Check-in: Getting up close and personal with elephants, eco-friendly travel tips for Earth Day, and more

Welcome to Check-In, our weekend feature focused on all things travel.

Whether it’s a month-long family vacation or a weekend getaway, there are ways to make sure the trip is eco-friendly from start to finish.

Thrillist prepared some tips for Travel that doesn’t take too much of a toll on the planet. No. 1: Quit flying when possible – If you’re not going that far, consider driving or taking the train to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For long distance travel where flying is essential, choose a low-emission airline. Alix Collins with the Center for Responsible Travel explains Thrillist It’s best to book a direct flight on a newer aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or A320neo since takeoff and landing are the most energy intensive parts of a flight.

When it comes to hotels, look to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. It is a set of sustainability guidelines, and takes into account things like efforts to reduce pollution and the exposure of guests and staff to chemicals. Greenwashing – seemingly more of a thing than just making it more environmentally friendly – ​​remains an issue, and it’s important to see if hotels can back up their claims. “Companies making a sincere effort to be more sustainable are doing more than simple, energy-saving efforts, like asking guests to reuse their towels,” Collins said. “In addition to these energy-saving efforts, sustainable companies are also partnering with the community and operating in a way that minimizes negative impacts on the environment, including wildlife.”

Farm to Table Trail In Bellingham, Washington, there’s a win-win for visitors and the city’s restaurants.

The trail gives diners a chance to try dishes made from local ingredients sourced from farms and fisheries, while giving the restaurant exposure to new audiences. It’s simple: To get started, download the Farm to Table Trail Pass to your phone. This is your passport to a curated list of Bellingham restaurants, bars, bakeries, wineries and other food-related spots that offer discounts and deals. At each location, users check in and enter their trip in Passport, which unlocks savings and enters them into a seasonal raffle.

There’s no shortage of local ingredients for chefs to choose from—about 300 different crops are grown in Washington, and the state top producer Apple, hops, blueberry, pear, spearmint oil, and sweet cherry.

After four decades of filming wildlife in all corners of the globe, Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Bob Poole still experiences firsthand.

Recently, it was witnessing the birth of a desert elephant in the jungle of Namibia. He captured the remarkable event while filming for National Geographic elephant rule, out now. “It was exciting, and it kind of felt like everything I had done in my life leading up to that moment,” Poole explained. Week. “Everything was clicking and it felt like so many things could and could go wrong and I would miss the moment.”

This first-of-its-kind footage was caught on camera as Poole had just set up his equipment and focused it on the herd of elephants he had been following for about a month. He finds that when it comes to filming wildlife, “being prepared is the most important thing, and having good luck. That’s part of it. Plus, the locations lend themselves so wonderfully to telling these great stories.” Let’s give.”

In Namibia, “I was really impressed by the scale, the sheer size of this landscape, and how many elephants there really are,” Poole said. “To film them, you first have to find them. It’s not like you stumble across them. You have to find them and track them, and then follow the track until you find them. That way We did it.”

Patience is a necessity for any filmmaker in the wild, as is knowing how to stay out of the way. “You have to give them respect and space and not put any kind of pressure on them,” Poole said. “You don’t get natural behavior if you’re interfering in their lives. We try really hard not to disturb them in any way. You’re basically following and doing nothing.” But looking for shots that can help you tell the story.” ,

Elephants have been a major part of Poole’s career, which began in high school after his father, who worked in wildlife conservation in Kenya, died in a car accident. when he made a National Geographic Film on elephants, and he got in touch with a cameraman. Once he graduated from college, he was hired as a camera assistant, and began traveling the world, learning from a “par excellence”. National Geographic camera man” about lighting and other technical details as well as the history of the countries they were visiting.

Each project gave him the opportunity to grow as a camera operator, and later, as director of photography and program presenter. He has traveled to the most remote and rugged regions of Asia and Africa, filming elephants and gorillas in war-torn locations, and said he has “been in many [that] Made me, would make anyone uncomfortable. People often ask me about the most dangerous animal I’ve ever filmed, and I always say, ‘People.’

Elephants are intelligent, Poole said, and “once you get to understand them, you start to understand what they’re saying — they’re really speaking. There’s a lot more to them under the skin and I Couldn’t get enough of them. They are the most interesting of all the creatures I’ve filmed.”

it’s their hope that programs like secret of elephants – which includes her sister, elephant researcher Joyce Poole – will inspire people to get involved in elephant conservation efforts; The steps that need to be taken include ending legal hunting and earmarking more land for them to roam freely. Another way to support elephants is to “go and visit these places yourself,” Poole said. “It shows local governments that when money comes from tourism, their wildlife should be protected. It also provides good jobs for local people. That’s important.”

Tiptoe through tulips in an event that is quintessentially spring. 75th Annual Albany Tulip Festival New York will take place on May 13 and 14 at the 81-acre Washington Park. Tulips are the star of the show, with more than 140,000 flowers in 150 varieties on display, but there’s also a fine arts exhibit, an artisan fair with more than 100 vendors selling their handmade crafts, and live entertainment on two stages, Guster’s With and American author title.