Sustainable travel: this is how an environmentally friendly vacation is possible

Environmentally conscious behavior is not only required when shopping on a daily basis, but also when traveling. around five percent of global CO2 emissions come from tourism. It is therefore important to keep an eye on your ecological footprint when planning your vacation. Giulia Fontana and Lorenz Keyßer, authors of the book “Without a plane around the world: climate-conscious traveling and happy”, know how to travel in an environmentally friendly way. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the two reveal what vacationers should pay attention to when planning and during the trip.

What are the best tips to make your vacation greener?

Giulia Fontana and Lorenz Keyßer: Slow travel! Traveling slowly means ultimately driving far away less often and more often in the immediate vicinity. We would therefore recommend simply exploring Europe or Germany by train, bike or on foot – there is enough to discover. Flight-free travel in particular is very important in order to make the holiday environmentally friendly. Because flying, especially over long distances, emits a lot of CO2 and thus contributes directly to exacerbating the climate crisis. It is the same with cruises. In order to reduce the resulting massive suffering, we have to bring our CO2 emissions to close to zero quickly. Flying is one of the most CO2-intensive activities that an individual can do and is only practiced globally by a small, privileged minority. In addition to minimizing our own share in this crisis, we should at the same time contribute to a profound cultural and systemic change. For example through involvement in social movements such as “Fridays for Future”. Starting with yourself is a good start, but of course it takes a lot more.

What are the biggest mistakes that can happen to you?

Fontana and Keyßer: In our opinion, it is a big mistake to think that we can solve crises such as climate or biodiversity collapse with individual changes in behavior. On our trip around the world we had to find out that there are an enormous number of hurdles in our way. There are a great many barriers to environmentally friendly behavior for individuals. On our trip, these included high costs, little information and a lot of time. But we are also thinking of billions in advertising budgets, car-focused transport infrastructure, built-in weaknesses in products, a lack of democratic participation in companies and a very high workload. The latter is an important point, as more sustainable action is often more time-consuming. Such barriers show us that it is important not to get too fixated on individual behavior changes, although they are, of course, also important. In addition, structural and power-based factors should be looked at and addressed more closely.

Is there anything you should consider when planning your vacation?

Fontana and Keyßer: When planning a trip, you should actively ask yourself what you really want and need. Often these needs can be met in different ways, some of which are more environmentally friendly than the others. A great wish of many is to go to the sea, for example. Do you have to fly to Thailand or is the Baltic Sea enough?

What type of accommodation is the most environmentally friendly?

Fontana and Keyßer: On our trips we have selected accommodations that share various infrastructures such as the kitchen, lounge or bathroom. During a pandemic, of course, these are more likely to be rooms where you have to have a clear security concept. Youth hostels are therefore generally well suited, although caution is certainly required in times of Covid. Otherwise you can still pay attention to whether the information is available where the electricity is obtained from and which food is provided. Renewable energies and vegetarian or vegan food would be preferable here.

A flight is not good for the climate – but what if it cannot be avoided? What should you watch out for when booking a flight?

Fontana and Keyßer: At first you can ask yourself whether there really is no other way. Or whether what one hopes for from the destination cannot also be realized elsewhere – possibly even with less stress and costs. If it really cannot be avoided, for example in the event of an emergency or physical limitations, you can make sure to reduce the flight distance as much as possible. After all, most emissions occur on long-haul flights. In addition, you can try to enjoy your stay in the distant place for as long as possible. According to the motto: seldom longer than that. We generally do not recommend CO2 offsets as a compensation for emissions, as the climate impact is very uncertain and they therefore tend to calm your conscience.

What can you watch out for on holiday so as not to harm the environment?

Fontana and Keyßer: There are certainly many things. Nutrition and transport are big issues: as little public transport as possible, taking a bike, walking, eating a plant-based diet wherever possible and preferring local ingredients. In national parks or the like, one should adhere to the local rules in order to protect the flora and fauna as much as possible. Otherwise you can stop by at local environmental movements, for example at demos, and get inspiration for your own commitment.

Is staying at home the only way to go on a truly eco-friendly vacation?

Fontana and Keyßer: If you don’t have much time, that’s certainly true. Because you simply cannot go far without relying on emission-intensive means of transport. But even with a one to two week vacation you can get very far by train within Europe. Happiness is often just around the corner. Alternatively, you can try to take more time off at a time and then drive further away. However, this would certainly require far-reaching political reforms in some cases – such as a reduction in working hours.