17 Helpful Apps for Eco-Friendly Travellers

As a motorhome owner, you’ll both love the great outdoors and realise that our travel choices impact the environment. We can all make changes to protect our planet at home and when touring.

Whether that’s using our motorhome for a staycation rather than flying abroad, or simply carrying a refillable water bottle there are many ways to be greener on your travels this year. And this is where the latest technology can help eco-friendly travellers.

Before heading out make sure you have motorhome insurance to cover your cherished vehicle and you’ve downloaded at least one of these 10 apps to help our precious planet.

 

1. Refill – rehydrate and reduce plastics

What’s not to like? Saving money, reducing plastic and keeping you refreshed can all result from downloading this app.

It’s super straightforward. Rather than buying a bottle of water when out on a trek, simply use Refill to find a place to top-up your reusable water bottle for free.

Perfect if you feel uncomfortable asking random shop owners for a drink.

 

2. ReGAIN – save clothes from landfill

We all have unwanted clothes that have been on one too many camping trips.

Don’t just get rid of them, use this app to save them from landfill and maybe even get yourself a new hiking jacket in the bargain.

Use the app to send clothes, shoes and accessories to ReGAIN which then rewards you with digital vouchers for use on new clothes, homewares or even travel.

Your discarded clothes are then reused or recycled – a win-win!

 

3. Karma and Olio– useful yet tasty

Food waste is a huge issue for our modern society and there’s a whole range of food-related apps on offer.

Wherever your travels take you in the UK, Karma helps you to ‘rescue’ unsold food from otherwise being binned.

Restaurants, cafes and food shops simply post items on the app and you can then buy them for half price! Eco-conscious and delicious.

Meanwhile the Olio app connects you not only to local businesses but also neighbours.

So, if you’ve got lots of leftover home-grown tomatoes or a full fridge before you go on holiday, it’ll connect you with someone nearby who needs it.

Simply snap a photo and share your location with other app users.

 

4. Falling Fruit – foraging fun

Foraging is an eco-friendly and fun activity for all the family wherever your motorhome touring takes you.

But if you don’t know the local terrain it can be difficult to know where to look – particularly in urban areas.

Through Falling Fruit you can access a map to see all the foraging opportunities near your camp.

And if you come across any opportunities while on your walks, don’t keep them to yourselves – post them on the app to help others looking for a natural harvest.

 

5. Happy Cow – for a dairy and meat-free meal

There’s been a lot of comment recently that cutting meat and dairy from your diet is perhaps the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact.

The popular Happy Cow is a vegan-friendly restaurant app. It shows you places that are purely vegan, as well as those which offer at least something for vegetarians and vegans.

You can also use the app to review special places that you discover, thereby spreading the meat- and dairy-free vibes.

 

6. Love Clean Streets – caring for our local environment

Leaving where you visit in a better condition than when you arrived is a great way to gain eco-credentials for your trip.

This app helps you report environmental problems like graffiti, fly tipping and potholes that you encounter.

You report the issue to the app which notifies the relevant local authority and keeps you updated on what action is taken and when. A powerful app for measurable change at a local level.

 

7. BeachClean – protecting our marine life

Parking up next to one of our beautiful UK beaches is the perfect opportunity to indulge in a spot of beach cleaning.

Picking up just one piece of rubbish could save a marine animal's life while tagging it could inspire others to do the same.

The app also collects data on the type of rubbish being found and helps identify pollution.

 

8. Oroeco – check your carbon

As a motorhome driver, you’ll be well aware of the need to cut back on our carbon footprint.

Oroeco tracks everything from walking instead of driving to the perfect wildlife spotting location to energy efficiency in your motorhome.

The app encourages you to make small changes to your lifestyle that all add up to big changes to the environment.

 

9. Ecosia – save the trees while you search

Save the forests while searching the web? What a great idea! Switch your search engine to Ecosia and when you surf the web, you’ll be doing good for the planet.

Ecosia uses the profits it makes from ads to plant trees around the world. You can even watch your forest grow as you search for motorhome insurance!

 

10. Images of Change – time for thought

When looking out over the beautiful landscape of areas like the Lake District, we can easily be lulled into a false sense of security as to the planet’s future.

A stark reminder of how precious the Earth is and how it’s under threat is provided by NASA’s extraordinary app.

The app uses daily satellite shots to show you different locations around the world and how they’ve been damaged by environmental change. Humbling stuff.

 

Motorhome insurance to protect

While you’re spending time on your phone helping the planet, why not give Motorhome Protect a call to see how we could help you?

Our specialist team can search our panel of leading insurers to find you cover that suits your needs and your budget.

Benefits of insurance through us can include:

• Cover for camping personal effects for up to £3,000
• Cover for motorhomes with a value up to £150,000
• Unlimited mileage cover

Call Motorhome Protect on 01865 8184341 to get a quick quote for motorhome insurance today.

Policy benefits and features offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.