The problem with travelling is that we know it can have a very detrimental effect on the environment. If you plan on taking long haul flights you’re going to have a large carbon footprint. I plan to travel to New York, where my sister and nephews live, but I want to avoid flying, so I was looking into cruising instead. Unfortunately it seems that most cruise ships are not very eco-friendly either. So is eco-friendly travel even possible?
Eco-Friendly Travel Options
| “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” – Mark Twain |
I spent 4 years travelling overseas and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. I believe everyone should travel to some extent to experience different cultures and different ways of life, because travelling does tend to make you more open-minded. These days we all have to be a bit more responsible and really think about our impact, especially when it comes to travelling.
1. Staycations
Staying in your own country and supporting local businesses is the most eco-friendly option there is (other than staying at home and just taking time out of work and responsibilities). Check out some eco-friendly hotels or campgrounds to stay at and explore your home turf.
2. Travelling By Car
Travelling by car gives you freedom to go where you want when you want, just make sure your car is fully serviced and up to scratch and that you’re not travelling in a car that’s much bigger than you need. Electric vehicles are obviously the better option here if you have access to one or can rent one. How eco-friendly your trip is depends on how far you plan on driving as well as the size / emissions of your car. Map out your trip as much as possible to limit the miles you drive, drive to the speed limit and make sure your tyres are properly inflated to be as fuel efficient as possible.
3. Travelling by Coach
Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and just watch the world go by and let someone else do all the driving. By joining an organised coach trip you’re reducing the number of vehicles on the road. Your coach driver might just take you to places you would never have discovered otherwise as well. (This depends on whether your coach is just to get you from A to B or if the driver is also a tour guide of course). Check out coach trips going to somewhere you’d like to explore and then look into the sort of activities that are included and the age group the trip is aimed at to make the most of your trip.
4. Travelling by Train
Just like coach trips, train trips are a great way to see the countryside and leave the driving to someone else. If you want to explore Europe why not consider doing it by train? It’s more eco-friendly than travelling by car, and might work out cheaper (depending on how many people you’re travelling with of course).
5. Travelling by Cruise Ship
I like the idea of cruising to Iceland and then onto New York to see my sister rather than flying. But recently there have been lots of articles about how bad the cruise industry is and how much waste they dump at sea, so now I’m not sure how to get to New York.
| “Cruise ships generate a lot of waste due to the thousands of people on board the vessels every day. Because they are on the move it is much harder for the ships to dispose of waste. A general belief is that these enormous boats simply dump raw sewage and other pollutants straight into the oceans. Indeed in 2016, Princess Cruises was fined a record £32 million for the “illegal dumping of oil-contaminated waste from the Caribbean Princess cruise ship,” according to the US Justice Department.” – Express |
One thing to make sure you’re aware of is that the fine above is not the usual situation. It was illegal dumping. Cruise ships aren’t squeaky clean though and do dump their waste while they’re on the move.
| “Anything which is discharged into the sea goes through rigorous treatment first. Sewage on a cruise ship includes wastewater from toilets, urinals, medical sinks and other similar facilities. …discharge is to take place only when the ship is more than four nautical miles from the nearest land and travelling at a speed of not less than six knots.” – Express |
Whether you’re comfortable with treated sewage being dumped at sea is up to you. I know that I’m not so sure.
6. Travelling by Plane
Travelling by plane is probably the least eco-friendly way to travel of all. Firstly make sure your travel is essential (don’t travel by plane just for a meeting, a skype call could be more than adequate). Try to limit the number of flights you take. This point is particularly hard when flights can be so cheap compared to other forms of transport. If you do have to take a flight or there is no feasible alternative then please do consider carbon offsetting.
Wherever and however you end up travelling check out the eco-friendly travel essentials to take with you.
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