Leslie Garrett, The Virtuous Traveler, recently embarked on a two-day road trip from Canada with her husband and three children—ages 6, 8 and 10. Her goal? To teach her family the lessons of traveling simply without the clutter of everyday life….

Wherever you go as a family, teaching your kids to respect and appreciate the world around them is a gift that’s worth all the backseat whining and relentless refrains of “Are We There Yet?”

It was the sound of Little St. Simon’s Island that has stayed with me. Or rather, the notable lack of noise.

After a two-day drive with three children—ages 6, 8 and 10—and a talkative husband, my brain craved silence like oxygen.

And Little St. Simon’s is well known for its quiet.

Set apart from the larger St. Simon’s Island off the southern coast of Georgia – home to golf courses, summer homes, sprawling lawns, bustling restaurants and all that a busy vacation spot has to offer, Little St. Simon’s is an oasis of opposites.

No restaurants, save for the main lodge where meals are served to guests family-style – we rub elbows, share laughs and exchange details of our days. No Muzak … just the sounds of cutlery and conversation, the chirps of birds and rustle of leaves.

No golf courses. That would require far too great an intrusion on the unmanicured island that remains much like it was when it was purchased by the owner of the Eagle Brand pencil company in 1908. Philip Berolzheimer had hoped the cedar on the island could be harvested to make pencils, but when it was considered unsuitable, he kept the retreat for his family and friends, ensuring it remained largely untouched.

No shopping (save for a tiny gift shop) unless you’re shopping for up-close nature experiences, which it so happens, we are: the glimpse of a gator, a nighttime hunt for ghost crabs, an encounter with a tiny tree frog, or a front-row seat for a yellow-bellied snake’s egg-snatching odyssey.

And very few people. Indeed, the island has a maximum overnight limit of 30 guests at five cottages spread out from the main lodge.

The cottages seem to have sprung from visions of perfect summer retreats—comfy furniture, white wainscoting, a screened-in porch, an outdoor shower…

They’re far enough away from each other to give a sense of privacy, but close enough to create a community.

There’s a defining lack of electronics in the cottages and on the island as a whole. The entire time I’m there, I don’t see a television or hear a radio. I have access to my computer, but use it sparingly.

There are, of course, sounds. But that’s definitely not to be confused with noise.

There’s the buzz of mosquitoes. There’s the sudden splash of a sun-soaking alligator, perhaps startled by our presence or the click of someone’s camera. He’s magnificent— massive, with a cartoonish leer that makes even the wooden viewing wall we’re behind suddenly seem like scant protection.

There are birds enough to make Hitchcock blanch. I confess I can’t tell an egret from a heron, but the birders among us swap news about their sightings at an evening cocktail hour with an enthusiasm I’ve only witnessed on a trading floor.

The ocean, of course, offers up a constant dull roar—though we only hear it when we make the couple-mile trek from our cabin to the shore. And what a shore! “You look left, you look right,” says my awe-struck husband. “All you see is white sand as far as the eye can see.”

Seven miles of it. And spotted with many, many shells—the island “rule” being you can collect any that aren’t home to another creature.

The kids are in heaven. They spend more than an hour scouring the beach for treasures, carefully turning the shells over and returning any in which a hermit crab angrily crawls further inside.

There’s the splash of water, as fish are caught and released.

My two youngest kids put Daddy to shame, landing a total of five whoppers. (Daddy’s line comes up repeatedly empty.)

We hear the rustle of brush as fallow deer bound away. Armadillos, too, don’t make their exit noiselessly, though they’re stealthy.

And the birds, whom we credit with breaking the silence most consistently. No surprise, given the island’s location along the Atlantic Migratory Flyway.

During our last day at the beach, we’re startled by the sound of an airplane—a low rumble we’ve come to identify with the call of a lonely male alligator.

But no, it is in fact a plane flying overhead. We look to the sky with disdain, feeling intruded upon. We want to hold on to this silence … just a little bit longer.

It is possible to take your family’s eco-ethics with you on the road. Follow the Virtuous Traveler’s tips for a fun, green family holiday.

A Moveable Feast
Those golden arches can beckon even the staunchest eco-families. But rather than give in to the siren call of fast food, pack a cooler (you can find those that plug in to your car’s lighter socket) and fill it with healthy snacks, such as yogurt, cheese, fruit, and milk. Stop at grocery stores en route and replenish. Ensure you also have a picnic blanket, cutlery and either reusable or compostable dishes and you can create your own moveable feasts. You’ll not only reduce the amount of garbage you create, you’ll save money.

Cleaning Up
Yes, disposable wipes are convenient for sticky faces and fingers. But try packing a few damp washcloths in a plastic container. They’ll still work for cleanup and you can wash them out with soap and water when you stop.

Green your sleep
Rather than drive straight to your destination (which can be hard on the whole family), consider camping en route. It’s a great way to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. If you prefer a bed to sleeping under the stars, look for a hotel with an eco-conscience. Visit www.greenhotels.com for more information.

Leslie Garrett is author of The Virtuous Consumer: Your Essential Shopping Guide for a Better, Kinder, Healthier World.Visit her at www.thevirtuoustraveler.com.

Previously By Leslie Garrett:

• Community-Based Tourism: Creating Authentic Travel Experiences
• Off the Brochure(sm) Travel Guide: Toronto, Canada
• Carbon Offsets: Travel With a Clean Conscience?
• America the Beautiful: Postcard from the Edge
• Eco-Beaches
• The Good, The Green and the Downright Crazy Tours
• Green Travel Gadgets
• Green Honeymoons
• Bye Polar: Arctic Travel

Don’t forget to check out our Eco-Travel section for more green travel ideas.