Eco-friendly travel: How to do it
More and more globetrotters pay attention to their ecological footprint when planning their trips. Around 75 percent of a vacation's CO2 emissions are caused by the journey to and from the destination. That's why we show you here how to travel as environmentally friendly as possible right from the start!
Discover the countryside instead of the wide world
For many travelers, far-flung destinations are still considered particularly attractive: Asia, South America and Australia are still true destinations of desire. There are so many wonderful things to discover in the immediate vicinity!
Vacationing in your own country may not sound appealing at first, but Germany, Austria, and Switzerland hold true dream locations that are wonderfully suited as vacation destinations! Whether it's a beach vacation at the North Sea, hiking in the Harz mountains, pure relaxation in the forests of Styria or exploring the fabulous mountain lakes of the Alps; true natural paradises are waiting on your doorstep! If you want to go at least a little further away, there are vacation destinations within Europe that do not require long travel distances: Denmark, Italy, Croatia and southern France are attractive neighboring regions! The Polish Baltic Sea region is also very attractive and also somewhat less expensive than the German travel areas.
When choosing a destination, the duration of the vacation should also be taken into account! The further away you go, the longer the time on site should be. So while a one-week trip to Bolivia results in an immense CO2 emission, the ecological footprint improves enormously if it is a backpacking trip of several weeks and only bus and train are used on site. The rule of thumb is to spend at least eight days on site for 700 kilometers and at least 15 days for 2000 kilometers or more.
Avoid air routes if possible
Whenever possible, travel by bus or train to minimize CO2 emissions. This is usually possible without too much loss of time for inner-European destinations, but may require multiple transfers. For more comfort during the journey, it is important to make sure that there is a seat reservation for all travelers.
Traveling by bus and train also allows you to gain a lot of new impressions and to admire the most diverse landscapes already during the journey! Another bonus: no strenuous luggage regulations and security checks!
Make the journey the destination
Get into the means of transport of choice, drive to the destination, spend a city trip or beach vacation and then return home by a straight route – that's what a typical vacation looks like for many people. In order to travel in a particularly environmentally friendly way and at the same time broaden one's personal horizon, it is worthwhile to deviate from this familiar pattern! Have you ever thought about hiking trips, extended bicycle tours or round trips by train?? Let yourself be enchanted by the different landscapes, be active and at the same time noticeably reduce your ecological footprint! Hiking and cycling trips are of course particularly suitable in the home country or neighboring country, ideally in combination with a train trip. Depending on whether you want to take it easy or rather sporty, you can plan more or less kilometers to be covered per day and thus move from place to place. This way you can discover beautiful places off the beaten track and have a day of sightseeing in between if you wish. It is also possible to move from place to place by train and thus complete a round trip without extreme CO2 pollution. For travel within Europe, for example, an Interrail pass is recommended, which allows you to use trains in 33 countries for a fixed (or unlimited) number of days per month. This results in over 40.000 potential destinations! there are discounts for travelers under 27 years and for seniors. If you find it difficult to plan on your own, you can click through the recommended routes or get inspired by our train trip through the Alps. For an unforgettable yet environmentally friendly vacation!