The Basics of Sustainable Travel

We all know that climate change is the challenge of our time. It threatens our very existence as well as many of the places that are at the top of many people’s bucket lists. Yet for many people, when we travel, we tend to go on with travel the way we always have. This has to change if we want to be able to continue to travel the world over. Whilst there are some amazing technological developments on their way (see Airbus developing hydrogen aircraft). However, these are a long way off and we don’t have time to wait for them. So buckle in, while I show you some of the basics of sustainable travel, with my 5 key principles of sustainable travel.

Don’t Stress Over Everything

There’s a lot to think about when travelling and it can be overwhelming at times. You don’t need to stress over every last decision being as sustainable as possible, sometimes you just need to make a decision and be done with it. Don’t put yourself at risk to be sustainable, prioritise your safety. Similarly, if something is on your bucket list, you can do that one off activity that isn’t great for the environment. For example, I’ve always wanted to fly in a tiny aircraft, so when I was in Costa Rica, I flew from San Jose to Turtuguero, even though I could have taken a bus. My rule of thumb is that you should focus on the most impactful 80% and let go of the 20% that won’t have much impact.

Transport

This is probably the most challenging part of travel to decarbonise, but one of the basics of sustainable travel. For centuries our travel has been based on the combustion of fossil fuels. Whilst many steps are being made to change this, in much of the world they are yet to materialise. So how do you travel sustainably with transport that’s pumping out so many carbon emissions?

Firstly, where you can, take the train, these are often electrified, especially if you’re travelling in Europe. This is one of the most sustainable ways to travel, and it’s really fun too! Trains tend to be the most comfortable way to travel, avoiding cramming into a coach or fighting through airport security. You get to see the place you’re visiting as you go by, and you have more of a chance of finding a friend as you travel.

If you can’t get a train, try to get local public transport such as coaches. These are the second best when travelling over land, as you share the impact of their emissions between everyone on the bus. Like trains, these are a great way to see the country you’re travelling through. You get the chance to talk to the people you’re travelling with. Buses are often a bit hot and sweaty. However they offer an authentic and more sustainable way to travel over land.

I would also caution against tourist shuttles between cities and backpacker hotspots. These are often quite unsustainable as they carry relatively few people. Take the local bus, it’s more of an adventure, and more sustainable.

A warning here, be mindful of other travelling around you. Don’t be that traveller who is sat in a quiet coach and shouting down the phone. Don’t force people to talk to you. Where I grew up, if you tried to talk to anyone on a train they would not appreciate it. Now I live in a more rural part of South-West England and people are much chattier on public transport. Overall, be conscious of the local culture and what this means for your interaction with locals.

Flying

This is the big one. I’m sure you’ve been asked how you can justify flying halfway across the world to travel. In some cases you can replace flights with trains and buses, like I explained earlier. But sometimes you can’t. There is no Eurostar from London to Bangkok!

You have a few options here. You can offset your flights, however, a lot of these programmes are greenwashing, and you need to be very carful who you offset your flights with. Some airlines will now let you pay an extra fee to use sustainable aviation fuel for your flight. This isn’t perfect, and certainly isn’t a long term solution, but it’s the best that we have at the moment. Alternatively the United Nations have a few good options.

Flying is ultimately pretty bad for the environment, and until we have new propulsion technologies, this isn’t going to change. Instead, we can focus on how we travel. Make the journey part of your trip, and try and avoid lots of flying. You will likely need to still take some flights, such as going from London to Bogota, but try to limit this to direct flights, and modern aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. Once at your destination country, try and travel by land and see the country you’re travelling through instead of flying over it.

Food

This is something that we don’t often consider when we’re travelling, if at all. Yet food has some of the highest emissions of anything we encounter while travelling. Most people assume that food miles are the most significant source of emissions, but while significant, they aren’t. The main culprit is meat. If you want to slash your environmental impact, then cut back on your meat consumption. You’ll be amazed what veggie options you come across that blow your mind. If you don’t know where to start, ask your hostel for recommendations, or check out Happy Cow. Happy Cow is a website and app that can direct you to veggie/vegan restaurants all across the world, as well as restaurants that have good veggie options.

Volunteering

Why not give something back when travelling? By volunteering while you travel, you can help make your destination more sustainable. Worldpackers has a tonne of sustainability and environment focused volunteering opportunities. These are a great way to make a lasting impact and help improve the sustainability of your trip.

Summary

Travelling more sustainably requires a bit of thought, but isn’t that hard. I hope these tips held you make your travels more environmentally focused. These are just the basics of sustainable travel, and are just a starting point. You can check out the rest of my posts with more detail on the different aspects of sustainable travel.

Go take on the world!