Is sustainable travel during a climate crisis actually possible?

In the early days of tourism, taking a trip was synonymous with exclusivity and luxury. Nowadays it is considered standard in Western countries to board a plane to explore distant lands. Tourism has become increasingly accessible for both good and bad. Our cultural horizons have expanded exponentially – but at what cost to the planet? Is it still possible to wander the world with a clear conscience in 2024?

With the climate crisis in full swing, many people are haunted by the environmental costs of traveling abroad. Marie-Julie Gagnon, author of the French-language book Voyager mieux: Is this possible? (which loosely translates to “Better travel: is it actually possible?”), analyzes all the subtleties of environmentally responsible tourism. It’s not shocking that, according to Gagnon, the most environmentally friendly thing you can do is… stay home.

But that’s not realistic for most people. “While planet-friendly travel in itself doesn’t exist, you can certainly raise awareness about how you navigate your way around the world,” says Gagnon. But how exactly can you become a better global wanderer? According to the author, the airplane is not the only enemy of the environment; our daily actions can also increase our ecological footprint. “The experts I spoke to said that (theoretically) every person has an annual CO2 budget of two tons,” she says. “So it’s all about figuring out what your priorities are, just like you would for your finances. Knowing that a return ticket to Paris will cost around a grand and a half, you will need to carefully manage the rest of your allocation when visiting the French capital. But if you do go over budget, you also have the option to purchase carbon credits.”