The Lowest Carbon Holidays
Our previous article on the future of holidays (read it here) caused quite a stir. Having received several requests to showcase more holiday options that are compatible with the 1.5°C temperature rise limit set out in the Paris Agreement we rose to the challenge.
Transport is the largest proportion of emissions of any holiday. Even if sustainable aviation fuel takes off, long haul remains a high carbon option. But don’t despair. Brits aren’t just limited to staycations to keep their carbon footprint in check. We’ve discovered that it is possible to book holidays catering for all tastes, particularly if you travel by train, or have access to an electric car.
All holidays mentioned in this article have a carbon footprint under 500 kgs of CO2e per person.
👉 A quick note on calculations. All trips are 7 days long and include travel, accommodation and holiday activities. We didn’t include food (as everyone has to eat whether they are on holiday or not and we would use the same figure regardless of holiday type). Since we’re based in London, we’ve calculated all distances from there.
ULTRA low carbon holidays (<200 kgs CO2e)
If you’re looking to tread as lightly as possible, these are a few options for holidays that come in under 200 kgs of CO2e per person.
Cycling coast to coast, UK or Provence, France (travel by train)
Carbon footprint: UK - 97 kgs / Provence - 111 kgs CO2e for one person
Taking the train with your bike whether it’s in the UK or to France to enjoy the fresh air and scenery, is the lowest carbon holiday we could come up with. In the UK, this could be cycling through Scotland’s national parks, a stunning route which starts at Stirling railway station and finishes at Aberdeen. In Provence, combine cycling with visits to see Roman architecture, olive groves, lavender fields and vineyards travelling by train to Avignon and from Marseille.
A cycling trip to Provence combines sport with culture, gastronomy and scenery, all for a tiny carbon footprint.
Why are cycle trips so good? Because they can be your transport and activity, getting you from A to B. This means your only emissions come from your accommodation and food. You don’t need to worry about your luggage either. Popular routes have baggage drop off services. You can also opt for an e-bike for a more relaxing trip without any significant increase in your carbon footprint.
Ski trip to the French Alps (travel by train)
Carbon footprint: 106 kgs CO2e for one person
Believe it or not, skiing (in France in particular) is a pretty low carbon activity since ski lift infrastructure is powered by electricity and France has one of the greenest electricity mixes in Europe thanks to their use of nuclear and hydro. Taking the train makes your trip as low carbon as possible. If you rent your ski gear and keep your meat and dairy consumption (not included in our estimate) to a minimum you’ll slide in well below the 200 kgs per person threshold.
Top Tip: If you are based in Scotland and the snow has not been forthcoming, consider going to Norway if flying is the only viable option for you as it will have a smaller footprint than a flight to the Alps.
Walk the West Highland Way (travel by train)
Carbon footprint: 93 kgs CO2e for one person
Another self-powered trip comes in third place where the activity is also your transport. Jump on the train to Milngavie and enjoy the hike into the breathtaking Scottish Highlands to Fort William staying in B&Bs along the way before jumping on the train home again. Surprised this has a slightly larger footprint than skiing? European trains run on electricity and France’s electricity is lower carbon than the UK’s.
VERY Low Carbon Holidays (200 - 500 kgs CO2e per person)
Whilst coming with a slightly higher carbon footprint, we still consider these options low carbon compared to the trips highlighted in our previous article (cruises, safaris, Disneyland, a greek beach holiday etc).
A cultural European cities break by train
Carbon footprint: 283 kgs CO2e for one person
Low carbon doesn’t have to mean staycation and this trip is the proof. Travel as far as Bucharest in Romania by train, visiting three more of Europe’s cultural cities over 7 days. We’ve based our calculation on an itinerary including 2 days in Paris, Budapest and Bucharest with an overnight stay in Munich to break up the journey home.
Enjoy the culture and sights of Budapest on a European cities break by train.
Top Tip: Look into overnight trains to reduce the number of nights you stay in hotels to reduce both your emissions and your costs. Useful European train map here.
Spanish beach holiday (travel by electric car & ferry)
Carbon footprint: 306 kgs CO2e for one person
It turns out a European beach holiday is possible on a carbon budget. Drive your electric car down to Portsmouth, jump on the ferry to Bilbao and continue your trip to Alicante for some sun, sand and sangria. For a family of four travelling in the same car, the total carbon footprint is 1,224 kgs of CO2 or just 306 kgs per person.
Glamping in Cornwall (travel by petrol car)
Carbon footprint: 322 kgs CO2e for one person
A self-drive camping / glamping or Airbnb trip to Cornwall is a popular summer staycation. Surfing, visiting the Eden project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are all on the agenda and why not the odd cream tea? The majority of the emissions come from the drive there and back. Filling your car with 3 passengers reduces the carbon footprint to 102 kgs of CO2 per person putting it in our lowest carbon holiday category.
Drive a large electric car to Cornwall and the per person emissions for a family of 4 come down to a minuscule 19 kgs of CO2e per person (or 52 kgs for a solo traveller). This makes it the lowest carbon holiday, even lower than the cycling or hiking trips we calculated.
Glamping in a luxurious Geodome in Cornwall
For information, staying in an Airbnb rather than a tent increases the carbon footprint to 142 kgs CO2e for one person.
Camper van trip to the Lake District
Carbon footprint: 457 kgs CO2e for one person
It is possible to do a low carbon trip in a traditional camper van. Drive your mobile home from London to the Lake District and use it to visit the different sights and outdoor activities on offer each day. Hiking around Grassmere, canoeing on Lake Windermere and windsurfing on Derwentwater are just some of the attractions. Add the rest of your family or 3 friends into your van and the per person carbon footprint comes down to just 114 kgs CO2e per person.
What lessons can we learn from these holiday itineraries?
During the course of our calculations, we learned three useful principles for planning low carbon holidays.
Self-powered = low carbon
It was always going to be the case that self-powered holidays like cycling or hiking are the lowest carbon activity holidays, particularly when you take the train to the starting point and home from the end point.
2. Travel furthest by train / electric car
If your goal is to get as far away from home as possible and /or tick the beach holiday / cultural city break / sightseeing boxes on a small carbon footprint you can do it by taking the train OR filling an electric car with 4 people (even if you also take a ferry).
3. Share your transport with friends / family
Travelling in a regular car or camper van as a solo traveller really racks up your carbon footprint, but sharing your transport with 3 other travellers brings your carbon footprint down to a low level.
If you work in the holiday / travel sector and you’d like help to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of your holidays, get in touch.
