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Cheap airfares and discount airlines have made long distance trips accessible to the masses, but there is a downside - air travel is a significant contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions.
It's important for our well-being that we all take time out from our busy lives to relax and have a holiday, but with a bit of planning we can definitely reduce the impact of those activities on the environment.
Stay local - we all tend to think a holiday means travelling a long way from home, but you'll be amazed at the tourism options close to home when you start to look.
Flying is an extremely emissions-intensive way to travel. If you want to holiday overseas, arrange one longer trip with flights at either end, rather than multiple shorter trips each with flights at either end.
Get to know one location well, rather than hopping around to lots of places. You'll get a better understanding of local people and culture, as well as reducing your emissions.
Get around like the locals. Make use of public transport, bicycles or walk to get around on the ground rather than renting a car.
If you need to rent a car, try to share the ride with fellow travellers to reduce your individual impacts and remember to drive efficiently.
Travel light - remember every extra kilogram that needs to be transported needs more fuel and generates more greenhouse gas emissions.
Buy souvenirs produced locally. Buying a cheap imported knock-off of a traditional item as a souvenir does not support the local community and creates additional transport emissions.
Organise tours with an accredited eco-tourismoperator to reduce your impact on the local environment.
Holidays will never be entirely emission free, so we have to counteract the impact of the greenhouse emissions we create by undertaking an activity to absorb an equivalent amount of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Greenfleet plants permanent, biodiverse, native forests to offset greenhouse gas emissions on behalf of businesses and individuals.
Use our online Tree Totaller to calculate and offset the emissions generated by your air travel - which will be the most emissions-intensive part of most holidays.