Sustainable Travel Is Hard — So Why Bother?

Being sustainable while travelling is not always easy. From the moment you decide to plan a trip, you’re bombarded with information about ‘the best way’ to make better travel choices — presented in heavily edited, perfectly curated, bite-sized content that makes sustainable travel look simple and sexy. It’s understandable that as a travel-planner trying to be conscientious, you become frustrated, deflated, and feel as though your efforts are useless in comparison to shiny, glitzy media content.

Let’s start at the beginning — getting to your destination. When researching transport for your sustainable holiday, you find yourself looking at alternatives to budget air travel that are costly, in terms of both money and time; what do you mean a long-distance train will cost me two whole travel days and £800? The budget-airline-that-shall-not-be-named says they can get me there in three hours and for 12 quid — sure they’ll lose my travel companion along the way, and I’m not allowed to bring any luggage, but a bargain is a bargain. In this case, most of us are going with the cheaper, faster option.

Then you get to part two — the accommodation. That dreamy sustainable hotel you discover has it all, it’s the perfect haven of relaxation, is B-corp certified, reliably eco-friendly, and isn’t greenwashed (at least as far as you could research) but is affordable only to the wealthiest of tourists — and, sadly, you’re not the wealthiest of tourists. So, again, you find yourself in a bit of an ethical pickle: do you go for one night in a staggeringly expensive eco-hotel with your conscience in tact but your bank account in ruins, or do you go for a less sustainable accommodation that you can afford to stay in for a week but comes at a high cost to your conscience? Your holiday is off to a truly relaxing start, and it hasn’t even fucking begun.

As your sustainable holiday dreams morph into frustration, you tally up the time spent trying to book a holiday that will provide relaxation without scorching the planet or inadvertently funding human rights abuses. The time it took to research your sustainable trip is hours, days, weeks more than it would to just use the cheaper, sponsored, and less sustainable options. You’ve come to the tragic realisation that it’s fucking hard to travel sustainably; it takes ages to plan and costs exponentially more. So why bother?

The simple reason: it’s important.

Our planet depends on it.

The survival of eco-systems depends on it.

Our survival as a species depends on it.

There is a lot at stake.

So, vent your frustrations – go for a run, scream into a pillow, swear profusely, have a cup of tea – whatever gives you a breather and provides the headspace to approach this topic with a clear frame of mind.

Now, let’s dive in.

The first thing I will say about trying to travel sustainably is this: do what you can in ways you can manage. Don’t bother yourself with aiming for perfection because it doesn’t exist. Don’t try to travel sustainably in the ‘right’ or ‘best’ way. Do what works for you. I promise, it is better than doing nothing.

The second is: don’t put pressure on yourself by mimicking ‘green’ travel influencers or sustainability activists and campaigners, no matter how tempting it is. In category one, we have people who have made it an integral part of a brand or public persona to intersect travel and sustainability, and the likelihood is that they receive sponsorships, affiliate marketing payouts, or brand deals by doing so. Whether they admit it or not, this will directly impact where they go, where they stay, what they eat, and, importantly for us as audiences, what they say and how they say it.

It is their job to research, organise, and create content about this topic, meaning they will be better at it than the average traveller. As a result, they are less likely to have the same financial and time restrictions as the average tourist who is attempting to be more conscientious — like you. As someone who has worked in tourism and travel writing for a decade, I can tell you that sometimes, whether you like it or not, you have to go where the money is or where the people in charge tell you the next assignment is if you want to make a real go of it professionally. It’s just like any other job.

With that wee crushing dose of reality swallowed, I will sweeten it by saying that you can learn from what these social media characters say. Use their research as a base for your own, trial their travel methods for yourself, but please don’t put pressure on yourself to be them or copy what they do, where they go, how they get there, or where they stay. It will cause frustration and let down, and will make you never want to travel again, let alone conscientiously. That being said, not travelling is the best way to be sustainable. But let’s be honest, not one of us is going to stop, are we? Besides, it would be devastating to local economies and livelihoods globally if we did.

With regard to mimicking travel sustainability activists and campaigners — no chance. This is a group of highly focused people who have dedicated much of their life, if not their entire life, to champion sustainability, environmentalism, and conservation. Most travellers don’t have the time, energy, or mental capacity to do that. The best approach for us, the lowly average tourists, is to simply do what we can, in any ways we can manage.

When thinking about conscientious, sustainable travel, keep four things in mind:

1) Not every method is suitable for every body

2) It comes with a higher price tag

3) Your options may be limited

4) No form of travel is 100% sustainable

So, let’s break these down to better understand and appreciate why sustainable travel isn’t always the easy option, why in some cases it’s challenging, but why it’s important we still give it a right good go.

Not Every Method Is Suitable for Every Body

No. I didn’t spell ‘everybody’ wrong. I meant it as every body. As in every individual body is different, each with its own capabilities and limitations. Nowhere is this more apparent than in tourism and travel.

I count myself lucky that I do not have a disability – visible or invisible. Now, before we go any further, I would like to clearly state, right here and right now, that I am in no way, shape, or form, shaming anyone who has a disability by saying that I am lucky not to have one. I am saying that the world we live in is often designed and built for those without them, and I believe it would be ridiculous (if not insulting and patronising) for me to pretend that my life isn’t easier because I’ve never had to experience life with one.

Now while I don’t have a disability, I have travelled extensively with people who do. The first time was eye-opening and changed my perception of travel forever. Where I can easily hop from plane to train to bus to ferry, use any station, have no worries about whether there are stairs, lifts, escalators, barrier-free access, and am not at the mercy of debilitating fear or anxiety when encountering disruptions, others are not as lucky. I definitely take things for granted.

For many travellers, every aspect of every journey has to be meticulously researched with no room for error. Stations must have attendants, trains must have wheelchair storage, individual legs of long-distance trips must be no longer than four hour stretches, food must be available at specific time intervals, dietary needs must be met otherwise epi pens or other medication must be at hand, and schedules must be fixed and run accordingly with the slightest disruption or detour potentially spelling mental, emotional, or physical disaster.

With all travel, but specifically for those who are trying to travel sustainably and conscientiously, this can limit options and create additional layers of difficulty. Is it fair? No. Is it the reality of the world we live in? Unfortunately, yes. Does this mean that you should stop trying to travel sustainably if you or a travel companion has a disability? Absolutely not, and I hope no one suggests that you should. If they do, politely invite them to fuck off.

There will be options, and a fair amount of them, finding them might just require a bit more time, effort, money, and research. The hopeful part is this: the more we, as travel consumers, question companies’ shortcomings and demand more sustainable options for the largest number of tourists, the more accessible sustainable travel will become.

It Comes with a Higher Price Tag

Travelling with your conscience intact comes at a price. It’s not just the eco-guilt that takes its toll every time you board an airplane — forgive us Mother Nature, for we have sinned, and will probably continue to do so because two weeks on a Thai beach always sounds lovely — but the actual price tag is often higher when going green.

There are many factors that influence market value. However, I believe one having the biggest impact on sustainability, is that there simply isn’t enough shareholder interest for companies to change their ways. Why would any corporation change unsustainable practices if those practices 1) make them money and, 2) not changing them, comes with no financial or reputational consequences? From a profit perspective, it makes sense for companies to continue to use the less sustainable, often cheaper options for services and products. In the travel industry, with all its complexities, this means that your holiday can include services and labour that are sourced, managed, and disposed of in ways that range from a touch unethical to fucking criminal.

While bigger businesses might be able to afford the initial financial hit of quickly overhauling their current unsustainable practices by implementing more sustainable ones, many smaller, independent travel and tourism suppliers cannot afford to do so. With the current cost of living crisis and the economic uncertainty due to mediocre, boring men in power trying to be more interesting by asserting their authority in the most ludicrous of ways, many businesses and travellers, alike, wanting to be more sustainable, eco-friendly, and conscientious simply can’t afford the time or money it takes to partake.

If you think this isn’t accurate, let’s take a common example — Airbnb. Many believe that Airbnb has damaged the property market in urban areas globally. It is argued that their platform has played a role in encouraging individuals and businesses to buy up property and rent it out as holiday lets on their site, resulting in locals being priced out of their own homes and cities, and leading to escalated rates of gentrification. However, a quick look on any traditional accommodation booking platform and it becomes clear that an eco-hotel at upwards of £100 per night per room versus an Airbnb for £50 per night per room will have a clear winner in most tourists’ books. While we want (or sometimes need) a holiday, we can’t always afford to pick the more conscientious option, even when we want to. Most of us, even sustainable travellers, are stuck choosing the cheaper option. It sucks, but it’s the reality.

To sound a bit more encouraging, what I will say is this: if you are in the fortunate financial position to use sustainable, eco-friendly options when you travel, please do. Do it for all of us. Or, if you’re feeling generous, give us conscientious travellers the money and we’ll do it. And if you are one of the tourists who has to pick the cheaper, less sustainable option, remember it doesn’t make you a terrible person or a bad traveller — just try your best to make other sustainable choices when preparing for your travels or while you’re on them.

Your Options May Be Limited

While some destinations pride themselves on being eco-conscientious and has sustainability intertwined into their cultures (Scandinavia, you know we’re all looking at you and not just because you’re all sexy), other destinations exhibit more laissez-faire behaviour when sat at the intersection of tourism and sustainability. Places like the Netherlands and Denmark reward tourists for not littering with free drinks and boat rides; Venice is limiting the number of cruise ship arrivals to help preserve their sinking city from the dreaded ‘day-trippers’; and Burma charges a day fee to limit tourist numbers and, therefore, tourists’ impact on local natural eco-systems and biodiversity.

Destinations like Turkey, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States (one of my two home countries) rank poorly on the UN’s annual Sustainable Development Goals Report; countries such as Iran and Jamaica (along with 62 others) criminalise homosexuality and same-sex relationships; and China, India, and Japan find themselves in the top five list of the world’s worst polluters.

While it can be easy to research destinations that are doing the most to elevate certain sustainable travel practises, researching the places with poorer sustainable travel practises can be arduous. After all, no country is going to boast about being the least environmentally friendly, the most anti-LGBTQIA+, or the country with the most poverty, right? Global tourism employs 10% of the world’s population and even countries that rank poorly in sustainability (arguably, especially them) need the money that comes from tourism. There is a level of self-preservation in countries making themselves look desirable to tourists.

Why certain countries excel at sustainability and others fail is complex. There is a mix-and-match list of reasons that will change from place to place. For some less-than-sustainable locations it is due to a lack of funding and economic security, for others there is an absence of care and concern, while others are experiencing civil or political situations that relegate putting time and effort into creating sustainable travel options for tourists to the bottom their priority list — it’s hard to care about guests when the people who call your country home are dying.

In certain destinations being sustainable or eco-friendly will prove to be an absolute nightmare. You will simply have to decide for yourself the best course of action. Let me be clear, I’m not advocating for not going to these places, I am advocating for making careful and purposeful choices while there.

You Will Fail

I know this sounds brutal, but my hope is that the reality will help relieve tourists of the pressure many put on themselves. Being 100% sustainable isn’t realistic. And by setting yourself an unattainable goal, you are setting yourself up for failure and inevitable eco-guilt. I say this constantly and will continue to say it: little, sustainable changes to the way we travel are better than no changes.

There will always be travel writers and influencers who piss on your parade because, in their eyes and not-so-humble opinion, you aren’t doing enough to travel better — you fly instead of taking trains, you stay in Airbnbs instead of independent, locally-owned hotels, you buy bottled water instead of travelling with a refillable one. But the truth is this, the moment any of us embark on any form of travel we are being environmentally unfriendly.

It doesn’t matter what mode of transport you choose, all forms are polluters (unless maybe you’re walking, but even then you need to shit somewhere), or which destinations you pick, you bring potential negative socio-economic or health issues to locals, or how many reusable toiletries you use, you still create waste. Put simply, in one way or another, travel comes with negative social, political, environmental, and health risks. So, quite frankly, the holier-than-thou sustainable travel writers and influencers can shove it.

Sometimes, the reality of our behaviour is not always pleasant to hear.

Does this mean that we should stop travelling? I say absolutely fucking not but I’m a travel writer and worked in the tourism industry for a decade so it’s fair to say that I’m biased. I firmly believe the doors opened through travel are worth it, as long as we are travelling carefully and conscientiously.

Travel opens our eyes to unfamiliar cultures, our ears to diverse languages, and our minds to different religious practices. It brings the pages of history books to life and offers a road towards empathetic understanding of others and their experiences. It helps us dissect and understand history and its influence on past and current political relationships. It provides the physical and mental health benefits that come with relaxing away from the everyday struggles of work and life.

Travel holds up entire economies, offers income to marginalised communities whose members would struggle to earn money elsewhere, and creates a deeper appreciation of people and places that are different to our own selves and homes. In short, travel is fucking phenomenal, and the benefits are undeniable.

But we do need to take care that it is mutually beneficial for those who are travelling and those who are local. Otherwise, we run the risk of being an invasive species whose presence and impact can devastate cultures, ecosystems, economies, and communities.

In short, travelling sustainably and conscientiously comes with added difficulties, but the benefits are well worth the effort.