With the holidays just weeks away, out-of-town travel is going to be on a number of family dockets. While many will fly, many more will be traveling by road.

It may seem impossible to “go green” when putting the pedal to the metal, but it's certainly possible and most definitely doable. If you plan accordingly, you can experience a family road trip that doesn't involve you having to break away from established green living habits. In order to stay completely guilt-free green on the road this holiday season, consider doing the following:

Bring reusable water bottles: The frequent stops of highway travel make it easy to stock up on bottled water at every gas station. But there are an array of reasons why anyone with the environment in mind should be avoiding bottled water. Be smart and bring along reusable bottles for everyone in the car. Any gas station you fill up at is sure to let you fill up on water free of charge.

Rent a car: Even if your model of car was classified as fuel efficient, if it's over five years old, you could probably stand to get better fuel economy from a rental. Either way, a gas guzzler should most certainly be avoided on a long trip. It's even possible to rent a hybrid these days, so why not take travel as an opportunity to test drive one?

Buy in bulk: All that trash built up from constant snack recharges on the road adds up to lots more than you otherwise would be accumulating at home. Think ahead and buy big economy size bags of crackers and other items so that everyone can stay fed without everyone quadrupling their typical trash creation. It saves you money and saves the environment at the same time.

Don't print directions: It's a modest impact if any, but if you have a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, then skip over the printed directions to save on paper and thus reduce your carbon footprint just a little bit more. Even if you're worried about not being able to get service when you need it for directions, simply save the directions through your web browser history on a laptop.

Keep recycling: Throwing your refuse into an ordinary trash bin in the middle of Kansas is just as bad as doing so back at home in Chicago. Recycling has become such a mainstream policy that you're certain to always find recycling bins no matter where you are. Traveling is not an excuse to look the other way when it comes to recycling.

Plan around traffic: Nobody how fuel efficient your chosen mode of transportation ends up being, there's little efficiency involved in being stuck in traffic for hours. You will be funneling toxins into the air without any benefit whatsoever.

Take the time to ensure that you are not going to hit any walls of traffic in order to get the most out of your decision to use a car for your travels.

The holidays are a good excuse as far as not eating right is concerned. But the travels involved with end of year festivities are not an excuse to abandon a dedicated habit of living a green life. There are ways to remain as environmentally conscious on the road as you are at home. You just have to remember to put them into practice.