TRAVELLERS - Jet, set, go slow

It's no longer fashionable to zip through 15 countries in 15 days. Instead, travellers the world over are opting for the slow-lane, no-fly holidays. For two reasons. You get to see more when you travel slow and you burn less carbon and thus help reduce global warming, says Nitin Sethi Summers. It's the time when you pack your bags to run for cooler and hipper destinations from the scorching sun. Many of you will check out the budget airlines. Saves you a precious day at a marginally higher cost than train. Also saves the hassles of long travel. Sensible, right? Not quite if you care for Planet Earth. Do you know that no other form of transport pollutes more than aeroplanes? Even more than cars if it is shared by four? As pointed out recently by Newsweek (see STOI, May 20), a high-speed train ride between Paris and Marseille will emit 10 kg of carbon per passenger, compared to 187 kg by plane. Do you know the aviation sector accounts for 12% of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions. So, think again. If you are concerned by the melting mountains and the drying up rivers, you will realise why the latest fad is to travel slow. In fact, it's a cooler idea to take a train. That way, you see more of the countryside, and make travel part of the holiday. You also discover places closer home, which are often a discovery. And if you must go abroad, try to limit it to one destination hub, from where you can wind down to the final destination by train. You will find lots of people are doing the same; in fact, in Europe, many are setting out on bicycle tours at a leisurely pace. When you fly, you leave a trail behind, technically called a contrail — the long plumes of exhaust visible in the sky behind planes. They consist primarily of water droplets and ice, and are formed when water vapour released from burning jet fuel condenses at higher altitudes. Contrails often stay in the sky for many hours, and can spread up to 2 kms wide before dispersing. These trap heat that would otherwise escape, contributing to global warming. Worse still, the impact of the emissions high up in the atmosphere is known to be 2-4 times greater than usual emissions closer to the earth's surface. If you must fly abroad, it's a good idea to check if the airline is carbon neutral or at least on a carbon diet — that it buys carbon certificates to offset completely or partly the pollutants they emit. It'sa good way to trade away your guilt. Responsible travel doesn't end with you reaching the destination. Check out the credentials of the hotel. There are simple things to ask around — do they harvest rainwater, do they recycle water, do they recycle waste or compost any? But if you really want to enjoy a different, slow and sanguine holiday, see if you can find a homestead to stay in. Homestead tourism is a brilliant way to enjoy a place stay with families in a region or a village or neighbouring forest, who have turned their homes into comfortable guest houses. You will share their understanding of the area and their space. Switzerland took to the concept of homestead tourism long back, but the idea is fast up elsewhere. From the higher climes of Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim to the backwaters of Kerala, homestead tourism is turning out to be the option for those who want to see the world through the eyes of the people that inhabit it; for those who are tired of plastic smiles at fancy hotels. Travel well, travel slow and enjoy your trip.