Sustainable travel in Germany

Jul 22, 2020

Corona has put a crimp in your travel plans for this summer? With 16 national parks, 46 registered UNESCO World Heritage Sites and already summery temperatures, our home is anything but a second choice destination.

In this article we give you inspiration for your environmentally friendly yoga vacation in Germany, where you don't have to give up adventure or relaxation. This way you not only support local tourism, but also save yourself the stress of a long journey.From chalk cliffs, deep forests and wide beaches to spas, high peaks and crystal clear lakes - our home country has an incredible variety of landscapes to offer.

It seems that we have forgotten how to appreciate the special beauty of our homeland. For let's be honest, when was the last time you went hiking in the Harz mountains or did you prefer a Baltic Sea beach holiday to a trip to an exotic country?

Even if the last months have been nerve-wracking and we feel restricted, nature enjoys this phase of recreation without air pollution and mass tourism. One more reason to pay even more attention to sustainability in future trips.

How do I travel sustainably?

When travelling, a sustainable lifestyle is a little more difficult to implement than in everyday life, because we do not have full control and are less familiar with our holiday destination. Nevertheless, there are a few basic principles that you can use to be sustainable while travelling:

1. reduce your C02 emissions

The current situation is already taking a decision away from you, because we can't fly to exotic countries at the moment anyway, and 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 also rent an electric car or hybrid, or you can choose to take a bike ride.

2. support environmentally friendly accommodation and local businesses

Invest a little time in your search for sustainable tourism companies that take their ecological responsibility seriously and prefer to buy from local suppliers.

3. allow yourself to relax and slow down

We are part of nature. Travelling more environmentally friendly 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 holiday does not have to be productive, but regenerative.

4. become part of your environment

If you are feeling rested and want to be active during your holiday, there are numerous environmental projects you can help with as a volunteer. You can find projects for example at the page of Bergwaldprojekt.

By interacting with nature you create a connection between you and your environment. This connection grounds you and sharpens your awareness of the interdependence of all life. And along the way you learn about our native ecosystem. Which landscape has always fascinated you?

Discover the best-kept secrets of your homeland

Germany offers an incredible variety of landscapes. Are you looking for places for Outdoor Yogayou will definitely find what you are looking for between 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 calms 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 towns 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 mountainous terrain to flat? Then pack your hiking boots and explore the beautiful mountains in central and southern Germany. Discover, for example, the fascinating rock 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 Palatinate Jacob's Way - Germany offers wonderful places for forest bathing.

By the way, in places like Bad Salzuflen and Bad Harzburg, particularly mineral-rich springs bubble up from the depths, which is why you can bathe in natural brine thermal springs there.

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a region - now all you need is the right accommodation.

Find the perfect green accommodation

Once you have decided where you want to go, all you need is sustainable accommodation. Environmentally friendly hotels can be recognized 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. Best of all, there is a private sauna. At . Baumhaushotel Seemühle you feel as if you are detached from the ground and float between the tops of the trees. Back to Basics' is the motto of this Nature cottage in the Black Forest. Without electricity and a lot of luxury this accommodation is made for real nature lovers. The Kunterbunt court 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. You 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 Places for sustainable travel. If yoga should be the central part of your holiday, there are numerous retreats all over Germany in which you can participate.

10 sustainable Yoga Retreats in Germany

To find your center, you do not always have to travel to the other end of the world. Since a few years there are also more and more Yoga Retreats in our home country. Here are our ten favourites for this summer:

The Make a wish for a 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 surroundings.

Chakra Yoga Retreat at Hiddensee

Get to know your energy power centres better and experience the peace and quiet 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 free, relax with a Balinese full body massage and find your retreat in a tepee tent in the middle of nature.

Soul-Painting Summer Retreat in the Erzgebirge

A combination of yoga, meditation and painting will awaken your creative powers.

Go with the Flow Mountain Retreat in Chiemgau

The flowing yoga practice resembles a dance. Follow the beat of your heart and find your own rhythm.

Iyengar Yoga and windsurfing on complaints

Find your balance inside and on the water and enjoy the fresh sea air.

Silence Retreat: 10 Days Vipassana in the Vogtland

Escape from the outside world and find the silence inside. The retreat is financed exclusively by donations from former students and therefore there are no fees.

Travel sustainable, close and naturalReady for your next adventure?

Whether you are a forest fox, sun worshipper or mountain climber - a yoga vacation in Germany is no less adventurous than a retreat in exotic distance. But it is always more lasting. This is an invitation to refresh your relationship with your home country and to appreciate it more.

Pack your suitcase and get ready for your sustainable summer experience

...and don't forget your LUVIYO.