Plant yourself here
Lona Misa is Ovolo South Yarra’s new vegan restaurant.Credit:Simon Schluter
Given that livestock is one of the major drivers of global deforestation,consumers are paying much more attention to the ethics of what they eat. The inclusion of plant-based meals on hotel,cruise and restaurant menus is now common,with one hotel group,Ovolo,innovating by switching to exclusively vegetarian menus in all its restaurants. Now,Britain’s first vegan hotel,Saorsa 1875,has opened in Pitlochry Scotland,where all the furnishings as well as the food are vegan and designed for “vegans,vegetarians and the plant-curious” . With sales of plant-based food up more than 50 per cent according to the Vegan Society,expect this trend to keep sprouting. Seeovolohotels.com
Best feet forward
Forest bathing is often combined with sustainable,recycled accommodations.
Perhaps it’s a reaction to the digital world we inhabit every day,but with health and wellbeing front of mind for many travellers,accessing the healing,stress-busting power of nature is becoming important for all generations. Simple,nature-based experiences such hiking,stargazing,bird watching andshinrin-yoku (forest bathing) undertaken with the lightest environmental footprint are becoming increasingly popular,combined with nostalgic accommodations such as camping in old tents,“tramping” in recycled train or tram carriages and going off-grid in remote cabins. Even those preferring to travel in RVs,(22 per cent of RV owners are aged 18-34,according to the RV Institute) are more conscious of their footprint,as they look to a future of travel in electrified vehicles with solar-powered amenities.
In a pickle and loving it
Regent Seven Seas have introduced a pickle ball court onboard.Credit:RSSC
In a technological world,where VR simulations of travel experiences are becoming the norm rather than a novelty,what could be more sustainable than good,old-fashioned outdoor and board games,which have a low carbon footprint and encourage social interaction? Younger generations are discovering the pleasures their great-grandparents enjoyed,as classic games like croquet,badminton,quoits,bocce,shuffleboard and mini golf trend. The latest craze in America is for pickle-ball,a game like badminton played with paddle and a hard green ball,which is a relative newcomer,being invented in 1965. Cruise ships are reintroducing shuffleboard and mini golf and some,such as Regent Seven Seas Splendor,have a pickle-ball court as well. Seerssc.com
Take the pledge
Hawaii has introduced the Kanu Pledge,asking visitors to commit to protecting the islands.Credit:iStock
Travellers are being seen as partners with destinations and communities,rather than mere visitors. Increasingly,destinations are asking travellers to make a commitment to protecting the environment they visit by signing a pledge to travel responsibly while on holiday,respecting the quiet of places they explore,conserving water,not feeding wildlife or not acting destructively in landscapes or structures they come across. Hawaii has introduced the Kanu Pledge,asking visitors to commit to protecting the islands while they are there,and take further action by signing on to a choice of hundreds of volunteer programs,which offer one-time opportunities to work on such projects. Seekanuhawaii.org
Going public
Lime-S:the e-scooters were introduced in Paris in 2018.Credit:Getty Images
The use of personal mobility,such as push bikes and e-scooters,increased dramatically during the pandemic and people have continued to enjoy the freedom of a decarbonised way of getting around that isn’t beholden to transport schedules. The use of public transport itself is also rising. Smart cities around the world are electrifying their public transport systems and introducing car-free zones,with no-fee access introduced in places such as Luxembourg,Belgium and Malta. The advantage of public transport is not just that it’s cheaper and better for the planet,but it also gives travellers a more local travel experience and takes them to places off the well-beaten tourist track.
Shape up or ship out
Aurora Expeditions already operates at 10 per cent carbon neutral.Credit:Aurora Expeditions/Scott Portelli
The true next big thing is not going to be eco-aviation,as widespread use of sustainable aviation fuels,hydrogen fuel or electric planes is decades away. But there’s an acceleration of technological innovation in ship building which will provide some genuinely greener cruising experiences by 2030. Already,travellers have (admittedly limited) opportunities to cruise on ships running on liquified natural gas (LNG) and hybrid LNG-battery systems and on environmentally responsible cruise lines such as Aurora,which operates 100 per cent carbon neutral. Most exciting are innovations in sail power,exemplified by Ponant,which is developing the Swap2Zero ship,combining six major decarbonising building blocks including wind power,solar,liquid hydrogen and carbon capture. Seeau.ponant.com
Give me a (mini) break
The Three Sisters in Blue Mountains National Park,NSW.Credit:Mark Bean/DNSW
The idea of taking one big,annual holiday is losing traction as travellers look to more frequent,shorter breaks close to home. Mini escapes are easier to organise and less of a drama if they need to be cancelled. They’re also conducive to multi-generational gatherings. For the more adventurous travellers,Australia’s national parks,wildernesses,snowfields,rainforests and desert landscapes provide the same adrenaline buzz as expeditions further afield. And it’s good for the environment – less carbon is spent on flights,local communities are supported,and there’s more flexibility for off-peak travel. Seeparksaustralia.gov.au