Eco Travel
It’s the high season! Where will you be holidaying?🌞
Wherever you’ll be going, travelling to your destination is inevitable.
Last year, 75% of Europeans made summer travel plans -at least 10% higher than pre-covid levels-, with 52% travelling abroad. In the US holiday travel was 5% below pre-covid levels.
Carbon footprint is also considered by 2 out of 3 travellers. Although the actual choice of transport hasn’t seen to lower this.
👉Car, coach, plane, train…
Let’s look at some of them in more detail.
Transport options
Air travel
-In 2023, air travel increased to 94% of pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic especially changed business travel where virtual conferences/meetings have come to stay. Here, almost 30% fewer business flights in 2023 compared to in 2019
Train travel
-Global train travel is predicted to grow by 35% between 2024 – 2030. This stat relates to global every-day train travel. But nonetheless an encouraging figure. Travelling by train is currently the best form of eco travel.
Car travel
-Holiday travel by car is the most popular with 50% in Europe, and in America this is closer to 70% – car travel to remote locations is even higher
Emissions & improvements
👉Emissions
-Air travel is responsible for around 2.5% of the global carbon emissions
-But other means of transport, i.e. train is a viable alternative for short/medium distances. Train travel emits 40x less CO2 than travelling by plane, making it the most eco travel option
👉Improvements
-The EU implemented a policy for air carriers to achieve a set-minimum of cleaner fuels (2023)
-Energy efficiency (energy per km) has improved over the last 30 years – better design, technology & larger planes
-France banned short-haul domestic flights where fast train routes are running (2023)
-The aviation industry aims to become net-zero (relatively speaking) by 2050. Cleaner fuels will be crucial here
-‘Net Zero Carbon Cities’ initiatives have been set-up to incentivise cities to decarbonise in terms of energy & resources
Try eco-travel elements on your next holiday!
🙌Tips for a greener holiday
-This starts at home: turn off appliances, unplug devices, switch off lights & heating before you leave your house
-Pack light – if more people packed lighter the overall load on an aircraft would be less
-At your destination take public transport & cycle if you can – European cities are well equipped for this
-Recycle. Find out about the recycling policies & where the bins are located
-If you’re renting an apartment cook a meal rather than eating out every day
-In a hotel, ask to turn down the air-conditioning – this tends to be on high! And reuse towels
-Also reuse: bottles & shopping bags
-Check out local farmer’s markets, this is a fun activity & you’ll support local producers
-Why not help with a clean-up initiative? Denmark launched an incentive for tourists to litter-pick in exchange for food & wine!
We are going to The Netherlands – by train🚂
Enjoy your holiday!
While you are here, have a look at my services to see how I can help you on your eco journey!
Sources: IATA, Climate Action, Statista, Ipsos, LYT, ScienceDirect, BBC, Carbon Footprint, euronews, The Breakthrough Institute, Our World in Data, EC, WEF