your homeland
Germany offers an incredible variety of landscapes. If you are looking for places for Yoga outdoorsIf you're looking for places to practice yoga, you'll find the Amazon of the North (the Peene), lakes as big as the sea, breathtaking panoramas and enchanted forests.
A paradise for hydrophiles
It splashes, it rushes and sometimes it is completely silent - water soothes our soul. The Peene, the Spreewald and numerous lakes like the Steinhuder Meer are perfect for a paddle tour or SUP yoga.
If instead you love the sound of the waves, there are numerous coastal resorts and islands along the North and Baltic Seas that offer long sandy beaches where you can practice your sunrise asanas undisturbed.
Between quiet valleys and breathtaking heights
You prefer it mountainous instead of flat? Then pack your hiking boots and explore the beautiful mountains in central and southern Germany. For example, discover the fascinating rocky world of Saxon Switzerland, where poets and artists once found inspiration for their creative works.
In the Bavarian National Park Berchtesgaden you can breathe fresh mountain air and find unique places of silence where you can meditate undisturbed.
On the trail of the forest spirits
Whether on a walk to the sacred Externsteine in the Teutoburg Forest, on a hike through the Black Forest or on a spiritual pilgrimage along the Pfälzer Jakobsweg - Germany offers beautiful places for forest bathing.
In places like Bad Salzuflen and Bad Harzburg, for example, particularly mineral-rich springs bubble up from the depths, which is why you can bathe in natural brine spas there.
You're spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a region - all that's missing now is the right accommodation.
Find the perfect green accommodation
Once you've decided where to go, all you need is sustainable accommodation. You can recognise environmentally friendly hotels by the fact that they use renewable energies, offer healthy and often organic cuisine and pay attention to sustainable equipment. Let yourself be inspired by these particularly green quarters:
The Happiness in sight Baltic Sea lodges are detached eco-lodges, surrounded by nature. The best: There is a private sauna. In the Tree house hotel Seemühle you feel like you're off the ground, floating among the tree tops. Back to basics' is the name of the game at this Nature cottage in the Black Forest. With no electricity and lots of luxury, this accommodation is made for true nature lovers. The Kunterbunt Hof on the Baltic Sea offers visitors a unique glamping experience on a farm with a view of the starry sky. At Biohotel at the Tyrolean Inn Valley you can relax with Ayurveda treatments and in the panorama spa. Always wanted to meditate in a real monastery? At the Abbey St. Hildegard this dream becomes reality.
Start your search on a booking portal for sustainable accommodation and browse for Places for sustainable travel. If yoga is to be the central part of your holiday, there are numerous retreats across Germany that you can take part in.
10 Sustainable Yoga Retreats in Germany
To find your center, you don't always have to travel to the other side of the world. For a few years now, there have been more and more yoga retreats in our home country. Here are our ten favorites for this summer:
The Make a wish retreat in the Eifel
According to the motto 'Everything can, nothing must' you can participate in this retreat depending on your mood.
Seven days Ayurveda Retreat in South Tyrol
Take care of your health with yoga and holistic medicine.
Sacred Feminine Healing Retreat on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn
Connect with your yin energy, let things happen and receive the wisdom of your environment.
Chakra Yoga Retreat on Hiddensee
Get to know your energy power centres better and experience the tranquillity of the car-free island of Hiddensee.
5 Elements Retreat with Yoga, Sound and Music in the Black Forest
Find relaxation between asanas and music. Bonus: You can also experience the retreat in Spanish and improve your language skills.
Lightness, Yoga and Dance Retreat
Dance your way free, relax with a Balinese full body massage and find your retreat in a teepee tent in the middle of nature.
Soul-Painting Summer-Retreat in the Ore Mountains
A combination of yoga, meditation and painting awakens your creative powers.
Go with the Flow Mountain Retreat in the Chiemgau
The flowing yoga practice is like a dance. Follow the beat of your heart and find your own rhythm.
Iyengar Yoga and Windsurfing on Rügen
Find your balance inside and on the water and enjoy the fresh sea air.
Silence Retreat: 10-Days Vipassana in the Vogtland
Escape the outside world and find the stillness within. The retreat is financed exclusively by donations from previous course participants and therefore does not charge any fees.
Travel sustainable, close and natural
Ready for your next adventure?
Ready for your next adventure?Whether you're a forest fox, a sun worshipper or a mountain climber - a yoga holiday in the heartland is no less adventurous than a retreat in exotic places. More sustainable, however. This is an invitation to refresh your relationship with your home and to appreciate it more.
Pack your suitcase and get ready for your sustainable summer experience
...and don't forget your LUVIYO.