Enjoy Greener Holidays and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
An international trip is one of the highlights of the year for many, but travel is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions. Travelling greener doesn’t have to cost any more or be less convenient than standard travel. A little research before booking a holiday can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint.
The New Generation of Aeroplanes
Aeroplanes have become much more fuel efficient since the early days of commercial aviation. In the period between 1950 and 1997, air travel fuel efficiency improved by a staggering 70%. Technological advances mean further improvements are assured over the coming decades. As passengers become more conscious of the environmental impact of flying, and as oil prices continue to rise, airlines are keen to limit fuel consumption. As a general rule of thumb, the newer the plane, the more fuel efficient it is. Younger airlines tend to operate newer planes, so booking flights with a new company will often reduce your environmental impact. A quick Internet search of trade and travel publications will soon tell you which airlines have recently upgraded their fleets so older operators with brand new aircraft are also a good option.
Nobody likes to be cramped into a too-small seat on a long flight but the more passengers on board an aircraft, the less the carbon footprint of each individual. As much as you might dream of travelling everywhere by business class, you're actually doing the environment a favour by squeezing into economy. Most budget airlines will operate at 90% capacity at a minimum and fit as many seats as possible into cabins. It's easy to forget that any luggage you take on a plane adds to your overall fuel consumption, too. Travelling light will save you money on baggage costs and reduce your carbon footprint.
Go by Train
Train travel has long been marketed as the environmentally friendly alternative to flying or driving. Travelling by rail will only produce around one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions of a flight over the same distance. The advent of budget airlines may have made flying cheaper than travelling by train in some cases but going by rail can make the journey an enjoyable and relaxing part of your holiday.
If it's not possible to reach your chosen holiday destination by rail from your home country, train travel can still be an excellent choice for getting around once you arrive. Rail travel is generally cheap and has much less impact on the environment than travelling by hire car or taxi.
Choose Greener Cruises
The cruise business is booming with enormous new liners being launched regularly to meet increasing consumer demand. With as many as 4,000 passengers and crew onboard the largest liners at any one time, a great deal of energy is needed. The major cruise companies have all taken steps in recent years to become more environmentally friendly and, in the future, cruises are likely to become one of the greenest ways to travel internationally. An additional benefit of cruise travel is that liners tend to visit numerous destinations meaning your holiday spending money can go directly into several local communities if you shop with local, independent businesses.
Many cruise liners have installed solar panels to generate some of their energy needs, with others using special heat-deflecting coatings on cabin windows to reduce the need for air-conditioning. Modern ships have become more aerodynamic in design and glide through the water much more smoothly than their predecessors. This advance in ship-building has helped decrease overall journey time and cut down on fuel consumption. Most tour operators tend to widely promote any green initiatives they adopt so if cruising is your holiday of choice, it should be easy to find a liner with environmentally friendly features.
If All Else Fails, Offset
No mode of international travel is completely carbon neutral so, if you want to undo the environmental impact of your holiday, offsetting may be the answer. By calculating the carbon footprint of your holiday, you can then contribute towards a project that aims to reduce carbon emissions elsewhere by the same amount. The practice of carbon offsetting has become hugely popular in recent years with tourists keen to enjoy travelling whileminimising the impact on the environment. A large number of tour operators now offer travellers carbon offsetting plans when they book their trips. This instantly offsets any emissions the traveller’s journey will produce.
The most popular model of carbon offsetting is when the consumer or organisation makes a payment towards a project that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy projects are commonly used by carbon offset organisations.
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