Our new carbon reality means a whole year of carbon consciousness can be undone with a single return trip to Europe, as I discussed in my previous post. 

But, never fear, you can avoid a carbon blow-out with these alternatives to air travel.

Explore your local hood

Australians travel all over the world for their annual work and study breaks, but do we really need to cross an ocean or spend hours travelling to far away places to have a great vacation? Couldn't we have just as much fun on a staycation?

The term 'staycation' has enjoyed growing use due to the impact of the global financial crisis. As wallets tighten more people have chosen to holiday closer to home. But opting for a staycation rather than an overseas vacation has benefits beyond your hip pocket.

Staycations have obvious environmental benefits, but there are other positive side effects of holidaying closer to home. A staycation is a chance to explore your local surrounds and happenings or just relax at home and do nothing. What a novel idea!

As one blogger happily writes of her staycation experience in The Great Staycation 'staying at home, doing n-o-t-h-i-n-g, has been the best thing ever for our family … It has been bliss. No phone calls, no playdates, no obligations to be anywhere'.

If you decide to take a more active staycation there are a number of positive flow on effects for your local community. By visiting local museums, art spaces, live music events and sporting matches you contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of your community. 

Plugging in

Many businesses/organisations fly their employees around the globe to conduct business meetings, however advancements in communication technologies, such as video conferencing mean that it is no longer an imperative. As these technologies continue to improve the justification for business travel must surely diminish.

Trains, planes and automobiles

How do trains, planes and automobiles measure up when we consider expense, travel time and carbon emissions?

Let's take the popular Sydney to Melbourne route as an example.

Dr Damon Honnery, Monash University expert on alternative fuels was cited in a 2007 Sydney Morning Herald article saying that 'if someone drove between Sydney and Melbourne alone the greenhouse impacts would be similar to flying'.

So that pretty much eliminates the car in the carbon stakes unless you pile in and then it would be five times better than flying in terms emissions.

According to the article buses and trains, depending on how full they are, can be up to 10 times less carbon intensive, per passanger, than cars or planes.

So public transport is the clear winner in terms of emissions, but what about time and cost?

A train or bus trip between Mel and Syd takes around 12 hours. The advantage of the train over the bus is that you can take a 'sleeper' getting on in the late evening and arriving to your destination having slept away most of the journey, plus you would have been twice. Bonus!

In terms of cost, a return trip between Syd to Mel on the train is around the $500 mark for a cabin sleeper or $250 for an economy seat. At first this may appear more expensive than flying, but works out much-of-a-muchness when you factor in all other associated costs. Taxis to and from the airports in both cities, time spent checking in and waiting to board, meals at the airport and on the plane. Plus, the train leaves from, and drops you off in, the centre of both cities. With all this in mind the train is a far more attractive option.

Go less often, but stay longer

Some of us simple cannot avoid plane travel. Many of us have what The Guardian writer George Monbiot terms ‘Love Miles’ that we must bridge in order to maintain our family relationships and close friendships.

Colin Beavan discusses this very problem in his book No Impact Man. His solution is to take half as many trips for twice as long and where possible to take public transport options.

Giving up air travel might at first seem a terrible, isolating proposition, but with a bit of imagination may be a great opportunity to connect with those around us and slow down our overheated lives, while also cooling our overheated planet. 

P.S. live local is keen to hear from all who took a staycation over the recent end-of-year break. What influenced you to stay at home? What were the benefits and drawbacks? What did you discover? Contact us or create an experiment of your experience.

Photo by Flickr user Thirteen of Clubs. Used under Creative Commons license.