All travels are more or less a strain on the environment, but that definitely doesn’t mean we should avoid it. We just need to learn how to travel smarter and more ecofriendly.

Air travel

No other type of transport, apart from some ferries, are more harmful to the environment than flying. Over 4,3 billion flights are made each year and the estimation for 2025 is 9 billion flights. The charter companies flights are in general a better choice than regular flights because about 98% of the seats are occupied on every plane. If you choose a regular flight, rather book a non-stop flight than a route with stop-overs which take an enormous amount of fuel. Also, don’t fly too often. Decide to stay longer when you travel to Asia or other far-away destinations instead of making the same trip several times a year.

Plane at Seoul airport © Karen Winton   

Rail travel

Train is definitely more ecofriendly than flying, but much of the electricity comes from coal, oil and natural gas so bus can sometimes be better for the environment than train.

Voyager - Manchester © Jon Wisbey

Boat travel

Boats are in general the most harmful means of transport, at least if you see to the letting out of sulfur- and nitrogen oxides. A slow ferry is more environment friendly than a fast one, and shorter trips are obviously better than long boat journeys.   

Sail away © Aschwin Prein  

Independent travel

Choose a car driven by renewable sources of energy, and travel together rather than only two persons in a five seat car. 

driving with a beautiful girl - Tim

Living

When you travel to places with shortage of water, avoid resorts with big parks and golf courses because the artificial green take much water from areas that risk turning into desert. Bed and Breakfast or other types of accommodation where the money goes to the local economy instead of big hotel chains is a good alternative.