‘Credit Crunch’ and ‘Energy Crunch’ are terms many of us will have come across at one time or another. To be able to travel we all need to be able to finance our trips and the current credit crunch will affect many travel plans. Of course the credit crunch will come to an end someday but that may not be the end of the challenges facing anyone wanting to travel the world. The energy crunch or at least Peak Oil is waiting in the wings as oil will not last forever and many experts believe that there is not enough oil left in the world to increase production beyond the levels reached in Summer 2008.
Treading lightly as we travel this beautiful world will ensure that our successors can enjoy it as much as we do. I do not endorse luxury travel as it consumes a lot more resources than budget travel. For example a business class traveller can take up the space of up to six passengers on a budget airline. This means that passenger will probably use at least four times as much aviation fuel per passenger mile and emit at least four times as much CO2 as a passenger on budget airline. Of course train and bus passengers will consume even less.
This blog has been started to discuss these issues and share experiences and tips for travellers who are want keep the cost of their travel to themselves and the environment to a minimum.
Airlines aside, I think luxury travel is becoming far more aware of its environmental responsibilities. For example, I know Richard Branson had plans for a resort in the Caribbean (Mosquito Island) which was going to be self-sufficient for its power (using wind and solar energy made on site). Not sure where that project is up at the moment.
That said, it still has a long way to go. Particularly concerning is Donald Trump’s latest venture in Aberdeenshire.
Richard Branson does quite a lot to operate his businesses in a sustainable way. He has done a lot to make rail travel more desirable through his Virgin Trains franchise. He has also run one of his aircraft on bio-fuel. However the issue of bio-fuels is down as an issue for a future post on my blog.