How to travel more sustainably - and make your summer last longer!
When it feels like everyone you know is setting off for a week in the sun and your feeds are full of snaps of friends at festivals, the temptation to book a last-minute holiday is almost irresistible.
But as we all know, this urge to escape the routine can come at the cost of our planet. While separating out the recycling, eating less meat and shopping secondhand are all pretty instinctive for many of us now, travel can be a bit of a stumbling block when it comes to making greener choices.
Bearing this in mind, we thought it would be helpful to speak to our friends at Byway - the first-of-its-kind, flight-free holiday builder - to pull together a guide to travelling more sustainably this summer. (FYI, The Know’s readers can take £50 off any Byway trip using our code KNOW50)
Read on for five tips for getting your holiday fix while still being mindful of the environment.
1. Think about how you travel - in other words, ditch the plane and take the train!
This first tip is the most obvious, but opting for flight-free travel is probably the single biggest thing you can do to cut your footprint, given that flying is responsible for 2.5% of all global carbon emissions. The stats speak for themselves: you could get the train from London to Edinburgh and back five times, and your footprint would still be lower than if you flew there.
We know that having limited holiday days can make opting for a train or bus far less tempting. But if you reframe your trip to see the journey as part of the holiday itself, you’ll start opening yourself up to new and memorable experiences.
Think: falling asleep in Germany and waking up to the glistening waters of Slovenia’s Lake Bled or exploring the vibrant canal cities of Utrecht and Delft in the Netherlands).
A couple of our team members especially love catching overnight trains, and Byway’s gorgeous inspo for sleeper train holidays has sparked some serious wanderlust.
2. Think about when you you travel - opt for late summer holidays
It’s not always possible to travel outside of peak summer season - you might be limited by school holidays, work commitments or childcare, or just need a holiday right now (we definitely get that).
That said, if you are able to delay your travel until the end of the summer season, the payoff is pretty impressive: you won’t just be reducing pressure on tourist infrastructure and helping to avoid pollution, but your bank account will also thank you.
Not only do fewer crowds mean fewer queues and more time spent sightseeing in peace, but you can also enjoy the softer warmth of September rather than the ever-increasing heat of peak summer. And, if it’s your thing, outdoor swimming is at its best in Europe at this time of year… so we’re certainly sold!
If you’re feeling inspired to extend your summer into September or October, we particularly love the idea of warding off winter’s arrival in Cornwall or the Côte d’Azur, or soaking up the last of the summer sun in Sicily.
3. Consider where you put your cash
If you tend to book your holidays through a travel company, switching to one which is B Corp certified is essential to ensuring that you’re making the most sustainable travel choices - and you can’t get better than Byway.
Building your trip with a company that holds sustainable values at its core also gives you the peace of mind that the money you spend is going back into the local economy (86% of the money Byway paid to its accommodation partners last year was spent with locally-owned businesses, not big international hotel chains).
In general, supporting local businesses is a pretty good rule of thumb for reducing your carbon footprint while you’re away. This could look like opting for a neighbourhood café over a global chain, or buying souvenirs from a craft stall rather than at the airport. Not only are you all but guaranteed the freshest meal or the best presents to give to your friends, you’ll also be putting your money back into the local economy too. Win-win!
4. Hit up sustainable cities
Love a city break and want to travel more sustainably? This one’s for you…
There are loads of walkable cities across Europe with car-free centres, but we especially love the look of this multi-city tour across the Netherlands, Germany and Norway. We reckon it’d be pretty much impossible not to end up cycling or taking public transport when moving around these cities - and here’s to soaking up the sights and sounds, and not the pollution…
And while we’re here, we can’t fail to mention this long-weekend trip to the inexplicably underrated city of Breda in the Netherlands, which is the ideal destination for anyone looking to while away the days in vintage clothes shops and indie cafés (yep, that’s us).
5. Travel beyond the hotspots
This final tip is about figuring out what you want from a trip and the most sustainable way to get it.
Try culturally-rich Lille instead of Paris, Trieste over Venice, Calabria over the Amalfi Coast… you get the picture! Avoiding hotspots also means avoiding the crowds - and getting to know the country you’re visiting that little bit better.
Has this piece sparked your wanderlust? Head over to Byway to start building the sustainable late summer holiday of your dreams - and take off £50 with our code KNOW50.
Happy travels!