Ideas for Walking More, and Driving Less

It's summertime, the weather is beautiful, and the air is fresh. What better time could there be to start spending more time walking and less time cooped up in the driver's seat? Just like a lot of sustainable living tips, these tips for walking more and driving less can benefit your health and your wallet at the same time as helping the earth. You'll spend less money on gasoline, get exercise and fresh air, and reduce your carbon footprint!

Here are a few ideas of opportunities to look out for where you could replace some of your driving time with walking time. Keep these in mind the next time you go out, and you'll be cutting your driving miles in no time.

You don't have to drive right up to your destination.

If you're at a strip mall, shopping plaza, or downtown area, there's no need to drive your car right up to each store. Park right outside the area, or near your first stop, then walk from one store to the other. Getting in and out of the car over and over again is a hassle anyway, and why not take the chance to stretch your legs and get some exercise when you can?

Walk the last leg of your journey, and skip the traffic!

When heading to dinner downtown or to a shopping center, find parking on the outskirts, away from the densest areas, and walk the rest of the way to your destination. You'll cut down your driving time, get to take a nice stroll, and you won't have to deal with the stress of the driving in the most congested areas.

It's not worth competing for the best parking spot.

Driving all around the parking lot twice looking for the best spot wastes gas and is likely to to raise your blood pressure. Instead, you can save yourself time and trouble by taking the easy parking in the back of the lot. The walk across the parking lot isn't nearly as bad at it's made out to be!

Take the 2-mile challenge

If you really want to step up your game and really cut down on your driving, you might want to try the two-mile challenge. That's where you commit to walking, instead of driving, to any destination that is less than two miles away. It's quite a challenge, but it's a great way to keep yourself looking for opportunities to walk instead of drive. But any amount that you can cut down is better than nothing!