Great post! It's good you bring this up and keep on repeating it! We all should be more aware of the impact of travelling and as travel writers we have a responsibility in it as well. (Same goes for overtourism as I stated in an article earlier this year -> https://addthistoyouritinerary.substack.com/p/beyond-the-crowds-rethinking-travel).
Quit flying is hard. What I did a few times is to travel to a country by plane and travel back over land (for example from Nouakchott to Amsterdam). Furthermore I avoid cruises, refrain from domestic flights, eat local grown food, and embrace slow travel (don't take a flight of 14 hours for a trip of 10 days, stay at least 3 weeks). As a European I'm quite spoiled with all the days off we get and the opportunities within the continent making it easier to travel overland more.
All of those are good points. I don't think I've ever been on a domestic flight, either. If I'm here in the UK, it's trains all the way. Never been on a cruise either, but I can't say I've never been tempted.
Really well stated and thoughtful, I think about this so often, and I do think the important thing is being aware of the impacts, then making alternative adjustments to how we travel to try to help offset. It's also gotten me into the joy of trying to travel without flying, which is not always possible, like you said with time constraints, but when it is, it's so fun. There's a book about long-distance, overland travel called Grounded by Seth Stevenson that I loved reading!
Great piece Sascha - I agree with a lot of what you share here. We can't pretend it is not bad for the environment to fly, or that other smaller actions compensate for it, but the reality of the world we live in means air travel to some extent. Its better to be honest about this and the impact it has. I also aim to stay in one place after a flight - and as I have lived abroad a lot for work - this has allowed me to get to know one place well - rather than just passing through.
Yes, I think this is what Nina means - really getting to know a place in a deeper, slower way rather than just ticking off boxes. It's something I still have to work on, as I have such crazy FOMO about there being all these places in the world that I haven't yet seen, and I often find myself in that frenetic mindset. But it's definitely the best - and kindest - way to travel.
Yes I relate to that - I used to have that more when I was younger. I think now it has been 20 years of travelling/living abroad - I have found - there is always time to see everything. I don't really like all the big attractions they stress me out - so I only go the ones I really don't want to miss. But having said that - I had one day in Beijing in 2023 - as I went for work and spent the week in a conference centre - and i walked 27 miles that day so I saw as much as possible :D I was thinking - I might never get back here!
Gosh, this is so relatable it's like you took the thoughts out of my own brain! I absolutely love traveling--it's how I make sense of the world--though I am hyper aware of the harm and damage it brings. I've managed to make changes to my life to become less consumptive (not eating meat, not buying anything new, only shopping local produce etc.), but flying is definitely my biggest carbon emission. I'd love to find some solution out there that helps me rectify my love of travel, but for now I guess it's just about being more mindful of my own impacts, participating in slow, meaningful trips, and sharing knowledge on how to live more sustainably. Thank you for sharing the article, what a fantastic read!
Just the fact that you don’t consume meat is enough to offset your carbon emissions from flying, assuming you’re not Taylor Swift of course 😅 have you trying Vanlife or motorcycle travel? Perhaps there’s something for you there :)
Slow travel like hitchhiking and bike packing are also great ways to travel but much more tiring 😅
Well, and here's the embarrassing part, like I say at the start of the post, I never learned to drive. Yes, true story. But yes, the not eating meat does set my mind at ease a bit.
I think it helps to be aware of the damage we are doing, and to try, in any way we can, no matter how small, to make up for at least a tiny bit of it. Humans will always travel. But we can choose to do it mindfully.
This is very much me as well! I've cared for the environment since I was a kid, but I also love traveling, and as an immigrant 99% of my family live abroad. Mine aren't even on the same continents, so the flights are loooong haul. I like to think the other actions I take (plant based diet, not driving, reusing/ recycling/avoiding overconsumption) somewhat offset my flights. I usually don't take more than 2 trips where I fly a year, so hopefully I'm not doing too much damage!
I think flying is inevitable with our lifestyles today - I really admire the people who have given up flights, but I also realise that it probably won't ever be me. This is why I think we should focus on making flying more sustainable, if possible.
I travel as often as I can, and have always had wanderlust. I feel better about it by having a ‘forest’ of fruit bearing trees via treedom, the website, which offsets the travel, at least a little.
Great post! It's good you bring this up and keep on repeating it! We all should be more aware of the impact of travelling and as travel writers we have a responsibility in it as well. (Same goes for overtourism as I stated in an article earlier this year -> https://addthistoyouritinerary.substack.com/p/beyond-the-crowds-rethinking-travel).
Quit flying is hard. What I did a few times is to travel to a country by plane and travel back over land (for example from Nouakchott to Amsterdam). Furthermore I avoid cruises, refrain from domestic flights, eat local grown food, and embrace slow travel (don't take a flight of 14 hours for a trip of 10 days, stay at least 3 weeks). As a European I'm quite spoiled with all the days off we get and the opportunities within the continent making it easier to travel overland more.
All of those are good points. I don't think I've ever been on a domestic flight, either. If I'm here in the UK, it's trains all the way. Never been on a cruise either, but I can't say I've never been tempted.
Really well stated and thoughtful, I think about this so often, and I do think the important thing is being aware of the impacts, then making alternative adjustments to how we travel to try to help offset. It's also gotten me into the joy of trying to travel without flying, which is not always possible, like you said with time constraints, but when it is, it's so fun. There's a book about long-distance, overland travel called Grounded by Seth Stevenson that I loved reading!
I'll look for that book, sounds very interesting!
Great piece Sascha - I agree with a lot of what you share here. We can't pretend it is not bad for the environment to fly, or that other smaller actions compensate for it, but the reality of the world we live in means air travel to some extent. Its better to be honest about this and the impact it has. I also aim to stay in one place after a flight - and as I have lived abroad a lot for work - this has allowed me to get to know one place well - rather than just passing through.
Yes, I think this is what Nina means - really getting to know a place in a deeper, slower way rather than just ticking off boxes. It's something I still have to work on, as I have such crazy FOMO about there being all these places in the world that I haven't yet seen, and I often find myself in that frenetic mindset. But it's definitely the best - and kindest - way to travel.
Yes I relate to that - I used to have that more when I was younger. I think now it has been 20 years of travelling/living abroad - I have found - there is always time to see everything. I don't really like all the big attractions they stress me out - so I only go the ones I really don't want to miss. But having said that - I had one day in Beijing in 2023 - as I went for work and spent the week in a conference centre - and i walked 27 miles that day so I saw as much as possible :D I was thinking - I might never get back here!
Gosh, this is so relatable it's like you took the thoughts out of my own brain! I absolutely love traveling--it's how I make sense of the world--though I am hyper aware of the harm and damage it brings. I've managed to make changes to my life to become less consumptive (not eating meat, not buying anything new, only shopping local produce etc.), but flying is definitely my biggest carbon emission. I'd love to find some solution out there that helps me rectify my love of travel, but for now I guess it's just about being more mindful of my own impacts, participating in slow, meaningful trips, and sharing knowledge on how to live more sustainably. Thank you for sharing the article, what a fantastic read!
Just the fact that you don’t consume meat is enough to offset your carbon emissions from flying, assuming you’re not Taylor Swift of course 😅 have you trying Vanlife or motorcycle travel? Perhaps there’s something for you there :)
Slow travel like hitchhiking and bike packing are also great ways to travel but much more tiring 😅
Well, and here's the embarrassing part, like I say at the start of the post, I never learned to drive. Yes, true story. But yes, the not eating meat does set my mind at ease a bit.
I was responding to Emma initially haha but it’s really cool that you don’t eat meat either! Kudos :)
"It's how I make sense of the world." exactly.
I think it helps to be aware of the damage we are doing, and to try, in any way we can, no matter how small, to make up for at least a tiny bit of it. Humans will always travel. But we can choose to do it mindfully.
This is very much me as well! I've cared for the environment since I was a kid, but I also love traveling, and as an immigrant 99% of my family live abroad. Mine aren't even on the same continents, so the flights are loooong haul. I like to think the other actions I take (plant based diet, not driving, reusing/ recycling/avoiding overconsumption) somewhat offset my flights. I usually don't take more than 2 trips where I fly a year, so hopefully I'm not doing too much damage!
I think flying is inevitable with our lifestyles today - I really admire the people who have given up flights, but I also realise that it probably won't ever be me. This is why I think we should focus on making flying more sustainable, if possible.
I travel as often as I can, and have always had wanderlust. I feel better about it by having a ‘forest’ of fruit bearing trees via treedom, the website, which offsets the travel, at least a little.
Oh, I'll have a look at this website! I was not familiar with it.
What a beautiful and thoughtful piece. And thanks for the mention!
Thank you! I loved your "soft travel" story.
I'm so happy to hear that, thank you!
Keep finding your wild!
come chase it with me!
(to other readers: David is my husband, I'm not randomly flirting with readers)