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Sustainable travelling - how does the campervan compare to air travel?

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Sustainable travel - is it possible? Reports of climate threats are getting worse and worse, and we are inundated with warnings and tips. We've been thinking about how to travel more sustainably, and how the motorhome compares to flying.

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Reports on climate threats

The new report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change may scare even the most ardent environmentalist. The report warns of serious consequences for the future of the planet if warming reaches 2 degrees instead of 1.5.

According to Johan Rockström, a professor of environmental science, we have less than ten years to get the planet back on track. And that is a very short perspective when you live in a time where politics, administration and economics make all changes cumbersome and take time.

Solnedgång Korsika

How do we achieve a sustainable lifestyle?

According to a 2017 research study there are four lifestyle choices that are most effective in reducing climate impact: having fewer children (most effective), living without a car, avoiding air travel and eating a plant-based diet. Of course, the hope is to move towards more environmentally friendly technologies, but even if this happens, it will hardly be enough. So how can we humans change our lifestyle?

Personally, I believe in a combination of 1) government instruments and 2) inspiration and good examples. However, I dislike blaming other people (I have seen some sad examples!). 

I'm the kind of person who thinks it's a hassle to have to be informed and make conscious choices every time I make a stressful trip to the supermarket. However, I would gladly welcome a more limited range of exotic fruit and a higher price for meat.

Grönsaker

Sustainable travel - what is it?

When it comes to travelling sustainably, we know pretty much what everyone else knows. Flying is not good and driving is not very good either, at least not if you don't drive an electric car (and electric cars don't seem to solve environmental problems in the long run). Carpooling is, of course, better than everyone sitting one by one in their cars. Travelling by train or bicycle seems to be best, but is not always realistic.

A reasonable alternative could be to fly less often, and stay away longer when you do fly. Another option is to holiday more in Sweden. There are also a lot of other things that come into play. To live sustainably while travelling, you can eliminate single-use packaging, shop less or more eco-friendly and eat locally produced food.

Bäverspaning Sverige

How sustainable is travelling by motorhome?

A motorhome usually runs on diesel, which is not optimal from an environmental perspective, but can the motorhome still be a reasonably good alternative? The Norwegian organisation Østfoldforskning has made a stand-alone study on behalf of the Norwegian Caravan Industry Association.

To find out how the motorhome fares in the environmental debate, they compared it with other possible types of holiday, such as a flight to a big city, a charter to the sun, a cruise or a summer cottage. The study takes into account transport, accommodation, food and activities, and assumes that the motorhome holiday takes place in Norway.

The results of the study show that a domestic holiday is one of the most climate-friendly options. A motorhome holiday has slightly higher emissions than travelling by car to a summer cottage, but is better than flying with a hotel and better than a cruise. Whether a motorhome holiday is a relatively good environmental choice or not depends of course on how far you choose to drive and which motorhome you drive etc., but there are some advantages of a motorhome that we would like to highlight:

  • Many motorhome owners rarely or never fly.
  • Motorhome owners often holiday in Sweden, or in Europe.
  • Living in a campervan teaches you to conserve water and electricity.

How do you think?

Do you think about the environment when travelling? Do you have any tips for travelling sustainably?

Killarney natur

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