Consider planning trips that intentionally cut out the carbon when you move from point A to point B. If you are able, choose options that move you from place to place on calorie-power, rather than carbon-power, and give you a chance to slow down, observe, and appreciate the world around you when you travel. For example:
Walking Tours
Active-travel companies reported a surge in bookings of hiking and walking trips following the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic. Walking tours are low-carbon and offer a way to get exercise and experience the great outdoors, while also allowing covid-careful travelers to remain safely socially distanced. You can plan your own hiking adventures along long-distance routes like the Appalachian, Continental Divide, or Pacific Crest Trails, or book group or guided tours through companies like backroads.com, rei.com, and wildlandtrekking.com.
You can find shorter planned walking tours within cities from companies like Washington Walks, which offers walking tours of historic neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., or consult with your destination’s local visitor’s center on how to plan a walking tour of your own. If you’re looking for tours tailored for vegan diets, Green Earth Travel can help.
Biking Tours
“There are already more than 40,000 miles of multi-use trails across the U.S., including the developing Great American Rail-Trail, the nation’s first cross-country route that will one day link Washington, D.C., and Washington State. With some preparation, it’s never been so easy to get out and explore America by trail,” says Kevin Belle, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Great American Rail-Trail project manager.
To plan a long-distance bike trip, find resources from Rails-to-Trails, American Trails, and the Adventure Cycling Association. Consider joining Warm Showers, a free global cyclist community that helps long-distance cyclists find convenient overnight home-share lodging. You can even bring your bike with you on an Amtrak train to cover more ground and scenery.
Paddling Tours
Two of the oldest forms of water transportation, canoeing and kayaking, offer a carbon-free way to experience the natural beauty of the nation’s waterways. Among the top US destinations, Paddling Magazine recommends the Northeast Forest Canoe Trail in New England (the longest mapped water trail in the US), the Salmon River in Idaho, the Everglades in Florida, and the Lake Superior Coast in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Local paddling companies can help with planning.
BONUS: Train Travel
If safety concerns or physical constraints make the above options less possible for you or your travel companions, consider climate-friendly train travel instead. Trains offer you the chance to relax and enjoy your free-time traveling down the tracks without the stress of being behind the wheel, or the hassle of the airport. You can traverse the entire country via train and the West coast routes are scenic.
A 2022 Department of Transportation study compared the real-world carbon emissions of several trips within the United States, demonstrating the amount of carbon that could be saved by avoiding cars and airplanes. For example, train travel from St. Louis to Chicago produced nearly one-quarter of the emissions of driving or flying, while train travel in the even more efficient Northeast corridor between Boston and New York produced less than one-fifth of the emissions.
While not every part of the country is currently served by trains, Amtrak’s proposed 2035 expansion plan would bring service to previously unserved cities like Columbus, OH; Nashville, TN; Wichita, KS; and Las Vegas, NV. If you would like to see these expansions and more become a reality, contact your representatives to voice your support.
