escaping
104 CalmMoment.com
T
ravelling is so good for the soul, but it isn’t
always very good for the environment.
Worry not, explorers – there are plenty of
ways you can reduce your carbon footprint, waste
as little as possible on your travels and make your
next adventure a celebration of the earth, rather
than a drain on it.
We now know that air travel is one of the biggest
emissions baddies on earth, but there is a great
alternative, especially if you’re travelling within one
country or across a continent. Train travel is far
more eco-friendly and arguably more romantic
than flying, allowing you take it slow through
ever-changing landscapes and hop between
exciting cities whenever you like. Interrail
(interrail.eu) offer great multi-stop rail passes
and list inspiring itineraries, such as a summer
ride through Scandinavia in search of the midnight
sun, or a foodie’s feast of a journey through France,
Spain and Italy. Some train journeys are a true
pleasure in themselves too. On Switzerland’s
mountain railways there are even luxurious themed
carriages you can ride in – cheese train, anyone?
If you do end up leaving on a jet plane, consider
making your journey more green by going carbon
neutral, which involves paying a fee to counteract
the emissions created by your trip. Some travel
companies, like Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com),
automatically offset the environmental costs of
their journeys, or you can use online carbon
calculators such as carbonfootprint.com to work out
the cost of a flight. For example, 0.25 metric tons for
a return flight UK-Portugal, which would cost
around £3-£16 depending on how you choose to
offset it. Then you can pay the equivalent into
renewable energy initiatives such as tree
plantations or community projects.
Whether you’re staying close to home or
exploring abroad, remember to bring all your eco-
friendly habits with you. I’m learning that green
living is surprisingly easy (and affordable) to put
into practise abroad. Taking public transport is an
obvious choice – hop on public buses and trainsGood habits on holiday
Transport and travel is a big polluter, but we can all take
steps to make our adventures a little more eco-friendlyinstead of booking private transfers. Travelling as
the locals do might not be luxurious, but it can be
tremendous fun – when I lived in Bolivia we used to
take Latin America’s famous ‘chicken buses’ (so
called because you might end up with a crate of
squawking birds on your lap) to travel long
distances and always ended up sharing stories
and snacks with locals. Planning a city break?
Travel by bike. In places like Amsterdam and
Copenhagen it’s the best way to get around,
and you’ll stay fit too. If you’re exploring rural
places, renting a bike or exploring by foot leaves
no trace and lets you really drink in new places at
a relaxed pace rather than whizzing through them
in a petrol-guzzling car.
Before you leave home, think about your good
habits – do you recycle, avoid single use plastics
and choose green businesses? Look for those
options on your adventures too. Recycle where
possible (it’s available in more and more countries).
Fill up your flask where drinking water is on offer.
Buy snacks from fruit markets and street food
vendors rather than supermarkets where plastic
is practically unavoidable. Look for accommodation
that is eco-friendly (in some countries, like Costa
Rica, there is even accreditation for ethical
accommodation, so it’s easy to pick greener places
to stay). The great thing about being a traveller is
that you can make a statement with what you buy,
where you stay and how you travel. So, choose
green travel options whenever and wherever
you can – if we all do, they’ll become the norm.
Wouldn’t that be amazing?Sian Lewis is a travel writer
and adventurer. Sian blogs at
thegirloutdoors.co.uk and her book,
The Girl Outdoors: The Wild Girl’s Guide
To Adventure, Travel and Wellbeing
(Conway, £ 1 4. 99 ) is out now.Words: Sian Lewis / Illustration: Lorna Jameson