Getting there...

Here at responsibletravel.com we’re always thinking about ways to encourage everyone to be more responsible when it comes to travelling on holiday.

First of all have a think about whether you really need to fly. We have lots of holidays in Europe and the UK and are adding to these sections daily.

If you are travelling within Europe we’d suggest that you travel to your holiday destination by rail or ferry rather than flying. With the queues and hustle and bustle of the airports it’s often a much more pleasant start and your holiday begins as soon as you leave the house rather than once you arrive in your destination.

Most parts of the UK can be reached by train and local bus services - a handy tip is to book your tickets well in advance and if you’re travelling in a group ask about group discounts as these can reduce costs of train tickets significantly. Don’t forget to check out Ferry services to Ireland and to Western Europe.

Websites such as seat61.com, are a great way to help you find a route from the UK, making the majority of Europe easily accessible. Also consider using public transport rather than internal flights to get around within a country. As well as significantly reducing your carbon emissions it is often a far better way of meeting local people and enjoying the scenery.

If you do fly you can also make a difference by considering the most responsible way of getting to the airport. Most airports have excellent railway and coach connections. Check out http://www.nationalrail.co.uk for train times and http://www.nationalexpress.co.uk for travel by coach.

If you find it difficult to match up the times of the trains to coincide with check in times then it is much better to drive yourself and park at the airport rather than asking a friend to drop you off and then come and collect you as this cuts the number of journeys taking in the car and reduces fuel emissions. Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) offers a variety of airport parking options including parking at hotels and secure valet parking all over the UK. Although using public transport is always our first choice, we like APH as they work with the World Land Trust to protect areas such as the rainforests of Belize and have carbon balanced their operations.

If you are flying make sure you offset your carbon emissions with climate care who will invest your donation into a community project that will reduce carbon emissions. Climate care work to increase energy efficiency, increase renewable energy sources and increase forest restoration which will have long term benefits for the environment and local communities. You can calculate your emissions by using our travel calculator here.

It’s also worth researching in the area where you live to see if there are any environmental schemes for local transport that you can use. Here in Brighton there is a fleet of taxis called Biocabs, the only private hire company in Brighton to run its fleet on Pure Plant Oil or Bio-Diesel. Offering a more environmentally friendly way of getting around, they specialise in airport transfers.

If you’ve got any initiatives where you live please drop us a note here and let us know so we can post them here so others can take advantage of them.