Pioneering Horsham start-up shares five ways we can all be more water-conscious this holiday season

While climate change and population growth are two of the leading drivers of water scarcity, where we travel, when we travel, and our behaviour while we’re on holiday, are also having a detrimental effect on water reserves and the local communities that are reliant on them.

As we come into peak holiday season, Showerkap, a technology that combines engineering and behavioural science to reduce water waste, has put together five simple steps each of us can take to mitigate our impact on the water crisis.

Take the road less travelled

If you’re still at the planning stage, you can research the level of water risk at your intended destination. By using water scarcity maps like this one, you can choose to visit less water stressed areas, meaning that your trip is less likely to exacerbate water supplies for populations struggling with water scarcity.

It’s also worth considering destinations that are off the beaten track. Instagram hot spots are far more likely to experience overcrowding, which not only puts a damper on the tourist experience, but also puts pressure on local resources – including water supplies.

Another simple step can be changing your travel dates. Going off season can help to reduce over-tourism and the negative impact your trip may have on communities where demand for resources outstrips supply.

Choose hotels with sustainable water practices

Hotels are huge consumers of precious water resources. Swimming pools, steam rooms and wasteful laundry practices all contribute to high water consumption. So when searching for accommodation, it’s important to consider its environmental credentials.

The good news is that growing numbers of eco-conscious establishments are putting water saving measures in place to mitigate their impact on local communities and to contribute to more secure and sustainable water supplies. Look for hotels that have implemented measures such as reusing rainwater or greywater, or those that have installed water-saving shower heads and tap aerators to limit the flow of water. To help with this, Booking.com has a ‘sustainability certification’ that allows you to select hotels that have met established sustainability standards.

For example, Samba Hotel in Lloret de Mar, Spain, has implemented a wastewater reuse system to collect and treat the greywater from over 400 rooms, allowing it to be reused for toilet flushing. This has saved 260 million litres of water, equivalent to 80 Olympic-sized pools.

By picking a hotel with sustainable practices, you can go some way to ensuring that your trip isn’t damaging the local environment.

Check your water use

Did you know that a hotel room typically uses around 1,500 litres every day – around 8 times more water than some local populations?

Reducing your water use when on holiday can therefore make a significant difference. This includes taking shorter showers, limiting baths or showers to once daily, ensuring taps and showers are turned off when you leave the room and only requesting fresh towels when necessary.

Even seemingly small steps can make a big difference. For example, by turning off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth or shaving, you can save around6 litres of water a minute.

Speak up!

If you notice a leak around the hotel, a running toilet or a dripping tap, report it so that someone can address the issue and prevent further water waste. Assuming that someone else will take action could mean that the problem continues to go unnoticed. Your vigilance can make a significant difference in conserving water and maintaining the hotel's sustainability efforts.

Be part of the mission to save water

Arm yourself with knowledge about sustainable water practices and share your knowledge with fellow travellers as well as friends and family closer to home.

Tackling the looming water crisis isn't only the responsibility of businesses and governments, it’s all of ours. While large-scale action is critical, it’s also urgent that we become more aware of the impact of our individual actions when it comes to conserving this precious resource. We all need to work to consciously reduce our water use, to support local communities and preserve destinations for future travellers for years to come.

Kevin Wright is head of the behavioural science practice at Showerkap, a pioneering tech company on a mission to change how people use water and energy. Its platform combines engineering and behavioural science in a first-of-its-kind smart technology, enabling users to reduce water waste, carbon emissions and costs.