Travel greener
How to recognize a sustainable travel destination and expose greenwashing
Beautiful travel destinations can also be found in Germany
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Traveling causes emissions that are harmful to the climate, but even in times of climate crisis, no one has to miss out on a vacation. If you follow a few tips, you can make your vacation more sustainable.
Being on the move, discovering the world – that is a dream for many people. But traveling also causes emissions that are harmful to the climate. More and more people want to make their vacation more environmentally friendly – unfortunately, black sheep in the travel industry are also taking advantage of this. They advertise that they are particularly sustainable, environmentally friendly or socially acceptable. When there is nothing more behind the buzzwords than hot air, it is called greenwashing. How travelers expose greenwashing and how they can become sustainable Find travel destinations.
Basically: traveling sustainably also means treating nature, local culture and the population with respect. So respect nature conservation areas, eat in local restaurants, learn something in the host country. So if you take a few tips with you in your luggage, you can make your vacation more sustainable. When traveling, most emissions are caused by the journey to and from the destination – unless travelers set off on foot or by bike.
Of the various means of transportation, flights are particularly harmful. A flight (round trip per person) from Frankfurt am Main to Mallorca causes 500 kilograms of CO2 equivalent. According to the Federal Environment Agency, you would have to drive 2,400 kilometers by car to achieve the same climate impact.
Stiftung Warentest has calculated the footprint for various local and long-distance trips. Airplanes use a lot of fuel when climbing. Calculated per kilometer, short-haul flights therefore have a poor carbon footprint. The high consumption at the start is therefore not worth it for the short distance. The product testers advise solo travelers to take the bus or train for distances of up to 800 kilometers. Several people can also share a car.
In general, where we spend our vacation has a major influence on how many climate-damaging emissions are created. The further away the travel destination is, the higher the environmental impact is – especially if the trip takes place by plane. Even a single outward and return flight causes a lot of climate-damaging emissions in one fell swoop. A flight from Frankfurt am Main to Sydney causes 6.8 tons of CO2 equivalent (round trip per person). According to the Federal Environment Agency, 31,900 kilometers could be traveled by car until the same climate impact is achieved.
So how do you go about choosing a vacation spot?
- Since long-distance travel releases many climate-damaging emissions simply through the journey, it is more climate-friendly to rarely travel to distant places. Instead of just a few days, you should spend several weeks at the destination if possible.
- If you travel a longer distance by plane, you can save CO2 with a direct flight. “A flight from Hanover to Gran Canaria via Barcelona causes almost 20 percent more CO2 than a direct flight,” writes Stiftung Warentest.
- Bring variety to your choice of holiday destination, this year Grömitz, next year Rome by train and in four years Thailand.
- Many places like Venice or Amsterdam are struggling with the consequences of overtourism. If you want to visit such destinations, you can try not to plan your vacation during the high season. Or visit a lesser-known city like Tartu in Estonia.
- Labels can help with orientation. But there are also seals that destinations or hotels award themselves. So keep your eyes open! The TourCert label takes into account compliance with human rights, ecological balance, support of local communities, fair working conditions and species protection. The label was founded in 2009 by the “Tourism Watch” initiative. Tour operators, accommodations and entire destinations such as Saarland are awarded the label.
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How to find sustainable accommodation locally?
When choosing sustainable accommodation, travelers can consider four main points, as the European Consumer Center informs.
- How high is the energy consumption? And does the accommodation use green electricity/gas? Large hotel complexes with heated pools in particular consume a lot of energy. On the campsite, however, little energy is used.
- What is the food like? A lavish buffet usually means that a lot of food ends up in the bin and resources are wasted.
- What about waste separation? Is everything in the hotel wrapped in plastic?
- Are there ambitions to save water?
- In addition, consumers can also use seals here. Within Europe, hotels and campsites are awarded the Ecolabel, the official environmental label of the European Union, if they have a good environmental concept. Travelers can research who is awarded online – however, the search function leaves a lot to be desired. One The consumer initiative provides an overview of various seals.
How to expose false green promises?
The European Consumer Center advises paying attention to how easy it is to find further information about the destination, the operator or the accommodation. Is what exactly is being done made transparent? What exactly is the goal of a sustainable project? Is it explained why a hotel has been awarded a label and who awarded the label according to which criteria? Travelers should check the legal notice to see who is behind supposed sustainability projects of hotels or tour operators. Check the price realistically – if the offer is very cheap, it is questionable whether a hotel really uses green electricity and only serves organic meat. And orientation towards labels and seals can help.
On January 10th and 11th, RTL Deutschland will focus on the topic of travel in TV, print, audio and online. When many people start planning their vacation for the year at the start of the year, our travel experts provide orientation under the slogan ‘Travel easy with us’ and provide support with service instructions and tips so that everyone can make the best individual decision for their vacation – inspiration included for the next holiday destination.
Sources: Federal Environment Agency, Stiftung Warentest,European Consumer Center 1, European Consumer Center 2