Holiday getaways are about switching off, reconnecting and creating new memories. For many families, this means the joy of time spent outdoors. Breakfasts cooked on a 'skottel', fires lit for a braai as dusk turns into evening, star gazing, muddy shoes after hillside walks, the fun of discovery. These are the moments children remember.
But holidays can also teach something far more lasting: nature is not only something we enjoy, but it is also something we learn to cherish and care for.
According to Onwaba Gonyora, Director at Brahman Hills in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, sustainable holidaymaking doesn’t have to be complicated. “Nor does it have to be difficult, expensive or perfect,” she says.
“It can start with a few small, eco-conscious choices, and a family holiday is a practical way to teach children that caring for nature isn’t a big separate act. It’s something we can build into everyday practices, from how we use water to how we leave a place behind.”
Gonyora shares six simple ways to leave a greener footprint this holiday:
1. How you get there counts: One of the biggest environmental choices families make happens before they even leave. Where possible, consider driving instead of flying, especially for local holidays. A road trip can also become part of the experience, giving families time to stop along the way and notice the landscape and hidden treasures around them. For example, those travelling along the N3 through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, spotting the mysterious Giant sculpture at Brahman Hills can add to the excitement of the journey.
2. Stay where sustainability matters: When booking your stay, look for accommodation that's making responsible environmental choices in practical, measurable ways. At Brahman Hills, for example, sustainability is part of our long-term approach, from operating 85% off-grid to harvesting rainwater, recycling greywater, using glass bottle refills and supporting biodiversity through our gardens.
3. Hang up your towels: Most hotels and resorts have towel reuse systems in place, but it’s easy to forget how they work. As a general rule, towels left on the floor are taken as a sign that they should be replaced, while towels hung up mean they can be used again. It is a small action, but it helps save water, energy and laundry resources.
4. Use water mindfully: A long, hot shower may feel like part of the holiday treat, but water remains one of our most precious resources. Shorter showers, properly closed taps and avoiding unnecessary water use all make a difference.
5. Save energy when you're out: Switch off lights, heaters, air conditioning and unnecessary plugs when leaving your room. In colder destinations, such as the Midlands, it also helps to turn off electric blankets once the bed is warm. Comfort and conservation can work together.
6. Leave nature as you found it: Whether you’re walking through gardens, enjoying a picnic, visiting a dam or exploring a forest trail, encourage children to leave natural spaces as they found them. That means not picking flowers, disturbing wildlife, littering, carving into trees or taking “souvenirs” from nature. One of the best lessons kids can learn is to look closely without taking. Pick up a leaf, admire it and put it back. Watch an insect without harming it. Take photographs instead of taking pieces of nature home.
Holidays give families time to slow down and notice things again: birds in the morning, grass under bare feet, the quiet of open space. These are the moments that cause children to fall in love with nature. And when you love something, you tend to care for it.
“The real legacy,” concludes Gonyora, “is not only the memories we make on holiday, but the world we leave behind. If we want our children’s children to enjoy these same views, these same gardens and these same quiet moments in nature 100 years from now, we need to start with the choices we make today.”
So, enjoy the holiday. Make the memories. Take the photographs. Savour the beauty around you. Just travel a little more gently while you do.
Looking for an eco‑friendly destination? Then visit brahmanhills.co.za to book your stay.
