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  • Weekend Getaways

15 Best Short Family Vacations

Bend, Oregon; Courtesy of Andrea Soleiman/Shutterstock.com

Jan 30, 2018

See recent posts by Courtney Elko

When done right, short family getaways are just as much a vacation as week-long trips. In fact, some destinations are better as short vacations. Consider one of these short family vacations for your next getaway with the kids.

The Statue of Liberty in New York City.

New York City

A week in New York City can be fun, but it can also be overwhelming – especially if you’re first-time visitors to the Big Apple. Instead, take a few days to see the highlights – a stroll through Central Park, a Broadway show and maybe a ferry ride to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Be sure to make time for a cheesy slice of New York City pizza, too. See Weekend Trips to New York City for more suggestions.

Recommended Hotel: Omni Berkshire Place

Washington, D.C. at the Jefferson Memorial during spring.

Washington, D.C.

Just like New York City, you can’t squeeze it all in during a weekend getaway to our nation’s capital. So, choose one or two of the fabulous monuments or museums and explore the place top to bottom. The National Mall is a great place to zero in on with your family. From the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American History, there is plenty to explore and learn with your family in Washington D.C. See our Washington D.C. Weekend Guide With Kids for our favorite must-visit attractions and restaurants.

Recommended Hotel: Hotel George – A Kimpton Hotel

Palm Beaches, Fla.

The Palm Beaches — Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Island, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach — are perfect for a quiet beach getaway in the warm Florida sun. The Palm Beaches are about two and half hours from Orlando’s theme parks – making this a perfect spot to decompress after a week at the theme parks. Paddle boarding and other water sports are aplenty here, along with a small zoo, walking and biking trails, and the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, a mansion built in 1902.

Recommended Hotel: Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa

The Navy Pier in Chicago.

Families can breeze in and out of the Windy City for a short family vacation. There is a lot to see and do, but we suggest you focus on the big attractions like the Willis Tower, John Hancock Observation Deck and Navy Pier. Or, take in a game at Wrigley Field! Check out our day-by-day guide to Chicago Weekend Getaways for Families to even better plan a short family vacation in Chitown.

Recommended Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel Chicago

Neon signs on Lower Broadway Area in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville is an excellent place to visit for a short family vacation. Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, and of course, be sure to take in a live performance (or three) during your stay. Be sure to make a stop at Loveless Cafe? for authentic Southern fare, too. See our Nashville Weekend Guide for a day-by-day itinerary to Music City.

Recommended Hotel: Gaylord Opryland Resort

Not too big and not too small, Boston is a perfect destination for a short family vacation. The public transportation system is easy to navigate, there is a ton of American history to discover, and the food is great. Kids will love the Freedom Trail, which features many of the area’s historic sites — including iconic Quincy Market. A game at Fenway Park is always a good idea, too! See Boston Weekend Getaways for Families for more ideas.

Recommended Hotel: Boston Harbor Hotel

When you want the best of both worlds — city and beach life — on a short family vacation, Miami is the spot. Families can easily be rejuvenated and have fun. The beaches are fantastic for families, as are the museums — which include the Museum of Ice Cream! See our Miami Weekend Guide for more.

Recommended Hotel: Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach

Winter Park, Colorado.

Winter Park, Colo.

For a quick ski weekend, hit the slopes in Winter Park . About 90 minutes outside of Denver, Winter Park is an adorable town that features more than 3,000 skiable acres. Many Denver locals learn to ski and snowboard at Winter Park, so it’s a great weekend getaway for beginner skiers, local or visiting. There is a kids’ ski school for those who want to learn and the Village Rink at the base of Winter Park Resort offers ice skating daily and free lessons for an hour on the weekends during ski season.

Recommended Hotel: Zephyr Mountain Lodge

San Antonio River Walk in Texas.

San Antonio

San Antonio is a fantastic destination for a short family vacation. Home of the Alamo and the famous River Walk, families will love the TexMex vibes in San Antonio. A visit to the Alamo is a great way to squeeze in a bit of culture and history to your getaway and then enjoy the shops, restaurants and guided river boat tours along the River Walk. See San Antonio Weekend Getaways for Families for more ideas.

Recommended Hotel: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk-Downtown

Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle offers families plenty to see and do in a short getaway. Families will love to spend time exploring Pike Place Market, the iconic Space Needle and the ferry boats on Puget Sound. The seafood is excellent in Seattle, and you can even grab a cup of coffee from the world’s first-ever Starbucks! See our Seattle Weekend Guide for more.

Recommended Hotel: Sheraton Seattle Hotel

If you want to spend the day at the zoo during your short family vacation, head to San Diego ! The iconic San Diego Zoo, located in Balboa Park (which is also worth a visit in itself with its 17 museums, playgrounds and trails), features tons of animals and special experiences. You can see the Animals in Action, where you can feed the flamingos, or the Sunrise Surprise Stroll, where you get to be the first at the zoo before it opens! For other can’t-miss San Diego experiences, visit San Diego Weekend Getaways for Families .

Recommended Hotel: Park Hyatt Aviara Resort

The boardwalk in Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach, Va.

Virginia Beach is a great destination for a quick beach getaway. Sure, families could easily spend a week here, but if you are short on time, a few days in the sand and ocean will work out nicely in Virginia Beach. Spend some time at the beach and then hit the amusements, carnival games, free concerts and water parks on the boardwalk. Check out more local ideas on Virginia Weekend Getaways for Families .

Recommended Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Virginia Beach

Sandusky, Ohio

Amusement rides! What better way to spend a short family getaway then by roaring down a roller coaster, enjoying the quiet sights on a Ferris Wheel or carousel or screaming down a waterslide?! Sandusky, Ohio is home to Cedar Point Amusement Park, the second oldest amusement park in North America and considered the Roller Coaster Capital of the World. This is an ideal spot for a short family getaway in the summer. If you want even more getaway ideas in Ohio, see Ohio Weekend Getaways for Families .

Recommended Hotel: Kalahari Resorts & Conventions – Sandusky, Ohio

Santa Monica, Calif.

Your family will be in awe of the Santa Monica Pier during your short family vacation in California. Built in 1909, the California landmark looks over the Pacific Ocean and offers families roller coasters, bumper cars, games and of course, the iconic Ferris wheel and Santa Monic Loof Hippodrome (aka carousel) that is now a National Historic Landmark. The street performers in nearby Venice Beach and the beautiful California dreaming beach make Santa Monica ideal for a short family getaway.

Recommended Hotel: Shore Hotel

Waterfalls in Bend, Oregon.

Take the family outside on a short getaway to Bend, Oregon . This adorable and walkable town is the perfect place to explore for a few days. The year-round destination offers so many outdoor activities that your kids will love. There are numerous hiking and biking trails, where kids will find waterfalls, lakes and wildlife. Kayaking or tube floating down the Deschutes River is a local pastime that the whole family can enjoy. Mount Bachelor ski area is just 30 minutes outside of downtown Bend, too. No matter the time of year, Bend is beautiful for a family getaway.

Recommended Hotel: Riverhouse on the Deschutes

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Smart ways to travel efficiently, no matter where you’re going

No matter how weird your route, we have travel tips for you.

By Harry Guinness | Published Nov 10, 2021 10:04 AM EST

Two people in black jackets standing on a city street trying to figure out how to get from one place to another by using a map.

The New York City Subway map is a lie . Sure, it’s got all the subway lines and station names on it, but geographically, it’s flat out wrong. 

Manhattan is about six times as long (13.4 miles) as it is wide (2.3 miles)—it takes most of a day to walk north to south but less than an hour to walk east to west. But this isn’t clear on the subway map. There, it looks like Manhattan is only three times as wide as it is long (and much bigger than it really is relative to the rest of the city). A casual jaunt across a few avenues looks like it takes way longer than it actually does. 

The subway map is like this for a very good reason: a geographically accurate map would be a nightmare to read. By making Manhattan larger (and Staten Island much smaller) the map can clearly show the important relationships between the subway lines—but not true distance or how long connections will take. 

The NYC Subway map isn’t the only one that lies: London’s, Paris’s, and Boston’s maps are all lies too . I know Dublin’s is as well, and I’m sure many other transit maps are too. And while the lies they tell are useful, they can lead you astray if you’re looking for the best way to get somewhere. What looks like it should take a few minutes on the subway can be a 30-second walk. It’s easy to waste time stuck on public transport—especially if you’re new to a city.

And that’s at the small scale. It’s just as hard, if not harder, to work out the best route between far-flung destinations, like, say, Asunción, Paraguay, and Lombok, Indonesia. There’s no direct route, so how do you know which airline will make the trip? Or how about Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Bamako, Mali? The answer is out there. 

Travel tips for short journeys

Short journeys are by far the hardest to optimize. Saving 10 minutes on a cross-country road trip doesn’t matter that much, but it’s a big deal if you’ve normally got a 30 minute commute. 

Think about how you want to travel

Best doesn’t always mean fastest. Sometimes it means most enjoyable (or in the case of commuting, least awful). For example, I’ll normally take a 30 minute walk over a 25 minute bus ride. Especially if you’re traveling, the hassle of learning how a new transit system works is often not worth it for short journeys—walk and you’ll see a different side of the city without having to deal with the maze that is many subway stations. 

If you’ve got a preference for a certain mode of transport, it’s often worth traveling that way for short distances, even if it ends up taking you a little longer. As long as you’re not in a rush, the mental health payoff is huge. 

Consider the city

Some cities, like NYC, are quite walkable. Others, like Los Angeles, simply aren’t. In Amsterdam, the best way to get about is by bike—whether you use the city’s docked bikes or rent one from your hotel. In large amounts of Southeast Asia, you’ll need to rent a scooter if you really want to explore. What works in one city might not work in another, so don’t get too committed to one mode of transit.

[Related: The pandemic has cities rethinking public transit ]

And, while transit maps distort the truth, it’s worth looking at how the one relevant to your current city distorts it. If you’re on the outskirts, it may make long distances look walkable when they really aren’t. Similarly, the underground might be the most obvious route but the bus could be faster.

Try all the available options

If you’re not sure about the best mode of transport for you, experience them all. See what catching the subway is like, try cycling, or ride the bus. It’s often hard to predict what will end up being the most convenient, especially when there are a few competing options. LA has a low-cost public transit network, but ride-sharing is much less hassle for a reasonable price. Though the best thing I found for getting around West Hollywood were the dockless scooters. I wouldn’t have known about those unless I’d explored all my choices—or, rather, tripped over one on the street outside my friend’s house. 

Don’t rely on map apps

Apps like Google Maps are really useful, but don’t rely on them as the final answer for how to get from place to place. They don’t take into account the hassle of packed subways, queues for escalators, and the heat of a train in summer. They can also lag a bit behind the real traffic time, so don’t just assume something is a 30-minute drive because Google says so—by the time you’ve driven halfway, you might still have another 30 minutes to go according to Google. I’ve been caught out by this on more than 11 occasions.

Travel tips for long, easy journeys

The easiest journeys to plan are the long ones between commonly linked cities. The best route between NYC and Dublin is simple: it’s the direct flight on the carrier you’re most loyal to. Delta, United, Aer Lingus, and more airlines serve the route, all the flights are the same length, they cost about the same, and they leave at roughly the same time each day. 

Similarly, if you’re driving from Atlanta to New Orleans, you really just have to hop on the interstate—and stay there. Any detours you take are just going to slow you down. 

With that said, however, there are still a few things you’ll need to consider.

Trains vs. planes 

For long distances, or when you’re crossing oceans, the only real option is to fly. Driving from Miami to San Diego might be more fun than flying, but it’s definitely not better by most definitions. 

But for shorter distances, things get more interesting. If two cities are separated by only a couple hundred miles, the train can be the best option. Take the roughly 240-mile trip from NYC to Washington, D.C. The New York Times found that the train took 3.5 hours and cost $106 (or three hours and $183 on the Acela Express), while flying (once you factored in transport to and from the airport and waiting inside the terminal) took four hours and 15 minutes, costing about $250 dollars. A clear win for the train.

[Related: All the ways we could make trains safer and smarter ]

I’ve generally found that for distances less than about 300 miles, the train is as fast or faster than flying. After that, it becomes a tradeoff. If the train is significantly cheaper, it might be worth the extra time it takes to save some money and avoid baggage fees. Trains are generally a pleasant place to spend time anyway. But if the train is more expensive, flying makes more sense. 

Of course, if you’re concerned about your environmental impact , always take the train . 

When to drive

The best time to take your car is when you need it. Driving is almost always going to be more time- and mental energy-consuming than traveling by air or rail. If you need the cargo capacity or flexibility once you get to your destination, though, go with it. 

The other time to drive is when it’s the only good option. Sometimes flights are so comically expensive or the route so roundabout that it just doesn’t make sense to do anything but drive.

Look at the overall cost

Cost is obviously a big factor when you’re traveling long-distance, but it’s important to factor in all the costs, not just tickets. I’ve booked flights with longer (or more) layovers to save $50 and then ended up spending $100 on food, drink, and other bits while sitting around waiting for my connections. If I’d just flown direct, I’d have saved $50 by paying $50.

It’s the same with red-eyes and overnight train trips. You save money on a hotel room, so make sure you consider that when you’re pricing things out. As a general rule, the more time you spend traveling, the more money you spend while you travel. That means shorter, slightly more expensive options can actually be cheaper than slightly less costly, much longer options.

Travel tips for big, awkward trips

So what’s the best way to get from Asunción to Lombok? It’s definitely flying, but with which airline and through what airports? 

This is the kind of route that regular flight comparison websites like Kayak and Skyscanner struggle with. While they can quote you prices for specific dates, unusual routes like these can often be significantly better on certain days of the week, or much simpler if you get a bus or train to a different city in the same region. This is where one of my favorite tools comes in: Rome2Rio .

Rome2Rio is a travel comparison website designed for weird journeys. Whatever two points you’re trying to get between, it can string together a combination of planes, trains, and automobiles (and the occasional ferry) to make it happen. The best thing is you don’t have to search by specific dates—instead, it tells you what days different options are possible. For that hypothetical trip between Paraguay and Indonesia, the best day to go is a Monday or Wednesday—then it’s merely a 33-hour trip. Any other day of the week and it could take more than 65 hours. 

Go with what feels good

Travel, whether you’re going 2 miles or 2,000 miles, can always find a way to undermine your carefully laid plans. Traffic jams, plane cancellations, and virus-induced shutdowns can all make a mess of your carefully optimized route. So, whatever you do, be prepared to mix it up and do something new if things change. Don’t just sit in a taxi in a traffic jam when you could walk the last 400 feet.

Harry Guinness

Harry Guinness is an Irish freelance writer and photographer. He splits his year between Ireland and the French Alps. Harry’s work has been published in  The New York Times, Popular Science,  OneZero, Human Parts, Lifehacker, and dozens of other places. He writes about technology, culture, science, productivity, and the ways they collide.

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The Most—and Least—Ecofriendly Ways to Travel

What type of transportation should you take if you want to leave the smallest carbon footprint the answer is not that simple..

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The Most—and Least—Ecofriendly Ways to Travel

Being a greener traveler isn’t as simple as swapping one mode of transport for another.

Photo by misign/Shutterstock

The flight shame movement has taken off on the basis that flying is terrible for the environment. But for those who want to do better by planet Earth and reduce their climate change–inducing carbon footprint, simply reducing their reliance on air travel will only address one small slice of the problem.

In the United States, the overall transportation sector is the biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) . In 2017 (the most recent year for which data is currently available), transportation accounted for 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, followed by electricity at 28 percent, and industry at 22 percent.

Within the transportation sector, road vehicles are actually the biggest culprit, accounting for a whopping 82 percent of those emissions, with aircraft accounting for 9 percent, and rail for 2 percent (ships, boats, and other forms of transportation account for 7 percent combined), according to the EPA.

It’s a similar story on the global front. In the European Union, road transport accounted for 72 percent of transportation-related CO 2 emissions in 2016, according to a report released by the European Parliament this year. The next largest contributor was water transport (boats and ships), at 13.6 percent, followed by air travel at 13.4 percent. Rail only contributed 0.5 percent.

When in doubt, take a train

So, why does air travel get such a bad rap? Well, that’s because when you look at the emissions attributable to an individual passenger traveling by car versus rail versus air, air travel does pretty miserably. For instance, according to the site EcoPassenger , which calculates per-passenger carbon emissions between destinations in Europe, for a person traveling from London to Paris during a popular travel time (so when trains and planes are likely to be more full and thus more efficient), the CO 2 output would be 122 kilograms if that person flew, versus 48 kilograms if he or she drove or 15 kilograms by train.

And if you’re wondering where cruise ships fall into the lineup, they don’t have a strong track record either. The International Council on Clean Transportation recently concluded that even the most efficient cruise ships emit between three and four times more CO 2 per passenger, per kilometer than an airplane.

Rail travel, however, is consistently one of the lowest emitters. It’s not surprising that the flygskam or “flight shame” movement inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has put the emphasis on converting air travel to much less impactful rail journeys.

National rail operator Amtrak reports that one of its electric trains emits .074 kilograms of greenhouse gases (CO 2 ) per passenger mile, compared with .227 kilograms of greenhouse gases per passenger mile for short-haul flights (flights less than 300 miles), and .137 kilograms of greenhouse gases per passenger mile for longer flights (flights between 300 and 2,300 miles). That translates into 70 percent fewer emissions for a rail journey when compared to a short-haul flight and about half the emissions for a rail journey when compared to a long-haul flight.

In short, if you opt to take a train versus a plane, your carbon output for that journey will likely be quite a bit lower. But that’s definitely not as easily done in the United States, which as the fourth largest country in the world has huge expanses to cross, and where the rail system is notoriously behind in sophistication and scope compared to its international counterparts, including the high-speed rail networks of Europe.

The environmental cost of driving

So, what if you opt to drive instead of fly? Well, that’s where the issue becomes more complicated. For one, depending on the distance and the passenger load, driving may not result in a considerably lower emissions output. A recent BBC article citing U.K. government energy data noted that CO 2 emissions per passenger, per kilometer traveled were .171 kilograms for a passenger car with one person in it, versus .102 kilograms for a long-haul flight, and .133 kilograms for a shorter-haul domestic flight within the United Kingdom.

Sure enough, the more people in the road-based vehicle, the lower the per-passenger emissions, with CO 2 emissions per passenger, per kilometer traveled being .043 for a bus, and .041 for each person in a car with four people traveling in it (versus only one, cited above). The lowest emitter (once again) was high-speed rail, at .006 kilograms, according to the U.K. government data.

Additionally, if you opt out of a flight and choose to drive instead, you are joining the masses on the road to be part of what is in fact the biggest overall contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. A lot more people drive in this world than fly. The aviation industry accounts for about 2 percent of global carbon emissions, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. So that means that if everyone were to stop flying, just 2 percent of the problem would be solved.

Focus on greener vehicles

While some people might be craving a simple, impactful solution to reducing their travel carbon footprint—and sure, making a statement by not flying, for instance, is certainly significant—the reality is that for those who want to make a lasting and longer-term difference, a more thoughtful approach to transportation decisions will be needed.

According to David Reichmuth, Ph.D., a senior engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Vehicles Program, for travelers looking to reduce their impact, they should be thinking about several factors.

“There’s a lot we can do to make [transportation] cleaner and have fewer emissions. So, for passenger vehicles, having both more efficient gasoline vehicles but then also switching entirely from petroleum to electricity allows for reducing both tailpipe emissions and climate-changing emissions,” said Reichmuth.

Reichmuth added that concerned travelers should be thinking about greener vehicles, whether that is their own cars (which he argues is where the biggest impact could be made within a given household) or by being more informed about how efficient their aircraft, bus, or train is. Even within rail travel, for instance, there is a wide range of emissions output depending on the types of trains—diesel trains are typically more polluting than electric trains, and some electric trains are less efficient than others. He also said travelers should think about avoiding vehicle use when possible by walking or biking and should consider taking greater advantage of public transit opportunities and carpooling.

One way to be more informed about each mode of travel is to calculate and compare the carbon emissions output of a given trip. Thankfully, there are numerous, free, online calculators that help travelers do this now. The International Civil Aviation Organization, which is part of the United Nations, has a version for air travel that is intended for use in buying carbon offsets. The site offCents , meanwhile, allows users to calculate emissions for their rail, car, or airplane travel, with the aim of recommending corresponding offset programs, which users can contribute toward to offset their journeys.

Flex those influence muscles

Ultimately, the biggest factors impacting emissions related to travel are decisions that are made at the policy level—regulations that dictate what kind of emissions standards manufacturers must abide by.

Travelers who want to see their journey truly become greener should speak up. The airline industry is beginning to take notice of growing concerns about climate change and has begun to make some serious strides when it comes to scaling back on emissions, as well as offsetting them (they are also being required to do so by national and international regulations that have been put into place).

“To the extent that you can, take an active role in advocating for these policy actions. That can be at the local level,” said Reichmuth, noting that many municipalities have their own individual climate goals and action plans that citizens can get involved in. At the state and federal level, people can also advocate for and support clean vehicle policies that could ultimately result in travelers having a larger, and ideally greener, range of vehicles and modes of transportation to choose from.

>> Next: These Are the World’s Most Environmentally Friendly Countries

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short distance travel

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Short-distance tours becoming popular option as outbreaks persist

By XU LIN | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2021-11-18 10:04

short distance travel

Chinese travelers are learning to appreciate the beauty of their hometowns and neighboring regions as they increasingly take short-distance tours, which are becoming popular due to travel disruptions caused by sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19.

The country's short-distance travel market performed better than the long-haul market this summer, according to Chinese travel agency ly.com.

The report found that two-day, one-night weekend trips were preferred, with travelers opting for road trips, theme park visits and lodgings at holiday resorts.

According to Mafengwo, a travel service and social networking platform, the most popular short-distance tours during the first half of the year included activities such as camping, mountain climbing, cycling, skiing and visits to hot springs and art galleries.

Data from Mafengwo also showed that camping was often combined with outdoor experiences such as fishing, paddle boarding, yoga, horseback riding and cave exploration.

As outbound tours remain suspended due to the pandemic, Chinese travelers have been exploring the wealth of domestic tourism options.

Among them is 30-year-old Shanghai resident Sheng Yiyun.

"I like to visit less-crowded destinations to explore new ways of traveling. Also, in-depth tours help you better understand local cultures and customs," said Sheng, who has traveled to 33 countries and regions. A former headhunter, she became a full-time tourism influencer in 2019.

Some of her fans prefer outdoor experiences like hiking and camping. Others, especially her female fans, like to visit destinations where they can take pretty photos of themselves.

In an effort to boost the civil aviation industry, domestic airlines began offering packages last year that allow passengers to take unlimited flights during certain periods of time.

Thanks to these packages, Sheng has traveled to many Chinese cities cheaply, allowing her to enjoy the ethnic cultures of provinces such as Gansu and Hainan.

She has even visited some destinations several times to enjoy their scenery during different seasons.

For example, in the Tibet autonomous region's Nyingchi city, the annual peach blossom festival is held between March and April. It is the best time to enjoy picturesque views of flowers and the landscape.

Sheng also said that the late autumn scenery of Tengchong, Yunnan province, and Wuyuan, Jiangxi province, are appealing, while winter is a good time to go skiing in northern China.

On weekends, she goes camping around Shanghai and in neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, where there are plenty of well-equipped camping sites.

"Camping allows me to bring my portable home with me, and that is my own small comfort zone," she said.

Not only is she able to enjoy beautiful sunrises, she can also enjoy starry night skies. There are even bonfire parties at some sites.

She once pitched a tent in suburban Shanghai and made herself a cup of coffee in the woods.

"When you are cooking and eating meals outdoors, you also have a better appetite," she said.

short distance travel

Convenient, cheap and killing the planet: Why short-haul flights are still so popular

Ryanair is one of Europe's leading short-haul flight providers.

Short-haul flights remain popular but maybe not for long, as EU countries move to phase them out.

Airplane trips are soaring (excuse the pun) back to popularity, as the travel sector restarts post-pandemic.

Flights throughout Europe increased by 72.8 per cent in July, year-on-year, and 47.6 per cent in August, according to data released by Eurostat.

It is now easier than ever to reach your destination via the skies, and with short travel times, cheap flights, and global increases in income, the popularity of flights, and especially (much cheaper) short-haul flights, is only set to rise.

However, scientists have made it clear that the environmental impact of these journeys is colossal , and that making changes to the way we travel is crucial if the world is to reach the collective goal of net zero .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Euronews Travel (@euronewstravel)

Euronews Travel has pledged to prioritise coverage of signatories to the Glasgow Declaration in an industry-first move, to help combat the climate crisis.

So why do flights remain so popular?

“I always just compare price and length of time. Usually that means I fly because it takes less time, and it’s cheaper,” says Vanessa Chalmers, a Londoner who often visits Scotland to see family.

“Though I have found that I’m starting to travel more by train,” she adds, “airports can be such a hassle!”

Those like Kayla Allen, who is from Ireland, have far fewer options. “I live on an island,” she tells Euronews Travel. “I wouldn’t even mind the long journey on a ferry if I had time to do that - but you can’t afford to spend a whole day travelling when you’re only on a short trip.”

“Understandably, people feel forced to choose the least sustainable option,” says Catherine Liveseley, Founder of No Fly Travel Club , a travel company dedicated to delivering sustainable holidays.

Speaking with Euronews Travel, she explains that a lack of public awareness and confusing price structures results in cheaper flights.

“I see that people actively want to use the train because it’s convenient, they might even be willing to pay a little more, but they are not willing to pay three or four times the price, particularly if services are often delayed.

“Another reason people might fly could be due to greater connectivity for more rural areas, both domestically and internationally,” she adds.

“For example, in the UK, flying from Newquay to Newcastle might offer you a direct connection where a train would not. This is the result of government policy decisions to favour new air routes instead of better rail links.”

  • Train travel can be as quick, cheap and easy to book as flights. Here's how to get onboard.
  • You'll soon be seeing more stories about climate positive organisations and destinations
  • 'No flying as usual’: 100s of travel companies have promised to tackle the climate crisis
  • Enjoy €60 off and a free tree when you book with this slow travel company
Avoiding just one transatlantic flight saves eight times more greenhouse gas emissions in a year than recycling.

Travel as a major polluter

Flying is a major culprit of global pollution. One study from Lund University found that avoiding just one transatlantic flight saves eight times more greenhouse gas emissions in a year than recycling.

“Euro for euro, hour for hour, flying is the quickest and cheapest way to warm the planet,” explains Andrew Murphy, aviation manager at Transport & Environment, a think tank in Brussels, in conversation with Vox .

And short-haul flights are problematic too. In one study, Greenpeace determined that banning just the EU’s busiest short-haul flights and switching to rail alternatives wherever a train connection under six hours already exists, would save 3.2 million tonnes of CO2 every year.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Euronews Green (@euronewsgreen)

“Whereas long-haul flights (such as those many world leaders from the Global South have taken to participate in negotiations at COP26 ) are necessary, short-haul and domestic flights (such as the one Boris Johnson took from the summit back to London) are a matter of convenience rather than necessity,” says Ian Hambleton, co-founder of Ecologi , an NGO driving funding for climate solutions, to Euronews Travel.

“Taking off, which expends more fuel than cruising, also accounts for a larger proportion of shorter flights than long ones. Given that domestic and short-haul flights are far more frequent around the world, they are also more environmentally damaging relative to the length of time they spend in the air,” he says.

Ecologi calculated the carbon emissions that would have resulted from every world leader travelling from their native country to COP26 by airplane.

The resulting data showed that an estimated 13 of the 331 tonnes emitted from these journeys could be attributed to short-haul flights from within the UK alone.

“That’s the equivalent to the emissions generated from consuming more than 1,463 gallons of petrol,” says Hambleton.

Changing aviation for good

In April, the French government announced plans to ban short-haul flights of under two and a half hours.

Other nations quickly followed suit; Spain has advocated for a similar two and a half hour flight ban; Germany and Austria intend to end short-haul flights and Green Party members in the former want to tax and eventually ban domestic flights in the country completely.

Europeans willing to reduce carbon-intensive transportation

German Green Party co-leader, Annalena Baerbock, said earlier this year that short-haul flights "shouldn’t exist in the future.”

EU citizens appear to be bolstering such measures. According to a survey by the European Investment Bank, 62 per cent of those asked said they support the idea of short-haul flight bans and would rather take night trains if they were available at a more reasonable price.

This marks positive steps, as the average rail journey emits between 70-90 per cent less C02 than its equivalent flight.

However, according to Greenpeace , just 34 per cent of the 150 busiest short-haul flights in the EU currently have train alternatives under six hours.

The EU, which is aiming to double high-speed rail availability by 2030 and triple it by 2050 in the bloc, says it is preparing for the transport transition. And in some countries, rail services are already forging ahead.

  • Want to get back out in nature without long-haul flights? Scotland should be top of your list.
  • Looking for a flight-free Easter break? Here are 7 amazing European cities to visit by train
  • Super-fast, sustainable and accessible: Are trains the future of travel?
  • 5 star train travel: These are the most luxurious rail journeys in the world

“Take Italy, whose high-speed rail services have been so efficient and popular for business travellers that they ended up out-competing their own airline Alitalia ,” says Livesley.

For her, the future of travel will be made up of budget=style train lines, similar to the budget airlines we see today.

“With governmental support and the right marketing, we can start to shift people’s perspective about what travelling means to them and the choices they make.”

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8 Most Eco-Friendly Ways Of Transportation For Short & Long Distance

eco-friendly way of transportation

This post and the photos within it may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you.

When it comes to finding the most eco-friendly way of transportation, one thing is certain – it is hard to give a straight answer because most times, it depends on many factors.

However, for the most part, we know that specific options are better than others. 

In this article, you will find more about the  most eco-friendly ways of transportation, both short-distance, and long-distance , and learn more about why it isn’t as simple as you thought.

Let’s jump right in.

Eco-Friedly Ways Of Transportation For Short Distance:

eco-friendly way of transportation

If you choose an eco-friendly way of transportation when traveling short distances such as to work, or university, riding a bike is one of the best options to get around. 

Bicycles need no fuel to work and take up less road space. They are better for the environment and good for your health. If more people decide to bike around, cities will: 

  • have fewer cars and fewer traffic jams 
  • have fewer road expansions, which will ultimately help preserve plant and animal life

2. Electric bike

eco-friendly way of transportation

E-bikes are another great and cost-effective option to move around. E-bikes use electric power, along with human power, to move forward. 

They do not release toxic gases. Furthermore, if you can charge the battery using green solar power, you will be using 100% environmentally friendly energy, making the electric bike a fantastic option.

You will save money in the long run and reach your destination fast, without getting stuck in traffic.

Assuming it is charged with an electric energy mix, an estimation is that an  e-bike emits 40 to 140 times fewer pounds of greenhouse gases than a gas car.

Overall, an electric one can be a great alternative if you aren’t a huge fan of regular bikes.

3. Tram Or Metro 

eco-friendly way of transportation

Nowadays, most trams use electrical power, and if your country gets its power from renewable sources, it is a great sustainable way to move around town.

They are also quite efficient, regular, and usually very affordable transportation options.

4. Carpooling

eco-friendly carpooling

One of the biggest problems with cars is how we use them. When every single passenger uses their vehicle, we waste more gas per person. 

Having fewer passengers per car also means that there will be more cars on the road, which increases traffic congestion and makes road travel inefficient.

Try carpooling with a friend, co-worker, or neighbor to reduce traffic congestion and minimize per-person gas emissions. 

When you share your ride with people who need to get to the same or nearby destinations, you don’t just reduce your carbon footprint; you can also reduce your gas expenses. 

Eco-Friedly Ways Of Transportation For Long Distance:

Travel longer distance means using a form of fossil fuel-reliant transportation. So let’s take a closer look at which is the best option you have and why.

eco-friendly way of transportation

Unlike bicycles, buses still burn fossil fuels. However, because buses can carry many people, they are much more environmentally friendly than cars. 

Traveling long-distance with a bus means reducing the overall number of vehicles on the road, decreasing CO2 emissions, air pollution, and traffic congestion.

eco-friendly way of transportation

Trains are another eco-friendly option to travel around and an ideal option if you travel between distant cities or countries.

Trains offer similar environmental benefits as buses. Because trains have a large carrying capacity, they can move large numbers of people across distances while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. 

A  report by the BBC revealed that Eurostar trains  emit only 6g of CO2 per passenger per kilometer traveled, while domestic rails emit 41g per passenger per kilometer traveled. 

In comparison, private cars emit 171g of CO2 per passenger per kilometer traveled. Also, trains have many advantages; they are fast, reliable, and comfortable. 

7. Electric Vehicles

eco-friendly way of transportation

Another option is an electric car. Unlike traditional combustion engine cars, electric vehicles don’t use gas. 

Instead, they get power from rechargeable batteries and energy from electricity.

Since electric cars don’t rely on petrol, their environmental impact is smaller than traditional regular combustion engine cars.

Where you live essentially will determine how clean your electricity is, and because electric cars still rely on it, those who want to minimize their electric car’s environmental impact can switch to renewable energy sources, such as solar power. 

Hoymiles explains that investing in solar installations  will let you power your car without contributing to the harmful practice of burning fossil fuels. 

Going solar also has other benefits, such as reduced electric bills, energy independence, and tax credits.

In any case, electric cars are a much better option over their lifespan, and they don’t consume any near the fossil fuels that gas-powered cars do. 

If you don’t have the opportunity to get an electric car, another efficient option is a small, light hybrid vehicle.

8. Hitchhiking Or Shared Transportation

eco-friendly way of transportation

Another alternative & eco-friendly way to travel around is by hitchhiking or using ridesharing apps.

Hitchhiking or sharing a ride with someone to another town results in (almost) no more carbon emission than the car you are getting into will release anyway.

Some great apps and websites for shared transportation include:

  • Hitch – Ridesharing platform designed to make hitchhiking from city to city fast, safe, and affordable. Available in the US.
  • Poparide – Fun, sustainable, and affordable to carpool from city to city in Canada with over 400,000 members.
  • Waze Carpool – available in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Israel.
  • BlaBlaCar – You can use it in 22 countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
  • Moovit – Available worldwide.
  • Ola – Available in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and India.
  • Motar – Available across Europe.
  • GoMore – Available in Denmark.
  • sRide – Available in India.
  • GoJek – Available in Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.
  • Check local Facebook groups for ridesharing

What is the best way to for traveling overseas?

It is a tricky question, and for now, the only two options for traveling to the other side of the world are – flying and taking a cruise.

Sailing may seem the better option, but  some research found  it is worse than flying. Additionally, it will take much longer to reach your destination.

That’s why, for oversea traveling, flying is the only option. To make flying a little bit better, you can follow those tips:

  • Get a direct flight, if possible – they use significantly less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide than connecting flights
  • Consider flying with  air companies that strive to become more eco-friendly  and use biodiesel
  • Packing light helps reduce the weight of an aircraft, which pump less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
  • Pick a  sustainable travel destination
  • Consider using a sustainable travel agent like  Lokal
  • If you use travel companies, consider booking with an  eco-friendly one
  • Book your stay using eco-friendly websites like –  Book different,   Eco Hotels ,  Eco Bnb ,  Veggie Hotels , etc.
  • Consider  volunteering
  • Offset your carbon emissions
  • Try to reduce the use of single-use plastics, and waste in general
  • Use public transportation while at the location

eco-friendly way of transportation

How terrible is flying?

Unlike other transportation modes, there’s not a lot we can do (yet), to make flying more sustainable.

Aviation accounts for around 2.5% of global CO2 emissions, but its overall contribution to climate change is higher since it affects the climate in several more complex ways.

Generally, aircraft emissions are tough to calculate because there are also a lot of variables in play — how many seats are filled, how far and how high a plane travels, its route, the time of year and time of day, flight delays, and reroutings, etc. 

What we know is that aviation emissions have doubled since the mid-1980s , and currently, global aviation (domestic and international) accounts for: 

  • 1.9% of greenhouse gas emissions; include all greenhouse gases, not only CO2 (2016)
  • 2.5% of CO2 emissions (2018)
  • 3.5% of ‘effective radiative forcing’ – a closer measure of its impact on warming (2018)

Another thing to consider is that 50% of GHG emissions from air travel, it is originating from just 1% of the world population , who are actually able to travel by plane.

Cutting GHG emissions from air travel lies in reducing its volume, particularly among the individuals who fly frequently.

What are the benefits of eco-friendly transportation?

Eco-friendly transportation options, such as bikes, public transport, and electric cars, can reduce the overall consumption of fossil fuels.

Decreasing the emission of harmful greenhouse gases can make the air cleaner, improving health and reducing people’s likelihood of developing respiratory diseases.

Using bicycles and public transportation also means putting fewer cars on the road. The lowered demand for road space then decreases the ground and water pollution caused by road construction.

eco-friendly way of transportation

Why can it be hard to determine the most eco-friendly way of transportation?

While some transportation options are better than others, sometimes it can be difficult or confusing to determine the best choice.

The most sustainable traveling options depend on many factors, and changes can make the conclusion different, including: 

  • The distance travel – How far a passenger can be moved with a gallon of fuel. 
  • The source of power – The energy required for a travel mode.
  • Amount of passengers – How empty or full it is and the transportation mode’s capacity.

What is the most environmentally friendly way to travel?

Because they emit zero greenhouse gases, regular or e-bicycles are the most environmentally friendly short-distance travel option. 

For long-distance travel, the “greenest” traveling option depends heavily on the distance travel, the source of power, and amount of passengers. 

As a rule of thumb, in most cases, the bus is the most efficient option, then is the train, and lastly – a private vehicle or a plane.

What form of transportation is the worst for the environment?

Of all forms of transportation, airplanes and private cars are the worst forms of transportation, contributing to the most pollution. 

In addition, because vehicles have lower carrying capacities than trains and buses, they emit more CO2 per passenger.

As it turns out, motor vehicles are the largest source of per capita GHG emissions in the United States, and the second-largest source in Europe; they are responsible for 21% of personal GHG emissions.

eco-friendly way of transportation

What barriers prevent people from using eco-friendly transportation?

For many, cars remain the most convenient travel option because they are the most widely available. 

Unfortunately, not all cities have invested in public transport or adjusted their infrastructures to accommodate biker safety. 

On the other hand, electric cars are inaccessible to people with limited financial means.

For eco-friendly transportation to gain traction worldwide, people need to work with local governments and promote the construction of efficient and more sustainable transportation systems. 

While there isn’t a simple solution to this massive issue, it is essential to choose eco-friendly ways of travelling whenever possible.

The transportation sector is one of the world’s most significant contributors to pollution. 

In 2014, it was reported that the transportation sector accounts for  28% of total greenhouse gases .

Luckily, most times, there are alternatives to better transportation options that are less harmful and better for our planet. 

Just remember that everything depends on many factors, including where you live.

Try to collect additional information related to your local area to get the most accurate answer for the most eco-friendly transportation options  you  have.

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short distance travel

  • April 21, 2020
  • Budget Travel Tips

Are you traveling and not sure what the best travel transport is? Well, by the end of this post, you’ll have a great understanding of the best ways to explore a new country.

One thing that will often change from one continent to another, even at times between neighboring countries, is the preferred method of transit. The effectiveness in which a country can be traversed leaves more time for the good stuff – exploring/sightseeing/whatever travel means to you really! Many European countries offer different ways to travel, both internationally and domestic.

While some more developing nations, for example, throughout Asia or Eastern Europe, may only have a single method of transportation.  Deciding when and how to travel through a country is a constant balancing act while on the road.

While experiences will differ from one traveler to the next, there are so many tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way that can be applied universally. Having caught many flights, overnight buses/trains/ferries and a few other modes of transport, I’ll try to keep my list of pros and cons of each short!

What are the best travel transport types?

Day trip buses and trains.

These are short buses and trains. Catching the local metro or a 15 minute bus? It will fall into this category.

Overnight buses and trains

Spending the night on a bus or train? Overnight transport is common in many parts of the world.

Short distance flying

Short distance flights are usually domestic but can be international when crossing borders of countries close to one another.

Long distance flying

Flying multiple hours on end, sometimes over 10 hours falls into the category of long-distance flights.

Car share riding

Many places around the world offer car sharing, where you book a ride with someone that is already making the trip and help with the cost.

Taxi/Uber/Lyft

Taxi style transportation comes in plenty of different ways where you’re traveling. Uber and Lyft are the modern styles of catching a cab.

Hire a vehicle

Hiring a vehicle gives you plenty of freedom while exploring a new country. It’s one of the best ways to explore the lesser visited sites.

Take an overnight tour

Overnight tours commonly take passengers from one destination to the next. While this option is a bit out there, when it works out, its great.

This option is limited. You can only walk so far, but if you’ve got a short distance to cover, you’ll often find unforgettable gems you otherwise would have missed.

Public transportation

Catching public transport in a new country

Public transportation, in its many different forms, is easily my most commonly used mode of transit while traveling. In fact, rarely a day passes when I haven’t used at least one of the modes below. They are kind of necessary.

Different methods of transportation

Short-distance public transportation I’d class as around 2-3 hours before you reach your destination. Short distance transit is pretty much involved in every day of travel. I’ve taken some form of short distance bus, train or ferry (or a combination of all three) in every country I have visited.

Day-trip Transport

Tips on catching day buses in a new country

Buses are usually the most cramped style of travel – especially for those of us over 6 feet tall (like myself). They can even be filled with animals. I’ve ridden very local buses with farmers and their chickens in Mexico, whirlwinds of dust buses in Kathmandu, Nepal, and a goose in a hessian bag tied to the back of a minibus in Laos – who somehow was able to nap on the bumpy roads might I add!

They can be unsanitary at times and slightly intimidating for sure, but I’m not sure I have a better source of travel stories than from local buses! It’s about the journey, right? Also, the price tag is often incredibly cheap, and usually reflects the comfort level of this form of transit. I’ve found that rest stops are usually 2-3 hours apart for long-distance routes.

Some bus routes are so windy they make even local travelers succumb to motion sickness. For example, the road from Chiang Mai to Pai in northern Thailand has exactly 762 curves!

Some roads have potholes are big enough to swallow your entire minibus whole, Laos, now that’s a bumpy ride! Along with the windy roads – it made for some uncomfortable drives.

But again, it’s about the stories…right?!

However, on the other end of the bus spectrum, it’s not all dust-filled cabins with animal noises. Japan’s buses were always impeccable. No dust, no dirt, no clucking, ever! There is quite a higher price tag for that level of comfort though.

As stated above, not all buses are equal. Even the same route may have different tiers of bus options, offering more comfort and facilities for a higher fee “VIP” status buses/min-vans are usually equipped with better seating arrangements and reclining seats. A functioning bathroom and a fully reclinable bed can be found on some buses. Inquiring about the facilities you need while booking tickets is a great way to avoid uncomfortable rides and nasty surprises. No facilities can suck, especially if you’re feeling sick.

The method of booking buses, in fact all transport, will differ from place to place. While Europe/UK is served by large companies such as Eurolines and Megabus respectively – booking online is easy. However, booking online for Asia can be a nightmare, if not utterly impossible, due to language barriers.

For this reason, heading into a station is highly recommended to book your ticket. Don’t forget to inquire about facilities and double-check your departure time, date and pick up location– as well as how early you will need to be there to check-in.

My favorite way of exploring a new country

Trains are one of my favorite modes of travel, especially for long distances. Legroom isn’t so much of a concern when you can walk around. Being able to get up and walk around makes long transit times much easier to deal with.

Some countries allow locals to sell things when the train is in motion/stopped at a station. Mostly food and drinks, but I have also seen some trinkets along the way. From fruit to hot meals and water to beer – if you’re lucky! This was throughout a lot of Asia; Thailand and Myanmar to be specific.

Asia, once again, holds some of the most affordable train journeys I’ve ever been on. As these carriages are often packed with locals and tourists alike, the chance to engage with colorful people is ripe and makes the trip more enjoyable. Some of my most memorable conversations have been on parallel rails as the world whipped by.

Cheap transportation, as usual, can have its downsides. Aircon in Myanmar’s train carriages didn’t seem to be a thing and in Thailand, the lowest tier of train class was dusty and humid. Luckily, my clothes are rarely without some sort of dirt on them, so it never bothers me too much!

On the other side of the coin, European trains can be incredibly expensive, but classy. Italian and Switzerland train legs have burnt a hole in my pocket, and quickly! Everything was incredibly clean and organized. From Venice, Italy, to Interlaken, Switzerland, was by far the most expensive train trip I have ever taken- it wasn’t even overnight!

Some countries, such as Italy, come to mind when a ticket and seating reservation is required and rack up two separate fees – and it can be quite pricey for each! I have talked to quite a few people who, unfortunately,  even though they had a ticket, didn’t have a seating reservation, and were forced to stand for the entirety of their journey.

The EuRail Pass is widely renowned as amazing value, assuming it suits your travel itinerary and route. It can be an expensive initial cost to traveling Europe, but planning your route to fit in with the pass will save you money.

Ferry travel across oceans

Ferries are another great way of traveling that offer more legroom whenever you feel the need to have a walk around. For obvious reasons, this mode of transport is only available in certain areas of the world. Thailand’s southern islands are a perfect example of where this form of transport is not only preferred, but also necessary.

Ferries are common when island hopping throughout many islands in the world, and are usually more cost-effective than flying.

Depending on the weather and your location, this option can easily become a sightseeing tour. For example, the ferry to Phi Phi Island is stunning.  Limestone karsts are truly a beautiful sight! There is no other way to access this gem than by water, and I wasn’t complaining, that’s for sure!

If you’re prone to sea-sickness, tablets that prevent nausea are a great investment. Most local pharmacies understand the term “sea-sickness” without having to act anything out. Using the Thailand example again, I bought little yellow tablets, and they worked a treat! I even used them successfully on a winding bus trip from Chiang Rai to Pai in the northern mountains.

Budget friendly ways of traveling around a country

Other water transportation ranges from speed boats to long-tail slow boats that allow you to take in the scenery for much longer. In Asia, the “slow-boat” style of transportation is very common for shorter trips, think of them as water-taxis – and they are never short of producing stories. I was a passenger on one that even began to sink! The four hours, hard wood-seated long-tail boat to Muang Ngoy gives plenty of scenery to admire.

Myanmar also gets a mention for its slow ferry-style boat that carved its way through overgrown reeds from Siem Reap to Battambang . The rivers and lakes became so narrow, all passengers were on guard for the potential threat of tree branches whipping your shoulders and flinging all types of bugs onto you!

Most boats in Asia are easily booked by visiting one of the many ticketing agencies offering the service of booking. From my frugal style of traveling, I learned shopping around for the best price is usually pointless, as they’re all quite similar in cost. As with other modes of transport, Europe has much more easily navigated and well-translated sites to book online.

Ferries are also an option when crossing country borders – like Albania to Italy. These are much less common than catching a flight, train or bus to a new country.

Taxi/Uber/Tuk-tuk/Songthaews

Shared taxis are common in many parts of the world

Depending on where you’re visiting, taxis could be called a number of different things. They could also look very different.

Tuku-tuk’s are common in Thailand, they are 3-wheels usually. Songthaews are found in Laos and Thailand and picks up people along the until it is full.

Taxis are most common for very short distances, but occasionally, hiring a taxi for a whole day can have its advantages.  Marble Mountains in Vietnam was one such suggestion to hire a full day taxi.

During a recent visit to Myanmar, I visited the volcanic mountain temple of Mount Popa . For this instance, hiring a taxi was pretty much the only option to get there and back.

These full-day taxis are booked at a flat rate, so you can take your time and not worry about the meter ticking away.

Almost always, hailing a metered cab is suggested, except for the rare occasion where a flat fee can be arranged, usually for a long-distance and/or able to store baggage while you visit an attraction.

There are exceptions to this. Collectivo taxis in Cuba are not metered. The price is pre-determined for the specific routes and you usually book them through your casa particulares in Cuba (or hotels).

One suggestion, if baggage storage is your goal, do not leave any valuables (such as passport, wallet, cards, etc.) in your taxi-stored bag. You know, just in case the temptation is too great for your driver.

While many drivers will offer a “good price” in exchange for a meter, this price tag will almost definitely greatly inflated. If there is no meter available, and sometimes there’s not, always negotiate a price before accepting the offer.

On a rare occasion, a taxi may be your only option. After the language barrier bested me en route from Greece to Montenegro, and I waited on the side of an Albanian road, my partner and I had little option to catch an unmarked “taxi” across the Eastern European border into the lovely town of Ohrid of Macedonia. Athens in Greece to Ohrid in Macedonia has to be one of my biggest mistakes in catching transport when traveling.

I guess funny stories (I can laugh about it all these years later) come from unexpected sources!

Overnight transit

Overnight travel is often a cheap way to travel around a country

Overnight transit gets its own section, as each mode of transport has a variety of other factors to weigh up. Some of them might sway your decision to choose one form of travel over another.

Every mode of transit mentioned below has more than one overnight option I’ve encountered around the globe. Combined with all the above-mentioned pros and cons, they bring their own to the table.

Personally, I love overnight transport. Not only do you usually save over half a day in travel – as you would’ve spent that night asleep anyway. Your seat (hopefully bed) doubles as accommodation, cutting the cost of travel.

I suggest overnight travel as a viable option quite subjectively if it is worth it from person to person, especially on buses. If you’re a light sleeper or quite tall, and you require a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep to function – they may not be for you.

Noise throughout the journey is common – Thailand’s trains rattle constantly and the carriage lights don’t turn off the entire trip.

The windy bus ride to SaPa in northern Vietnam was difficult to drift off as you’re constantly moving from side to side.

Just like before, overnight transports are not all equal. Trains and ferries once again provide more room to move around, while buses are usually reclinable seats and are usually the cheapest option. Sometimes a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is just impossible, but there are a few tips I’d like to share from my personal experiences that make night travel more bearable.

Different forms of transport around the world

  • A circle bandana/scarf type headband is what I use to block out most of the light. I find them much better than regular face masks as it conforms to my face much securely, so it blocks out most of the light. It also prevents me from knocking my headphones out during the middle of the night so the noise isn’t as much of an issue.
  • As mentioned above, I prefer headphones to earplugs. Soft music acts as white noise to me. Because it is constant (at least much less sudden than a train carriage sudden bump) I sleep much better than earplugs as a lot of noise gets through to my ears still. Make sure to set an alarm with a distinctive alert when your transport should nearing its destination. I’ve lost my phone on a night bus in Kosovo when I was too deep in a sleepy daze to remember to pick my phone up off the seat!
  • For a long transit or one I expect to be particularly bumpy/noisy, I usually opt for some form of sleeping tablet to keep me in a deeper sleep for longer. Coupled with melatonin, this provides me with my best chance of sleeping on the rocky/loud nights!
  • Taking more than enough snacks/water is a tradition for me. Too many times have I been asleep for a long-awaited pit stop and gone hungry and thirsty. I usually try and buy something for breakfast so I can navigate a new destination, not on an empty stomach.

I can’t say it’s always a great sleep, that’s for sure, but by using these tips I usually hit around five hours of decent sleep.

Overnight Buses

Overnight buses drive you to a new destination while you sleep

Often the worst of all overnight transports, especially for those of us over 180cm (6 foot). Being this tall means you’re most likely going to be a little cramped. Most overnight buses are regular coaches that have at least reclinable seats. However, reclining horizontally further than 45 degrees is usually not possible. Thailand does have buses fitted with bunk beds, but while I was traveling, there were crashes due to speed and/or drowsy drivers. I steered clear of Thailand’s overnight buses in favor of trains. I have caught enough overnight buses to be confident in them as a common form of transport.

Two of my favorite overnight buses have been in Asia. A mattress on the floor on a double-decker bus in Laos was long enough for me to stretch out. Which is very unusual for me! Another unique moment was the bus illuminated like a giant rolling disco ball! Luckily the lights were switched off for sleeping time.

Second place for me was overnight buses in Japan. While the seats only reclined the usual 45 degrees, a dome-shaped cover was able to pull out and around your face, blocking out so much sensitive light! A second reason was by sitting in the middle aisle gave so much legroom. As the bus is set up three seats in a row, each seat is situated by itself, giving the middle seat room on either side.

My partner whole-heartedly disagrees with the Japanese buses being great, but I’m standing firm! If you’re looking into bus travel in Japan, a ticket is able to be booked in advance and gives a great discount aboard the Willer Bus Company.

Buses can be extremely windy, thus difficult to even fall asleep on, let alone stay asleep. SaPa, while amazing, proved to be one of the most difficult night buses I’ve been on. Constant corners ensured my legs were scrunched up into a ball at the slopped base of my bed. I woke up from somehow sleeping a few hours, completely stiff from sleeping like a pretzel!

Speeding can also be a major problem for buses, especially in Asia as it is quite common. Not only for safety, but it also makes it much harder  to sleep when it feels like the bus is mid-drifting.

A warning here –especially for Asian countries. Book early to and ensure you have a seat – ask specifically you have a seat. I heard quite a few stories of Asian overnight buses being overbooked and having to sleep in the aisle.

A good friend I met on the road definitely had the worst of these stories. He declined to sleep both in the aisle, or basically on op of three strangers. He was given space in the luggage compartment. Not only was he enclosed in by bags, but he was also situated right above the engine, so it was incredibly hot with no airflow. With the heat and noise it’s safe to say he got very little sleep.

Overnight Trains

Overnight train travel tips

Once again I prefer trains over buses for night travel. Going for a late-night stroll as the carriages are silent except for the chatter along the rails is an eerily cool feeling. Most Asian trains will have locals periodically come through the carriages announcing what they have for sale, in usually loud voices. The local language usually fails me and I go buy visuals. Thailand and China both served hot meals of rice, veggies and some form of meat, while a rural station near Bagan in Myanmar offered the most delicious mangos I have ever eaten – passed to me through the train window.

However, as usual, there are quite a few country-specific drawbacks. Even though they might not apply directly to your journey, being ready for as much as you can be is the key to traveling well.

My first mention of China is a personal one, but anyone who appears different than Chinese, or even Asian will most likely notice this in some form – especially those of us with beards and/or tattoos.

It was common for me to notice people starring at me, even taking pictures both slyly and upfront. Lots of Chinese people have less than attractive photos of me – as I liked to pull faces at those who try to take candid photos. I even had a baby, that wasn’t yet able to speak, point at me with his tiny mouth open in shock.

On an overnight train to Guilin, I woke up to a middle-aged man starring down at me from the top bunk of three. Even as eye contact was made, his curiosity didn’t flinch. It wasn’t the most comforting thing to wake up to, that’s for sure!

As these trains make multiple stops for passengers to get on and off, if you’re getting on mid-journey, make sure you check the bedsheets! Some countries definitely change all sheets for every customer after every person leaves. Some countries do not. China, for example, would allow people to sleep on recently used linen. One man even layed down into sweaty sheets – I could literally see wet patches!

Train travel tips

Another major issue with overnight trains is there can be a lot of light from the carriages during the night. Thailand’s overnight commute actually left all cabin lights on the entire duration. Both times. I’m a bit sensitive to light, so a face mask/bandana really helped block out the majority of light! While booking your ticket, claiming that bottom bunk can drastically help improve sleep. There are only bottom and top bunk, so get in early.

Thailand’s top bunk can also be quite intimidating as the train rattles and rolls along the rattling rails. The resulting jolt can easily wake you up. On top of that, the railing preventing you from plummeting to the floor below is quite short.

However, it was trains in Egypt that hold the first placed trophy for noisy overnight trains. I remember a distinct late-night bump that not only woke me up, I thought we had crashed.

After all that, despite their flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed overnight trains in Thailand, and even China. They sure do have a fault or two with each of them, but I still love them. I can usually lay completely flat on the provided bed, and thus sleep quite well…usually.

You can read about my very first culture shock in Egypt here.

Overnight Ferries

Overnight ferries travel tips

Of the two I have caught in my travels, both provided a great sleep and comfort level, even if I had to get a little creative.

From Albania to Italy, all the “prime” spots were quickly snapped up. A quick scourer of the deck found a staircase. Below was dark, cool and quiet. I have definitely had worse nights of sleep in a bed.

From Koh Tao to Surat Thani in Thailand was basically a giant floating hostel of around 60 beds. It was amazing.

Both bed and temperature were comfortable. Another plus is you have an allocated bed so no need to rush on to claim a decent spot. Some beds were placed on the floor, it didn’t bother me too much, but to ensure a bunk, enquiring at ticket purchase would be best.

As is the case with most overnight transport, you’re in bunk beds without a storage locker to secure your things. A few tips I have developed along the way are:

  • Put my belongings away from the aisle, and between my face or chest and against the wall.
  • Wrapping one arm through the backstraps, or locking the straps to a fixed pole.
  • Padlocking the zipper ensures people can’t just open the bag and take what they want!

Remember, most theft is opportunistic. Make it difficult for them and they will most likely walk away.

Many of these tips can be found in my ultimate guide to hostels and hostel frequently asked questions . These tips can be used in a number of situations when traveling.

Overnight Flights

Overnight flight travel tips to help you travel better

Flights are almost a necessity for both international and domestic travel sometimes. A price of a flight can reflect quite a few things like stopovers, transit time and tier.

There are quite a few sites geared at getting the best deals for flights. I seem to gravitate towards Momondo.com, especially in foreign countries as the search engine checks for flights in multiple languages. Once your flight is selected, the third-party app/webpages redirect you to the affiliate airline site for you to complete your booking.

Since the search engine checks foreign languages, being directed to a hard to navigate site written in a foreign language can happen. To get around this, calling the airline company and booking over the phone has always worked for me. I just quote the price I found online and I’ve always been satisfied with the price.

It can be frustrating when it doesn’t go smoothly, but when it does I’m confident I’m getting the absolute best price available for that leg. This was especially true throughout Asia where a lot of budget airlines operate and other search engines, such as Google Flights, didn’t give the option.

Skyscanner is another great place to compare prices, especially throughout Europe. You can hop around major cities a few hours away for next to nothing.

If you’ve ever been searching for flights and suddenly the price jumps. It could be the flight is getting closer to selling out, but usually, it’s the flight app/site increasing the price as you searched for it more than once.

Sneaky, right?!  At least the fix is easy. By clearing cookies from within your browser settings, it makes your next search seem as if it’s your first.

Make sure you check out the best travel resources to book your next adventure.

Flights with layovers on purpose

Stopover in San Francisco Airport is a great thing to do

Most of the time layovers are a nightmare. Whether they are so short you’re rushed to make your connecting flight, or they are so long that you go insane from boredom. Sometimes, a layover can work in your favor.

For example, some destinations are “layover worthy”. Iceland Air has a nice little bonus that you can separate your incoming and outgoing flight by days – even weeks! This is more than enough time to circumnavigate the beautiful ring-road surrounding this little gem of a destination.

While many destinations allow you to come and go freely from airports (it is still your responsibility to allow enough time to make your connecting flight). However, some airports take it a step further. Many airports offer “free transit-tours” Seoul in South Korea is one of these destinations. Depending on your layover length and your time of arrival at Incheon International Airport, you may have a range of tours to choose from. I met a couple that were doing 3 tours in a day – transport and tour guide included in this free tour. It was a great way to see a tiny piece of an interesting country.

Some airports are worthy of a layover in themselves. Seoul’s Incheon International Airport is one of these. With free showers, and a range of free activities – from music and dance displays to painting your very own traditional Korean roof tile.

So many airports make layovers fun, or at least take your mind off the regular tedious layover. San Fransisco has museums and even a movie theatre. Use Sleep In Airports   to get the scoop on any airport you are thinking about spending time in. Find places to sleep and much more. They are amazing at what they do.

Other ways to travel a country worth mentioning

Why hire a car over public transport

Hiring vehicles is a definite possibility, and a lot of Southeast Asian destinations it can be the only way to visit lesser-known destinations. Hiring SEA motorbikes can come with a variety of scams, while a thorough check of your vehicle before you leave the hiring company office is a great habit to get into. I always (when possible) through a hostel affiliated company. If something goes wrong, there’s a good chance you won’t be left in the dark about what is going on!

This goes the same if you own your car – creating an extended road trip can give you the freedom to explore parts of a country you would never have seen otherwise.

Car sharing

I used a car-sharing app in Italy, and compared to a train it saved over $100, compared to a bus is saved a few hours! The site I used is called BlaBlaCar (link below). As always, checking intended drivers is highly suggested. Check their ratings and reviews. Maybe go for the driver of a 4.9-star rating with 100+ reviews, over the 5-star driver with a single review.

https://www.blablacar.com/

Just enter your intended travel route (where from, where to, and date) and you’ll be presented – hopefully – with a range of options. My experiences with this app have saved me both time and money.

Taking a tour to get from one place to another

If you can, why not turn a normal transit day into a sightseeing tour? An example I have of this – the stunning Hai Van Pass. A stretch of road from Hoi An to Hue in Vietnam. Instead of taking a normal bus or train, I sat on the back of a motorbike (a little more powerful than the 125cc ones I’m used to hiring). Included in the price was a confident and safe driver and an itinerary that made the Hai Van Pass a major Vietnam highlight.

Other times, just being on a transit day will automatically become a sight-seeing tour. Take the ferry to the beautiful Phi Phi Island !

“Tours” can pop up in some pretty unexpected places. Take  Laos to Cambodia border crossing for example. Booking tickets was simple, and the company handled everything to do with crossing the border well-known for scamming tourists.

Many other tours are one-way trips. Instead of just catching direct transport, why not see some things along the way?

Two well-respected companies are GetYourGuide.com and Viator. You can find my top travel resources for every adventure – click the link at the top of this page.

Just Walking

One of my favorite ways of getting from point A to B, as long as it’s a short distance.

If you can walk, I suggest doing traveling this way, for a number of reasons:

  • You’ll see more sights than confined to a window of a taxi or bus. Some of the best sights are those not marked on any map or blog post.
  • It’s much cheaper. You can’t get any cheaper than free.
  • It’s good for you. I don’t travel nearly as healthy as I should sometimes, so I always love the option to walk.

Tips for long-distance travel

Tips for longdistance travel - How to travel cheaper and save time when you can

Most tips I suggest here for long-distance travel are broad and can be used regardless of the transport type.

  • I can read and write easily without motion sickness to kill the time. To increase your tolerance for travel sickness, carrying sea sickness tablets seems to work fine. Through the 762 curve road from Chiang Rai to Pai in Thailand, my sea-sickness tablets were helpful!
  • Having your phone charged at the end of your journey, or at least having your accommodation address written down is handy. Most bus stations – especially throughout Asia – are just outside city limits and a taxi/tuk-tuk is required. By having your intended address at the ready, it’s easy to deal with a swarm of taxi drivers. By leaving the taxi’s perched at the bus station and hailing a random one from a road (if possible) usually yields a better price.
  • The majority of luxury/VIP buses will have a bathroom. But not all. Asking when you buy your ticket is a good idea if you want these facilities.
  • A pillow/headrest for the inevitable nap is always in my transit day pack. As well as headphones and a way to cover my eyes from the intrusive light that stops a deep sleep. I use this style face mask.

Tips for traveling in the night

Night time travel tips - How to get a better sleep on a moving vehicle

Most tips I suggest for night travel can be adapted to many different forms of night travel. As well as tips from the above “Long Distance” section carry over to this section.

  • Most night transport is at least 6 hours long. If you’re lucky they allow you to stay on the bus to sleep a little longer (SaPa in Vietnam). Most drop-offs are early morning, around 4-8am – depending on routes/other stops/traffic.
  • I always have this style face mask to block out that pesky light.
  • I prefer headphones with soft music as white noise over headphones. It’s definitely not for everyone but works for me
  • For overnight travel, depending on the length and how coherent I need to be at my destination, I take a combination of a sleeping pill and/or melatonin. It helps me to get the most out of a sometimes uncomfortable sleep.
  • Setting an alarm is a good habit for night travel. It’s usually easy to find the expected arrival time. I give myself 10 minutes to pack my belongings. I left my phone on a bus in Kosovo, Eastern Europe. This is why I have this rule in place for every night transit.
  • If you’re not totally sure of where you should get off, whether a connecting transport or your final destination, try and communicate with the driver. I took a passenger’s advice on a bus from Greece to Macedonia, and I ended up in Albania. I still remember that guy I put my faith in. Whoops.

Conclusion on best ways to travel a country

What are the best way to travel through a country

In the end, the “best” way to travel throughout a country is entirely subjective. Time constraints and personal preferences will play into the best choice. However, research will always be a huge part of this decision. Whether that is through Google or the drunk guy at your hostel bar. Take any and all reviews, both positive and especially negative reviews with a small grain of salt.

I’ve read and heard so many complaints along the lines of “the road was too windy to sleep” – this isn’t really the company’s problem. If you’re driving through mountains – expect some turns. If you’re on a boat in a storm – probably going to be a little choppy.

The point is, it’s not always where you end up that’s going to be your favorite story on the road. The hardships by simply traveling from one town to another have created some of my favorite travel stories ever.  Try it all and see what works for you!

Thanks for reading this post on the best travel transport types out there. If you found this post helpful, please share to social media.

Also, get your free travel checklist for planning your next journey.

Thanks for reading!

Happy and safe travels,

Ben – Horizon Unknown

Ultimate guide for best ways to explore a country

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Short-haul flying redefined: The promise of regional air mobility

Why drive to your neighboring city or region when you can fly? Over the past 30 years or so, the standard response has been because driving is cheaper, more convenient, and probably faster door to door. That may not be true for much longer, however. Advances in aerospace technology, new attitudes about travel, and a growing ecosystem of established players and startups could drive a resurgence in regional air mobility.

About the authors

This article is a collaborative effort by Lukas Brink, Ryan Brown, Sarina Carter, Axel Esqué , Benjamin Meigs, and Robin Riedel  representing views from McKinsey’s Aerospace and Defense practice.

In 2019, air travel accounted for just 4 percent of all journeys between 150 and 800 kilometers in the European Union and 8 percent in the United States, with most of these flights involving large commercial aircraft (Exhibit 1). 1 Eurostat transportation statistics, March 20, 2023; Flightradar24 database, March 20, 2023; National Household Transportation survey, March 20, 2023. The business of operating smaller regional aircraft is challenging; this market has substantially declined in recent years despite strong demand for air travel overall. Since 2004, flights on aircraft with six to 50 seats declined from 16 percent of available seat kilometers (ASK) on regional routes to just 4 percent in 2019. 2 Cirium Diio Mi database, March 20, 2023; commercial aircraft, 150 to 800 kilometer trips. This decline has led to small airports losing service, hurting access to rural communities. 3 Liz Crampton, “Rural America dips into its wallet as airlines drop service,” Politico , April 26, 2023.

These numbers may soon change, however, because of four converging megatrends that might spur demand for regional flights and make the economics more attractive—significant technology advances, a greater focus on sustainability, growing frustration with road and airport congestion, and the emergence of mobility-as-a-service. These trends could fuel a new aviation paradigm, termed regional air mobility (RAM), which could lead to a resurgence in short-range flight.

RAM brings together new aviation technologies and existing small airport infrastructure into a transportation model that is more equitable, more economical, and more environmentally friendly for air travel over short distances, compared to today’s status quo. If these changes materialize, the total addressable market (TAM) for small regional flights globally could be $75 billion to $115 billion by 2035, representing 300 to 700 million passengers annually.

The emergence of the RAM market is not a foregone conclusion. It will require several critical enablers: a seamless customer experience, more mature aircraft technology, public acceptance, and new energy infrastructure at small airports, as well as a substantial increase in the regional fleet size.

The rise of a new regional transportation model

We define RAM as the transportation of passengers and goods by air over about 150 to 800 kilometers on five- to 50-passenger aircraft (or the equivalent size for cargo), primarily using smaller regional airports.

RAM is enabled by a broad range of modern technologies, such as green propulsion, digitization, and autonomy, which will reduce costs, boost reliability, and improve customer experience. This article focuses on the passenger market, although regional cargo flights also offer interesting opportunities. RAM is adjacent to the more widely discussed urban air mobility (UAM), but is different in a few important ways. UAM is focused on shorter, intra-urban distances below 150 km and involves primarily electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. RAM will primarily use runways, generally at smaller regional airports. It typically will not require new landing sites in or near dense urban cores, while UAM will. Similar to UAM, many RAM aircraft will require electric charging infrastructure. However, RAM will likely also include hydrogen-fueled aircraft, as well as hybrid aircraft, some of which can leverage existing ground infrastructure. Taken together, these factors could enable RAM to gain traction sooner than UAM.

The RAM market is already taking shape. More than 50 companies are developing battery-electric, hybrid, and hydrogen powertrains; new and retrofitted aircraft designs; advanced avionics; operations and booking platforms; and other important enablers of the RAM ecosystem. More than $1 billion has been invested in these RAM start-ups to date and the first retrofitted aircraft are slated to enter service in the mid-2020s. Simultaneously, an ecosystem of operators, consisting mainly of established airlines and regionally focused start-ups, is coming together to drive the industry forward.

A departure from recent trends in regional travel

The potential growth of RAM represents a departure from historical declines in the market for regional flights on small aircraft. Although air travel for trips between 150 and 800 kilometers has increased in recent years, with ASKs rising by 55 percent from 2004 to 2019, much of this growth was driven by low-cost carriers using larger aircraft. For aircraft with six to 50 seats, ASKs declined by almost 60 percent in the same timeframe. 4 Cirium Diio Mi database, March 20, 2023. In 2019, passenger revenues for air trips between 150 and 800 kilometers were almost $50 billion, but only 11 percent (or $5 billion) came from flights on aircraft with six to 50 seats, including non-scheduled flights and business jets. 5 FlightRadar24 database, March 20, 2023; MarketIS database, March 20, 2023. Airlines have gradually shifted toward bigger aircraft and have consolidated operations at larger airports. A shortage of pilots has also contributed to the phaseout of small regional aircraft from airline operations.

In tandem with the decline in regional traffic, production of small aircraft has slowed, with the exception of private aircraft. Deliveries of passenger aircraft with six to 50 seats (for commercial, non-scheduled, and business or private use) peaked at about 1,500 in 2008. While the global fleet of six- to 50-seat passenger aircraft grew from 21,500 aircraft in 1990 to 41,400 in 2022, the growth was exclusively driven by business or private aircraft. Excluding business or private aircraft, the fleet has declined from 6,100 aircraft in 2008 to 4,100 today. New deliveries averaged 1,000 aircraft per year from 2016 through 2022, of which 98 percent were business or private aircraft. 6 Cirium fleets analyzer database, March 20, 2023; includes commercial regional jets and turboprops, non-scheduled aircraft, and business or private aircraft. The decline in production, combined with the increasing age of the small regional fleet, may compel regional operators to invest in green propulsion aircraft rather than extending the life of existing aircraft.

Policy and local community factors have also negatively affected legacy regional air travel. In Europe, the number of Public Service Obligation routes declined from 290 in 2013 to 176 today. 7 “Public services obligation,” Transport Themes, European Commission, September 2019; “Definition of public service obligations potential in new EU member states,” Transport Problems, European Commission, March 2017. Similarly, US government Essential Air Service subsidies cover 175 airports today, down from 400 in 1980. 8 Bella Richards, “What is the USA’s essential air service program?” Simple Flying, September 11, 2022; Logan R. Leyer, Evolution of essential air service program 1978 –2012 , Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, August 2013. In addition, concerns about noise and emissions have stymied some attempts to increase flights at regional airports. 9 Kevin Antliff et al., Regional air mobility , NASA, April 2021. Quieter, more environmentally and community friendly RAM aircraft could begin to reverse these headwinds.

Although the regional market has declined, key infrastructure remains. There are thousands of regional airports worldwide, most of them underutilized. In Europe, 50 percent of people live within a 30-minute drive of a regional airport, compared with 40 percent for a commercial airport. In the United States, 90 percent of people live within a 30-minute drive of a regional airport, compared with 60 percent for a commercial airport. 10 Future mobility , “ Right in your backyard: Regional airports are an accessible and underused resource for future air mobility ,” blog entry by Leonardo Blanchik, Benedikt Kloss, and Robin Riedel, McKinsey, May 26, 2022. This existing capacity of underutilized airports could support a growing RAM market with less investment and ramp-up time than other new modes of transport.

Four megatrends and rising investment

While the regional air travel market has been in decline over the last 30 years, it could be taking off again, thanks to four global megatrends:

  • Technological advances. Innovations in propulsion and aircraft design and manufacturing, combined with next-generation guidance, navigation, and control, could drive down operating costs and make small aircraft more competitive. 11 Regional air mobility , April 2021. In the longer term, technological advances may even enable autonomous aircraft, which would further lower costs, as labor typically accounts for 20 to 30 percent of small aircraft operating costs. Some OEMs are developing novel propulsion powertrains that can be retrofitted into existing aircraft, a more straightforward path to market. Beyond aircraft improvements, innovations such as modern flight planning and navigation systems, cloud services, digital tools for fleet and network planning, and predictive maintenance are also enabling smoother and lower-cost operations. For example, the increasing use of precision GPS approaches, rather than traditional instrument landing systems (ILS), will allow smaller airports to receive reliable air service without the need for costly navigation infrastructure. 12 Localizer performance with vertical guidance; Fred Simonds, “ILS on the block,” IFR , January 29, 2020.
  • The importance of sustainability. Governments and the public are increasingly focused on sustainability; their concerns will help shape the future of the aviation industry, which is responsible for approximately 4 percent of anthropogenic global warming. 13 Special report on aviation and global atmosphere , IPCC; Liz Kimbrough, “How much does air travel warm the planet? New study gives figure,” Mongabay , April 6, 2022. New initiatives and policy frameworks seek to lower the climate impact of aviation , including regulatory mandates for emissions reductions and sustainable fuel blending. 14 “Fact sheet: EU and US policy approaches to advance SAF production,” IATA, December 1, 2022. These trends demonstrate an opportunity for growth in sustainable regional air travel. Almost half of travelers recently surveyed believe there are not enough sustainable options and 87 percent want to travel in a more sustainable way. 15 Sustainable travel report 2021, Booking.com, June 2021; Sustainable travel study , Expedia Group, April 2022. One-third of travelers rank emissions as their number one aviation concern, ahead of others such as noise pollution and excess tourism, and over 25 percent are willing to pay at least 5 percent more for carbon-neutral tickets. 16 McKinsey research based on passenger survey, July 2021.
  • Road and airport congestion. The priority for most travelers is to get from point A to B quickly and easily. But on the road, the typical driver in the United States loses 51 hours annually due to congestion; in the United Kingdom, drivers lose 80 hours annually. In 39 percent of US metro areas and 42 percent of European metro areas, traffic was worse in 2022 than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. 17 “2022 Global traffic scorecard,” INRIX, 2022. Major airports are once again congested, delays are common, and system meltdowns regularly make headlines. 18 Jon Brodkin, “FAA outage that grounded flights blamed on old tech and damaged database file,” Ars Technica, January 12, 2023. More than 190,000 flights were cancelled in the United States alone in 2022. 19 US Bureau of Transportation statistics, 2022. Compounding the problem, large airports have little room to expand. More than 200 major airports worldwide—handling 43 percent of the world’s passengers—are capacity constrained and routinely limit landing slots. 20 “Fact sheet: Worldwide airport slots,” November 2022. These factors, exacerbated by the consolidation of flights at major hubs, make for a frustrating and delay-prone travel experience. These trends underscore the unmet demand for a fast transportation mode that avoids congested roads and major airports.
  • The rise of mobility as a service. The past ten years have seen a rise in public appetite for mobility as a service, enabling people to search and book multiple types of transport in one place, reducing the need for individuals to own vehicles and allowing the sharing and thus better utilization of transportation assets. Consumer spending on shared ground mobility is forecast to grow to between $500 billion and $1 trillion by 2030. Over $100 billion has been invested in shared ground mobility companies since 2010. 21 “ Shared mobility: Sustainable cities, shared destinies ,” McKinsey, January 5, 2023. Consumers have shown they are willing to try alternative forms of mobility if they offer good value, convenience, and accessibility through a user-friendly app. The growth of this ecosystem will allow RAM operators to streamline the first and last mile of transportation, reducing consumer pain points related to wait times and overall transit times. In addition, declining personal car ownership will likely increase interest in RAM.

Spurred on by these four megatrends, investment in RAM is rising. Since 2015, over $1.1 billion in investment has been disclosed for this space, out of the over $16 billion invested in future air mobility as a whole. This does not include R&D investments by incumbent aerospace firms that have not been publicly disclosed.

More than 50 companies are developing battery-electric, hybrid, or hydrogen aircraft , or powertrains for retrofit, with 2025 seen as the earliest potential date for entry into service. Companies that are developing powertrains include Ampaire, MagniX, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce Electric, VerdeGo, and ZeroAvia. Other players are working on new aircraft designs using those technologies, including Airbus, Electra.aero, Embraer, Eviation, and Heart Aerospace. Yet another set is working on highly augmented flight controls and autonomy, including Boeing, Merlin Labs, Reliable Robotics, Sikorsky, Thales, and Xwing. Operators that are actively engaged in this market include Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Surf Air Mobility, United Airlines, and Widerøe Zero. There are more than 4,700 RAM aircraft or powertrains on order, option, or subject to letters of intent, with a total value of $38 billion.

A potential multi-billion-dollar market in the making

While the RAM market has momentum, estimates of its potential value vary widely. Our modeling suggests a TAM for RAM passenger revenue of $75 billion to $115 billion by 2035 (Exhibit 2). 22 Global passenger RAM market defined as flights for point-to-point trips of 150 to 800 kilometers operated by five- to 50-seat aircraft. This includes $40 billion to $65 billion from travelers switching away from ground or marine travel, $18 billion to $20 billion from passengers who take RAM flights instead of commercial flights on larger aircraft, and $12 billion to $25 billion from stimulated demand—that is, travelers taking trips they would not otherwise have taken, due to the convenience and availability of RAM. Our estimate of TAM includes roughly $5 billion in revenue for existing point-to-point flights 150 to 800 kilometers in length, operated by aircraft with five to 50 seats.

To estimate the TAM, we used anonymized cell phone location data, which show where people travel, in combination with estimates on aircraft operating costs, operational metrics, and route-level time savings calculations. Our model assumes that demand for travel will increase in line with historical growth and that travelers will switch to RAM from ground or marine travel, or from commercial air travel on larger aircraft, if the economics and time savings merit it.

Our model estimated global RAM market size and aircraft needs under two scenarios. The low-end scenario is based on a modest operating cost reduction against current small aircraft economics, while the high-end scenario reflects a more significant operating cost reduction, driven by semi-autonomous operations. Both TAM scenarios are unconstrained—in other words, they assume that everything that is needed to enable the market will “go right” and that the industry can meet demand by producing the required aircraft and establishing needed airport infrastructure, which will not be a trivial task. As a point of comparison, the estimated 2035 TAM for RAM is 8 to 13 percent the size of the 2019 global commercial airline market. 23 “Fact sheet: Industry statistics,” December 2022.

For the RAM market to reach its full potential, we expect 18,000 new or retrofitted RAM aircraft will be required by 2035 in the low-end scenario and 36,000 in the high-end scenario. 24 Estimate is based on a market size model and assumes that all new or retrofitted aircraft produced between 2025 and 2035 will be in service in 2035. Achieving this level of production will require significant investment in OEM and supply chain capacity. More than 3,500 new or retrofitted RAM aircraft will need to be produced annually between 2025 and 2035 in the high-end scenario. This number is more than twice the approximately 1,500 regional or private aircraft built in 2008, the previous production peak.

What needs to happen for the RAM market to take off?

Many factors will influence the growth and ultimate size of the RAM market (Exhibit 3). Take trip distance—a passenger would see more time savings compared to driving for a flight that is 800 kilometers, rather than a 150-kilometer flight. Likewise, the population density of a given geographic area must be high enough to ensure a steady stream of passengers. Choices on aircraft capacity and scheduling also play a role, as do environmental constraints, the flexibility of RAM in meeting passengers’ needs, and public acceptance. All of these categories depend on multiple variables. Public acceptance, for instance, will partly depend on guaranteeing RAM’s safety.

At a macro level, four enablers will be particularly important for the RAM market’s growth:

  • A seamless end-to-end customer experience. In a recent McKinsey survey of potential RAM passengers, respondents stated that time savings would be the primary reason for switching to RAM, followed by convenience and flexibility. Passengers who might forego their cars and take RAM flights will need transparent information on timing, a simple booking process, good access to airports, an efficient security and boarding process, frequent or on-demand flights, and first mile/last-mile integration. Avoiding the “hassle factor” is critical (Exhibit 4). For instance, travelers may have to switch from RAM to another transportation mode, and some people might prefer to drive the entire trip to avoid such shifts. RAM operators could mitigate the hassle by coordinating flights with last-mile transport, so a car would be waiting when an aircraft lands, minimizing mode switching time and boosting predictability.
  • Continuous technological advances. Aviation has significant energy needs, but a battery, by weight, holds just one-fiftieth of the energy of an equivalent unit of jet fuel. 25 “Sustainable aviation fuel,” US Department of Energy, May 2023; Terry Persun, “Advancing battery technology for modern innovators,” American Society of Mechanical Engineers, May 2021. Battery energy density will need to at least double today’s density for the RAM market to meet its full potential. Similarly, hydrogen fuel cells are at an early stage of maturity and further advances will be critical to RAM’s growth. 26 Target True Zero: Unlocking sustainable battery and hydrogen-powered flight , World Economic Forum, July 2022. Hybrid powertrains are nearer to commercialization and will play an important role. Improvements in composites, especially thermoplastics, will be needed to enable high-rate, low-cost production of lightweight airframes. OEMs are likely to employ advanced simulation and AI-enabled digital engineering to iterate and optimize designs quickly. All of these technologies must be extensively tested and certified for use in aircraft—which, in some cases, may require regulators to develop or update certification standards and regulations. Beyond the aircraft themselves, new air traffic management systems will be required to govern the higher volume of small aircraft in crowded airspaces, including some that may eventually be autonomous.
  • Increased public acceptance. Passengers must be willing to fly on aircraft with new propulsion technology and ultimately on autonomous or semi-autonomous aircraft. Simultaneously, industry players may need to overcome local resistance to increased traffic at small airports, especially near urban areas. RAM aircraft have advantages here: Beyond reduced emissions, small electric aircraft create smaller noise footprints and have flight profiles that mitigate noise compared to conventional regional aircraft. Still, technical improvements alone will not sway hearts and minds. OEMs and other industry champions will need to engage with communities, collaborate with travel and local development groups, and respond appropriately to public concerns. Successful RAM players will be able to articulate the significant benefits to communities and travelers to overcome inherent skepticism of new technology.
  • Airport and energy infrastructure to support the new fleet. For the RAM market to truly take off, airports will require hydrogen and electric charging infrastructure. A typical regional airport serving 200,000 passengers annually could require $6 million in investment for charging or fueling. For electric aircraft, it would require 15 to 30 megawatts of peak onsite electrical power for charging. To fuel hydrogen planes, the typical airport will need 500 to 1,500 tons of hydrogen annually. The cost of green hydrogen fuel—which must be from low- or zero-emissions sources—will need to fall significantly for the economics to work. Additionally, hydrogen must be produced in sufficient volumes to serve the market globally. While RAM benefits from its ability to use existing airport infrastructure, energy infrastructure will require significant investment for the market to scale. 27 Target true zero: Delivering infrastructure for battery- and hydrogen-powered flight , World Economic Forum, April 20, 2023.

Overall, the trends suggest that RAM’s time has come. The world may soon discover this revived form of air travel, which is more sustainable and capitalizes on underutilized infrastructure that we already have today. Re-energizing short-haul air travel will help increase equity for rural communities and stimulate economies beyond major metropolitan hubs. Material uncertainties remain about RAM’s future, but a discernible path forward exists to support strategic decision making—and to create value in a market whose time has come.

Lukas Brink is a consultant in McKinsey’s New York office, Ryan Brown is a consultant in the Seattle office, Sarina Carter is a consultant in the Waltham office, Axel Esqué is a partner in the Paris office, Benjamin Meigs is an associate partner in the New Jersey office, and Robin Riedel is a partner in the San Francisco office.

The authors would like to thank Andrea Cornell, Guenter Fuchs, Tore Johnston, Adam Mitchell, and Michael Saposnik for their contributions to this article.

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Which form of transport has the smallest carbon footprint?

How can individuals reduce their emissions from transport.

This article was first published in 2020. It was updated in 2023 with more recent data.

Transport accounts for around one-quarter of global carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from energy. 1 In some countries – often richer countries with populations that travel often – transport can be one of the largest segments of an individual’s carbon footprint.

If you need to travel – either locally or abroad – what is the lowest-carbon way to do so?

In the chart here we see the comparison of travel modes by their carbon footprint. These are measured by the amount of greenhouse gases emitted per person to travel one kilometer .

This data comes from the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It’s the emission factors used by companies to quantify and report their emissions. While the overall rankings of transport modes will probably be the same, there may be some differences across countries based on their own electricity mix, vehicle stock, and public transport network.

Greenhouse gases are measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO 2 eq), and they account for non-CO 2 greenhouse gases and the increased warming effects of aviation emissions at high altitudes. 2

Walk, bike or take the train for the lowest footprint

Over short to medium distances, walking or cycling are nearly always the lowest carbon way to travel. While they’re not in the chart, the carbon footprint of cycling one kilometer is usually in the range of 16 to 50 grams CO 2 eq per km depending on how efficiently you cycle and what you eat. 3

Using a bike instead of a car for short trips would reduce your travel emissions by around 75%.

If you can’t walk or cycle, then public transport is usually your best option. Trains are particularly low-carbon ways to travel. Taking a train instead of a car for medium-length distances would cut your emissions by around 80%. 4 Using a train instead of a domestic flight would reduce your emissions by around 86%. 5

In fact, if you If you took the Eurostar in France instead of a short-haul flight, you’d cut your journey’s footprint by around 97%. 6

What if you can’t walk or cycle, and have no public transport links?

If none of the above are options, what can you do?

Driving an electric vehicle (EV) is your best mode of private transport. It emits less than a petrol or diesel car, even in countries where the electricity mix is fairly high-carbon. Of course, powering it from low-carbon grid offers the greatest benefits.

The chart above only considers emissions of EV during its use phase – when you’re driving it. It doesn’t include emissions from the manufacturing of the car. There have been concerns that when we account for the energy needed to produce the battery, an EV is actually worse for the climate than a petrol car. This is not true – while an EV does have higher emissions during its production, it quickly ‘pays back’ once you start driving it. 7

Next best is a plug-in hybrid car.

Then, where you take a petrol car or fly depends on the distance. For journeys less than 1000 kilometers, flying has a higher carbon footprint than a medium-sized car. For longer journeys, flying would actually have a slightly lower carbon footprint per kilometer than driving alone over the same distance.

Let’s say you were to drive from Edinburgh to London, which is a distance of around 500 kilometers. You’d emit close to 85 kilograms CO 2 eq. 8 If you were to fly, this would be 123 kilograms – an increase of almost one-third. 9

Some general takeaways on how you can reduce the carbon footprint of travel:

  • Walk, cycle or run when possible – this comes with many other benefits such as lower local air pollution and better health;
  • Trains are nearly always the winning option over moderate-to-long distances;
  • If travelling internationally, going by train or boat is lower-carbon than flying;
  • Electric vehicles are nearly always lower-carbon than petrol or diesel cars. The reductions are greatest for countries with a cleaner electricity mix;
  • If travelling domestically, driving – even if it’s alone – is usually better than flying;
  • Car-sharing will massively reduce your footprint – it also helps to reduce local air pollution and congestion.

Appendix: Why is the carbon footprint per kilometer higher for domestic flight than long-haul flights?

You will notice that the CO 2 emissions per passenger-kilometer are higher for domestic flights than short-haul international flights; and long-haul flights are slightly lower still. Why is this the case?

In its report on the CO 2 Emissions from Commercial Aviation , the International Council on Clean Transportation provides a nice breakdown of how the carbon intensity (grams CO 2 emitted per passenger kilometer) varies depending on flight distance. 10

This chart is shown here – with carbon intensity given as the red line. It shows that at very short flight distances (less than 1,000 km), the carbon intensity is very high; it falls with distance until around 1,500 to 2,000 km; then levels out and changes very little with  increasing  distance.

This is because take-off requires much more energy input than the ‘cruise’ phase of a flight. So, for very short flights, this extra fuel needed for take-off is large compared to the more efficient cruise phase of the journey. The ICCT also notes that often less fuel-efficient  planes are used for the shortest flights.

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The IEA  looks at CO 2  emissions  from energy production alone – in 2018 it reported 33.5 billion tonnes of energy-related CO 2  [hence, transport accounted for 8 billion / 33.5 billion = 24% of energy-related emissions.

Aviation creates a number of complex atmospheric reactions at altitude – such as vapour contrails – which create an enhanced warming effect. In the UK’s Greenhouse gas methodology paper , a ‘multiplier’ of 1.9 is applied to aviation emissions to account for this. This is reflected in the CO 2 eq factors provided in this analysis.

Researchers – David Lee et al. (2020) – estimate that aviation accounts for around 2.5% of global CO 2 emissions, but 3.5% of radiative forcing/warming due to these altitude effects.

Lee, D. S., Fahey, D. W., Skowron, A., Allen, M. R., Burkhardt, U., Chen, Q., ... & Gettelman, A. (2020). The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018 .  Atmospheric Environment , 117834.

Finding a figure for the carbon footprint of cycling seems like it should be straightforward, but it can vary quite a lot. It depends on a number of factors: what size you are (bigger people tend to burn more energy cycling); how fit you are (fitter people are more efficient); the type of bike you’re pedalling; and what you eat (if you eat a primarily plant-based diet, the emissions are likely to be lower than if you get most of your calories from cheeseburgers and milk). People often also raise the question of whether you actually eat more if you cycle to work rather than driving i.e. whether those calories are actually ‘additional’ to your normal diet.

Estimates on the footprint of cycling therefore vary. Some estimates put this figure at around 16 grams CO 2 e per kilometer based on the average European diet. In his book ‘ How bad are bananas: the carbon footprint of everything ’, Mike Berners-Lee estimates the footprint based on specific food types. He estimates 25 grams CO 2 e when powered by bananas; 43 grams CO 2 e from cereal and cow’s milk; 190 grams CO 2 e from bacon; or as high as 310 grams CO 2 e if powered exclusively by cheeseburgers.

National rail emits around 35 grams per kilometer. The average petrol car emits 170 grams. So the footprint of taking the train is around 20% of taking a car: [ 35 / 170 * 100 = 20%].

National rail emits around 35 grams per kilometer. A domestic flight emits 246 grams. So the footprint of taking the train is around 14% of a flight: [ 35 / 246 * 100 = 14%].

Taking the Eurostar emits around 4 grams of CO 2 per passenger kilometer, compared to 154 grams from a short-haul flight. So the footprint of  Eurostar is around 4% of a  flight: [ 4 / 154 * 100 = 3%].

The ‘carbon payback time’ for an average driver is around 2 years.

An average petrol car emits 170 grams per kilometer. Multiply this by 500, and we get 85,000 grams (which is 85 kilograms).

A domestic flight emits 246 grams per kilometer. Multiply this by 500, and we get 123,000 grams (which is 123 kilograms).

Graver, B., Zhang, K. & Rutherford, D. (2018). CO2 emissions from commercial aviation, 2018 . International Council on Clean Transportation.

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Travel blog Just-Wanderlust.com – online travel magazine for holiday tips, outdoor activities, adventure and the sea

Long-distance travel – tips, experiences & travel destinations

by Sascha Tegtmeyer

Long-distance travel has always held an incredible fascination for people. Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo discovered new cultures with their thirst for research. And even today, the desire and curiosity to discover the strange and exotic is still deeply rooted in us. So let's go: pack your bags and head out into the world. Whether Thailand, Mexico or South America – as a world explorer you have a lot on your bucket list. On my topic page about long-distance travel, I have listed my most important blog posts on the topic and also present you with selected tips and recommendations.

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Digitale Werbegesichter, die Produkte und Dienstleistungen auf Social-Media-Kanälen und Blogs vorstellen, werden für werbende Unternehmen immer bedeutsamer. Im Rahmen von Influencer Kooperationen können Marken mit einem erfolgreichen und reichweitenstarken Influencer zusammenarbeiten, um Absatz und Bekanntheit ihrer Waren zu erhöhen. Digital Creators, die regelmäßig ansprechende Inhalte in Form von ausdrucksstarken Fotos, mitreißenden Videos und lebendigen Textbeiträgen für Instagram und andere Social-Media -anäle produzieren, besitzen oftmals eine hohe Glaubwürdigkeit bei den eigenen Abonnentinnen und Abonnenten. Marken können mit gezielten Werbekampagnen profitieren, um mit Influencer Kooperationen und Partnerschaften das Image der Marke, eines Produkts oder einer Dienstleistung zu verbessern oder den Absatz zu steigern. Nachfolgend habe ich einige Influencer Kooperationen Tipps und meine Erfahrungen zusammengestellt, um zu helfen, Influencer und Unternehmen zusammenzubringen.

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Book your well-deserved vacation now.

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Buche jetzt deinen Traumurlaub zu günstigen Konditionen beim renommierten Buchungsportal HolidayCheck – top bewertet von Stiftung Warentest (01/2024). Jetzt klicken und stöbern!

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Singapur zählt zu den schönsten Orten der Welt – technologisch fortschrittlich, kulturell spannend befindet sich der Stadtstaat mitten in Südostasien in einer der landschaftlich attraktivsten Gegenden der Welt. Foto: Sascha Tegtmeyer Die schönsten Orte der Welt

Long-distance travel tips and tricks for your next exotic vacation

Long-distance travel has always exerted an incredible fascination on people. Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo discovered new cultures with their urge to discover. And even today, the desire and curiosity to discover the foreign and the exotic is still deep within us. So let's go: pack your bags and head out into the world. Whether Thailand, Mexico or South America, as a world explorer you have a lot on your bucket list. We have a few selected long-distance travel tips for you and present you with 9 great long-distance travel destinations for your next trip around the world!

Do you know the feeling when you realize: “The whole world is open to me? All I need to do is book a flight and I can be in a heavenly place within a few hours. There are even more beautiful places in the world than Germany and Hamburg,” I sometimes think to myself. I love Hamburg, but everyone needs a change of scenery every now and then. The best way to do this is with a long-distance trip that takes you really far away and catapults you out of everyday life.

The most dangerous of all world views is that of the people who never looked at the world. Alexander von Humboldt

For your long-distance trip you can choose a really exotic country that is as different from Germany in terms of culture, lifestyle, mentality of the people and landscape as is possible. This is exactly when a long-distance trip is the right thing. Especially when you arrive in Asia, you feel like you're dreaming and that it's not all real because it seems so foreign. If you feel like this every now and then, we have the best long-distance travel tips for your next, unforgettable trip.

Moin, ich bin Sascha Tobias Tegtmeyer aus Hamburg – und mit Herz und Seele ein echtes Strandkind! Meer-Fan, Reise-Liebhaber und immer für ein Abenteuer zu haben. Auf meinem Reiseblog Just-Wanderlust.com und den Social-Media-Kanälen von Strandkind Travels verbinde ich die Liebe zum Reisen und zur Natur mit einem Faible für Wassersport wie Stand Up Paddling, Tauchen und Surfen. Ich bin Journalist, Autor und Blogger – und von Natur aus Neugierig, wenn ich neue Reiseziele kennen lerne und anschließend ausführlich darüber schreibe. Wenn ich mit meiner Familie oder allein unterwegs bin, dürfen bei mir als Technik-Fan auch immer gern ein paar Reise-Gadgets zu Testzwecken mit dabei sein. Meine bevorzugten Reiseländer, über die ich auch bevorzugt in meinem Reiseblog schreibe: USA, Thailand und Malediven.

About the author

I'm just a curious beach kid in the world.

Hello, I am  Sascha Tobias Tegtmeyer from Hamburg – and a real beach child with heart and soul! Sea fan, travel lover and always up for an adventure. On my travel blog Just-Wanderlust.com and the social media channels of Strandkind Travels, I combine my love of traveling and nature with a passion for water sports such as stand-up paddling, diving and surfing. I am a journalist, author and blogger - and I am naturally curious when I get to know new travel destinations and then write about them in detail. As a technology fan, when I'm traveling with my family or alone, I'm always happy to bring a few travel gadgets with me for testing purposes. My favorite travel countries, which I also prefer to write about in my travel blog: USA, Thailand and Maldives.

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short distance travel

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short distance travel

Definition of long-distance travel - When is a vacation far away?

When does a vacation actually become a long-distance trip? You won't believe it, but according to official criteria, long-haul flights start much earlier than you think. The short distance is up to 1000 kilometers as the crow flies, the medium distance is up to 3000 kilometers. And from 3000 kilometers it is already a long-haul flight. But is a travel destination almost 3000 kilometers away from Germany already a long-distance travel destination? Most people will probably say: not really! Then the Canary Islands and Egypt would already be long-distance travel destinations.

Definition Fernreise – Ab wann ist ein Urlaub in der Ferne?

However, we tend to associate such long tours with exotic countries such as India, Mexico or Thailand. From Germany to Mexico it is approximately 9500 kilometers as the crow flies. It is around 8000 kilometers to Cuba and just over 6000 kilometers to Bombay in India from Germany. Accordingly, we could define a long-distance trip as a vacation or any other trip that takes place at least 5000 kilometers from home. That sounds pretty logical, right?

Anreise nach Mauritius: die Insel ist per Flugzeug gut erreichbar – von Europa aus dauert der Flug ungefähr 12 Stunden. © Sascha Tegtmeyer

My long-distance travel experiences

The term wanderlust is no coincidence. Anyone who has gone on another tour and visited one or two foreign countries that are outside of Europe will no longer want to miss this experience and repeat it as often as possible. The term wanderlust – or the more progressive term wanderlust – is no coincidence.

Ich liebe Fernreisen. Allein die Vorfreude, wenn man einen Urlaub in Südostasien oder Amerika bucht, kann so groß sein, dass man völlig aus dem Häuschen gerät. Ich hatte das große Glück und Privileg, mehrere Fernreiseziele in Asien, Amerika und vor allem im Indischen Ozean zu besuchen. Das ist nicht selbstverständlich. Jede Reise ist für mich ein einzigartiges Erlebnis.

Anyone who has gone on another tour and visited one or two foreign countries that are outside of Europe will no longer want to miss this experience and repeat it as often as possible. Long-distance travel doesn't have to be expensive.

short distance travel

On the contrary, there are always cheap flights and package holidays all over the world. We regularly look for holiday destinations outside of Europe that are currently on offer. Many destinations can be reached cheaply outside of the main season in the travel destination and outside of the school holidays in Germany. We give you valuable long-distance travel tips that will help you get to your next vacation under the palm trees cheaply.

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This is how long-distance travel with children becomes a pleasure for the whole family

Many young parents are afraid to take their children with them on a long-distance trip. It's actually no problem at all to go on a big tour with the little ones. With a few special long-distance travel tips for families, long journeys with smaller children and even babies can become less strenuous. If you want to fly very far away with the whole family, all you need is some preparation. Anyone who has booked a family-friendly hotel or apartment at their holiday destination should not have any major problems on the trip and can fully enjoy their holiday abroad with their kids.

Blick auf meinen Bungalow im Baan Krating Resort. Foto: Sascha Tegtmeyer

The sticking point is often the long flight to the destination. But you can take precautions here. Choose family-friendly seats and get a few holiday gadgets for children that will make the cross-country flight fun. For example, there is a small hand luggage trolley for the kids that can be converted into a full bed and turns the airplane seat into a lying area. In addition, the kids always need fun. So load a few videos onto your tablet computer and don't forget your headphones. Of course, card games can also be used to make the long-haul flight a little more pleasant for the children. With these little travel hacks you can make the long flight fun for the little ones.

The best travel time for a few selected travel destinations

Watch out for the best time to travel.

I always keep the best time to travel to my favorite travel destinations in mind - because when planning your trip it is incredibly important to know when and where is the best place to go on holiday. This basically applies to all travel destinations and types of travel. You don't want to go on a skiing holiday in the middle of summer and you don't want to fly to Egypt in the middle of summer when it's 50 degrees Celsius. Nor would we want to be in Thailand or the Maldives during the rainy season.

The most beautiful long-distance travel destinations – discover another world

Thanks to our many years of travel experience, we have collected a few valuable long-distance travel tips for you here. That's a thing with exotic long-distance travel destinations. Many destinations are hyped and then everyone just has to go there.

Hindu-Tempel in Mataram auf Lombok. Foto: S. Tegtmeyer

At some point someone reports that this or that destination is totally mainstream and overcrowded - and suddenly no one thinks it's great anymore. At this point I will give you a tip that is more valuable than gold. If you heed it, your trips in the future will be much more relaxed and pleasant.

Make your own picture of each destination you want to travel to. Many travel bloggers hyped this or that vacation destination. Betting against supposed tourist destinations. Read different opinions before your trip, inform yourself in detail before the trip, but above all get your own picture on site. Many impressions are very subjective. Sascha Tegtmeyer , Just-Wanderlust.com

Many travel bloggers travel around Bali, but despite all the tourists, the island is a beautiful piece of earth that you should definitely see once. The situation is similar with Thailand. There are what feels like billions of tourists there - that's true - who make the beaches unsafe every winter. But there is a reason for that too. The country is simply magical, the beaches are a dream, the delicious Thai cuisine is a delight and the prices are still relatively cheap. Yes, there is a lot going on in Thailand during peak season. And yet we had some of the best five weeks there that we have ever spent on a long-distance trip.

The bottom line is clear. The best long-distance travel destinations in the world are the ones where you can experience your own, most personal adventure and create memories that you will remember for years to come. Nevertheless, we have collected a few tips for the best long-distance travel destinations in the world and would like to introduce them to you.

1. Thailand - Exoticism and adventure among friendly people

Thailand is probably one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. Not without reason, because the country in Southeast Asia is a tropical paradise on earth. Dream beaches in Thailand, delicious food, friendly people combined with great resorts offer a mix that is unparalleled anywhere in the world. The best time to travel to Thailand is particularly in the European winter months of December, January, February and March. We recommend that you start your trip in Bangkok or Phuket and explore the entire country from here.

Thailand ist wohl eines der beliebtesten Reiseziele der Welt. Nicht ohne Grund, denn das südostasiatische Land ist ein tropisches Paradies auf Erden. Thailands traumhafte Strände, leckeres Essen, freundliche Menschen kombiniert mit luxuriösen Resorts bieten eine Mischung, die weltweit ihresgleichen sucht. Besonders in den europäischen Wintermonaten Dezember, Januar, Februar und März ist die beste Reisezeit für Thailand. Foto: Sascha Tegtmeyer

You can start from Bangkok to the popular and well-known islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phagan and Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand, or experience the hustle and bustle of Pattaya or Phuket. Or you can start all the way south to Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta or a little further south to Koh Lipe. Wherever you go in Thailand, dream beaches and adventure await you almost everywhere. You can dive with sharks, snorkel, swim or try stand-up paddling in Thailand.

2. Sri Lanka – trendy long-distance travel destination for connoisseurs

Currently, long-distance travel tips are not complete without Sri Lanka. The island south of India is one of those trendy destinations that has been increasingly hyped in recent years and is developing rapidly. It is very beneficial for tourism and therefore for the people who make a living from it in the island state. And holidaymakers can still find places in this paradisiacal destination that are not completely overcrowded.

Photo by Genine Alyssa Pedreno-Andrada on Pexels.com

Sri Lanka ist aus der Welt der Fernreisen nicht mehr wegzudenken. Die Insel südlich von Indien gehört zu den Trenddestinationen, die in den letzten Jahren immer mehr gehyped werden und sich entsprechend rasant entwickeln. Davon profitiert der Tourismus und damit auch die Bevölkerung des Inselstaates. Und Urlauber finden in diesem Paradies noch Orte, die nicht völlig überlaufen sind.

Sri Lanka is located north of the Maldives and south of India. The island impresses with its tropical climate, its dream beaches and at the same time a picturesque highland covered by tropical rainforest. The tourist infrastructure on the island is getting better and better and many great and relatively sustainable luxury resorts are being built here. Those who prefer something more original will certainly be put off by this, but they will certainly find many less visited areas now and in the years to come.

3. Australia - A classic among long-distance travel tips

No long-haul destination list is complete without Australia. The huge continent “down under” is one of the longed-for destinations of many holidaymakers and is clearly one of the best long-distance travel destinations in the world. Australia is incredibly diverse. On the one hand, you have the dream beaches and can spend a relaxed beach holiday, go snorkeling and diving on the Great Berrier Reef and try out water sports such as stand up paddling, jet skiing, sailing and many other sports.

Photo by Ben Mack on Pexels.com

Australien darf auf keiner Liste der Fernreiseziele fehlen. Der riesige Kontinent "down under" ist eines der Sehnsuchtsziele vieler Urlauber und zweifellos eines der schönsten Fernreiseziele der Welt. Australien ist unglaublich abwechslungsreich. Auf der einen Seite gibt es traumhafte Strände und man kann einen entspannten Strandurlaub verbringen, am Great Barrier Reef schnorcheln und tauchen und Wassersportarten wie Stand-up-Paddling, Jetski, Segeln und vieles mehr ausprobieren.

On the other hand, you have vibrant metropolises like Sydney, Melbourne or Perth, which are among the best-known and most popular cities in the world and are on many people's bucket lists. No matter whether you are taking a trip to the outback, exploring big cities or the endless dream beaches, or, like us, you are one of the divers who want to look at the underwater world off Australia. Australia is definitely a long-distance trip that you should do at least once in your life.

4. Maldives - dreamy vacation away from home

The Maldives are the ultimate long-distance travel destination for beach vacationers. Anyone who voluntarily gets on a plane for 12 hours to go on a beach vacation should definitely do so in the Maldives. Because the small group of islands in the Indian Ocean is definitely one of the most paradises this planet has to offer. The small islets are surrounded by lagoons with crystal-clear water that is the temperature of a bathtub. You can lie around all day on the dream beaches and just relax.

Die Malediven sind zweifellos eine der schönsten Inselgruppen der Welt und ein wahrhaft paradiesisches Fernreiseziel. Ob man einen entspannten Strandurlaub verbringen möchte oder auf der Suche nach einzigartigen Taucherlebnissen ist, die Malediven haben für jeden etwas zu bieten. Die kleinen Inseln mit ihrer exotischen Flora und Fauna, umgeben von türkisblauen Lagunen mit Badewannentemperatur, bieten die perfekte Kulisse für einen unvergesslichen Urlaub.Foto: Sascha Tegtmeyer

In contrast, the islands usually have dense jungles with exotic animals and plants. In between there are often beach villas with extra privacy. Because if you don't live in a guest house on a local island, you usually stay in a luxury resort that extends over an entire island. If you just want to relax and unwind on your long-distance trip, the Maldives are perfect. You won't come home from a long-distance trip more relaxed than from a vacation in the Maldives. And it just so happens that the best time to travel to the Maldives is during the German winter, so you can escape the snow and ice.

5. Brazil - Our tip for long-distance travel round trips

Brazil is one of the countries that are developing and making strong economic progress. The South American country offers a huge area and is so varied that you can really let off steam with your desire to travel. Everyone knows the famous and popular metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. But of course Brazil has much more to offer. Dense jungle on the Amazon and an eternally long Atlantic coast with beautiful dream beaches and wonderful holiday resorts simply invite you to discover and have an adventure holiday.

Photo by Aline Cardoso on Pexels.com

Brasilien gehört zu den wirtschaftlich aufstrebenden Ländern. Das südamerikanische Land bietet eine riesige Fläche und ist so vielfältig, dass man seinem Fernweh freien Lauf lassen kann. Jeder kennt die berühmte und beliebte Metropole Rio de Janeiro. Aber Brasilien hat noch viel mehr zu bieten. Dichter Dschungel im Amazonasgebiet und eine endlose Atlantikküste mit wunderschönen Traumstränden und traumhaften Badeorten laden zum Erkunden und zu einem Abenteuerurlaub ein.

And of course you can also visit the other cities in the country such as Sao Paolo or Manaus. Brazil is so varied that you should definitely plan several weeks for your trip. One thing must be clear to you. A tour through Brazil is a big deal and a trip that requires good preparation if it is to become an unforgettable long-distance travel experience.

6. Cuba and Dominican Republic - long-distance travel to the Caribbean

There really isn't much to say about the Caribbean. The destinations in the Gulf of Mexico are fantastically beautiful, offer unforgettable beach holidays and a long-distance travel experience that is also suitable for beginners. After the end of the US embargo, Cuba is now more than ever a long-haul destination that you should visit. Because it is still original and authentic. In the next few years the country will most likely change a lot and if you still want to experience Cuba as it was for many decades - authentic and breathtaking - you should visit the big island now.

Photo by alleksana on Pexels.com

Über die Karibik muss man eigentlich nicht viel sagen. Die Reiseziele im Golf von Mexiko sind traumhaft schön, bieten unvergesslichen Strandurlaub und ein Fernreise-Erlebnis, dass ohne Weiteres auch für Anfänger geeignet ist. Nach dem Ende des US-Embargos ist Kuba mehr denn je jetzt eine Fernreiseziel, dass Ihr besuchen solltet. Denn noch ist es ursprünglich und authentisch. In den nächsten Jahren wird sich das Land höchstwahrscheinlich sehr stark verändern und wer Kuba noch so erleben möchte, wie es viele Jahrzehnte lang war – authentisch und atemberaubend – sollte jetzt die große Insel besuchen.

A classic long-distance travel destination for a beach holiday is the Dominican Republic. The travel destination used to represent a cheap long-distance trip that even low-income earners could afford. But that has changed, the Dominican Republic is increasingly becoming a premium travel destination. Much hyped in recent years, you can now book the country relatively cheaply and spend a few great days in the sun there. In any case, the Dom Rep is one of our favorite long-distance travel tips worldwide.

7. USA - tours and road trips through a unique country

If there is a travel destination that should not be missing from any bucket list, it is the USA. The United States of America as a vacation destination is simply incredible. If you haven't been on vacation to the USA yet, your mouth will most likely hang open in amazement. It is almost impossible to describe the huge country in just a few sentences. From Florida to New Orleans, from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles and San Francisco, you can put together incredibly exciting tours through the USA yourself.

Die USA sind eine Welt für sich und bieten unendliche Möglichkeiten für Abenteuer und Entdeckungen. Egal ob du auf der Suche nach dem perfekten Städtetrip bist oder das Land lieber auf einer ausgedehnten Rundreise erkunden möchtest, die USA haben für jeden etwas zu bieten. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New York oder New Orleans - die Auswahl an aufregenden Städten ist schier endlos. Auch die Nationalparks wie Grand Canyon oder Yosemite sind ein Muss für Natur- und Abenteuerliebhaber. Eine Rundreise durch den Südwesten der USA ist besonders empfehlenswert und bietet viele Highlights auf einmal. Von Los Angeles bis Las Vegas und vom Grand Canyon bis zu den Nationalparks in Utah gibt es viel zu sehen. Oder wie wäre es mit einer Rundreise durch den Nordosten der USA? Von Boston über New York bis zu den Niagarafällen und Toronto kann man viele verschiedene Orte und Städte besuchen. Foto: Sascha Tegtmeyer

Basically, you can do whatever your imagination allows and the tour only depends on your budget and your free time. You can also take it smaller and do it like we do. Instead of a big one, you simply do a small road trip over a smaller distance and can gradually work your way through the entire country. You'll definitely have something to do there for a few years.

8. South Africa - round trip is a long-distance travel classic

South Africa is also a classic for a short tour. The long-distance travel destination is certainly one of the best travel destinations in the world and, with cities like Cape Town, Port Elisabeth and Durban, is one of the most breathtaking and beautiful places on the planet.

Photo by Scott Webb on Pexels.com

Südafrika bietet eine unglaubliche Vielfalt an Landschaften und Kulturen, die es zu entdecken gilt. Ob die majestätischen Drakensberge, die endlosen Weiten des Krüger Nationalparks, die schönen Strände entlang der Garden Route oder die malerische Weinregion rund um Kapstadt - Südafrika bietet für jeden Geschmack etwas. Aber auch kulturell hat Südafrika viel zu bieten. Besuche das ehemalige Gefängnis auf Robben Island, in dem Nelson Mandela jahrelang inhaftiert war oder erlebe die bunten Märkte und Straßencafés in Kapstadts Stadtteilen Bo-Kaap und Woodstock.

You can either stay relatively stationary in one place and go on a relaxed resort vacation or actually plan a tour. South Africa is very well developed and the infrastructure allows you to drive around in a rental car yourself. Because in South Africa there are what feels like a million sights to discover, which you can best reach with a rental car.

9. Mexico - our insider tip for inexpensive long-distance travel vacations

We have chosen Mexico as our long-distance travel destination for autumn. After the hurricane season is over in November, the long-distance travel destination is clearly worth considering. We were a little worried about the drug war in Mexico. In some regions, Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

Photo by Mike van Schoonderwalt on Pexels.com

Für den Herbst haben wir uns Mexiko als Fernreiseziel ausgesucht. Nachdem die Hurricane-Saison im November vorbei ist, ist das Fernreiseziel ganz klar eine Beachtung wert. Wir haben uns ein wenig Sorgen gemacht wegen des Drogenkriegs in Mexiko. In einigen Regionen gehört Mexiko zu den gefährlichsten Ländern der Welt. So wie es aussieht, sind die Urlaubsorte auf der Halbinsel von Cancun jedoch sicher und laden zu einer spannenden Entdeckungsreise ein. Mexiko ist auch unter deutschen Touristen ein beliebtes Fernreiseziel und besticht durch einzigartige Kultur, unglaublich freundliche Menschen und eine köstliche mexikanische Küche, die nicht ohne Grund Welt bekannt ist.

From the looks of it, the vacation spots on the Cancun Peninsula are safe and invite you to an exciting journey of discovery. Mexico is also a popular long-distance travel destination among German tourists and impresses with its unique culture, incredibly friendly people and delicious Mexican cuisine that is known worldwide for good reason.

10. Costa Rica - the ultimate long-distance travel tip

One of the most popular long-distance travel destinations at the moment is Costa Rica. The small start in Central America means something like rich coast in German and is a perfect long-distance travel destination for all fans of beach holidays and nature holidays. The country not only has dense jungle, but also beautiful beaches and is known for its rich vegetation.

Photo by Chiaroscuro on Pexels.com

Costa Rica - ein Land wie geschaffen für unvergessliche Fernreisen! Im Herzen Mittelamerikas gelegen, bietet Costa Rica eine Fülle von Naturschätzen und ist ein Paradies für Naturliebhaber und Abenteurer. Der Name "Costa Rica" bedeutet übersetzt "reiche Küste" und beschreibt damit treffend die über 1.200 Kilometer lange Küstenlinie, die das Land umgibt. Die Strände Costa Ricas gehören zu den schönsten der Welt und sind ein Traum für jeden, der Sonne, Meer und Strand genießen möchte. Ob einsame Buchten oder belebte Küstenabschnitte mit Surferparadiesen, Costa Rica hat für jeden etwas zu bieten. Doch nicht nur die Strände sind ein Highlight, das Land ist auch für seine atemberaubende Natur bekannt. In Costa Rica findet man dichte Regenwälder, wunderschöne Nationalparks und zahlreiche Tierarten, die man in freier Wildbahn beobachten kann.

Getting to Costa Rica is a bit strenuous due to several flight changes. But the long journey is worth it: the country is not only pristine and exotic, but also impresses with the warmth of the locals.

Long-distance travel destinations without mass tourism - do they still exist?

Many people ask themselves whether there are still travel destinations without mass tourism today. And unfortunately the answer to that is: not really. This is really tragic. But definitely understandable. Because of the Internet, insider tips for travel destinations and locations spread so quickly that there are practically no real insider tips left. I was once at a beautiful, remote resort and the owner said to me, “Recommend us. But only to your closest friends!”

Relaxtes Inselleben – Autos gibt’s auf Gili Trawangan nicht, nur Kutschen und Fahrräder.

There are travel countries and holiday destinations that are a little less in the focus of most holidaymakers. That was it already. Even on the most secluded dream beach, there is guaranteed to be a vacationer who just happened to read the same travel report on the Internet. That might sound like a relatively negative perspective. But the thing about mass tourism is this: the mass tourists are always the others.

We want to claim the extraordinary and discover new places and adventures beyond the beaten path that, if possible, no one has ever seen before us. But that is an illusion. Beautiful travel destinations and mass tourism are mutually dependent. When a place is beautiful, lots of people come. The moment we discover a new place and report about it, sooner or later the good news spreads within the travel community.

So what can you do to still discover travel destinations without mass tourism? Firstly, you can travel outside of the peak season, and secondly, you can choose holiday destinations that are not the focus of most holidaymakers and you can travel anti-cyclically. Most people in Germany travel in the summer. We at Just Wanderlust prefer to travel in winter. At least you will meet fewer tourists from Germany. Whenever travel destinations are particularly hyped, it is already too late. Then you simply have to be quicker and choose long-distance travel destinations that are currently not given much attention.

Experience extraordinary destinations worldwide on long-distance trips

My conclusion

We hope you enjoyed our long-distance travel tips. If you look at the world from a Central European perspective, it is simply huge and exotic. We live in temperate latitudes with seasons defined by spring, summer, autumn and winter. From our point of view, it is hard to imagine how big the world is and that there are places where it is summer when it is winter here. A trip to a long-distance destination allows us to dramatically change our perspective on things.

No matter whether you are going to Southeast Asia, Australia, North America and South America or simply a tour through Russia and the northern part of Asia. The deciding factor is always what you do with each long-distance trip. Do you isolate yourself or do you get to know new people there? Are you really perceiving or are you just taking photos? A dream travel destination, no matter where in the world, can only be as beautiful as you can perceive it. We therefore wish you wonderful and adventurous long-distance journeys with unique adventures and life-changing encounters.

Have you already traveled long-distance or are you currently planning your first further trip? Where have you been? What have you seen? Share your experiences in the comments.

*Affiliate links (advertising) & Amazon advertisements with affiliate links / sales by Amazon or third-party providers on the Amazon marketplace. / As an Amazon partner, we receive a small commission - you don't pay anything extra. / Product data last updated on November 16.03.2024, XNUMX / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API / Product images are served via a privacy proxy / Disclaimer: The price shown may have increased since the last update. The actual price of the product as stated on the seller's website on Amazon.de at the time of purchase is decisive for the sale. A real-time update of the prices stated above is not technically possible. 

When reading this article, you want to get on the plane and explore the world. A really great contribution, which has definitely awakened in me the desire to travel.

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short distance travel

Here's how some of those friends who are always traveling can afford it

short distance travel

Eyelash extensions or a short hiking trip? A night out on the town or a jaunt to Europe? 

Those are the kinds of trade-offs Lourdes Camacho began weighing last fall when the Miami-based nanny started scaling back her day-to-day spending to put more money toward traveling.

"I realized I spent like $300 to $500 in one weekend in Miami when I could be using that to travel to a different country," she said. "You know, like, I don't need to do those things."

The 31-year-old cut back on beauty appointments and started staying home more, prioritizing visits to new places and exploring the outdoors, taking advantage of the flexibility her job affords. The frequency of her trips varies, but she took five in February to San Francisco, Honolulu and more, including a work trip with her employer for their vacation.

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Camacho is among a number of travelers who pinch pennies on everyday expenses so they can put more money toward their trips.

'I have every memory from every trip I've taken'

A survey in February of 1,000 U.S. adults commissioned by PayPal, in partnership with Edelman Data & Intelligence, found that 73% of respondents were willing to alter daily spending so they could afford to travel.

Among those surveyed, 42% said they would cook at home rather than eat out or get takeout, and close to 20% said they were willing to skip social events like weddings or birthday parties to save money, according to results shared by a spokesperson for the company.

Nearly 20% also said they were "willing to cut back on beauty services like haircuts, manicures or waxes."

Rob Jackson,36, a real estate agent in New York, has made his own compromises so he could travel more. He said he has been to more than 40 countries and takes five to seven international trips a year. He travels domestically every other month.

"It's definitely become a passion of mine over the past decade or so," Jackson said.

As Jackson grew older, he said, he prioritized experiences over material goods. He lives in a studio apartment rather than a bigger space, and he buys less high-end clothing than he did in his 20s.

"I like to say, 'I don't have the designer clothes that I bought when I was 22, but I have every memory from every trip I've taken,' " he said.

How do you save money for a trip?

When trying to save money, Dominique Broadway, a personal finance expert and founder of Finances Demystified , recommended figuring out what's most important to you.

"I love traveling," she said. "That is like one of my favorite things to do, so I'm always going to make sure that everything my in life is aligned to be able to support that hobby."

That could mean deciding to live in a smaller or less expensive home, for example, if you are not going to be there as often, Broadway said.

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Travelers can also leverage travel credit cards to earn rewards, she said, especially if they're strategic about it. For example, someone who lives in Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is based, might want to sign up for a Delta-specific card .

By paying your bills using those cards – and paying the cards off at the end of the month or as soon as possible – Broadway said, "that's going to allow you to be able to start traveling for free by doing something that you were going to do anyway."

But those who cut back on spending may not feel the benefits if they don't set the money aside, Broadway cautioned. 

"Essentially, you're probably going to spend that money on something else," she said. If someone stops going to get their nails done every Friday, for instance, Broadway suggested transferring that money elsewhere as if they had so they can start to see it accumulate.

Story continues below.

Whether you use that money to pay off credit card debt or put it somewhere else, such as a savings account, depends on your goals, she said.

"But you definitely don't want to have it too close," Broadway added. "You don't want to have it necessarily linked directly to your checking account because a lot of times you'll just pull it right back."

As people form new spending habits, she suggested they check in with themselves frequently – as often as every day – to hold themselves accountable. "Because that way you can see quickly if it's not working, and you can quickly make a change."

In addition to saving money daily, Camacho makes a habit of traveling cheaply to maximize her investment. She searches for deals on Google Flights; stays in hostels or with locals she has met via Facebook groups for women solo traveling; and gets groceries to cook when she can or buys food from street vendors.

Camacho worked another nannying job that paid more but offered less flexibility and found she couldn't put a price on seeing the world.

"It made me realize ... it's not worth it. I'm not living my life or enjoying life," she said. "So I'm willing to make these sacrifices. I'm willing to go on a weekend and sacrifice sleep, too, just to see a view."

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

short distance travel

China is working on a system to rival Elon Musk's shelved Hyperloop idea — now, the train can reach an incredible 387 mph

T he future of efficient, high-speed travel might be a step closer in China after successful high-speed tests of a hyperloop train.

An announcement from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation has revealed the T-Flight magnetically levitated (maglev) train has reached speeds as high as 387 miles per hour on a 1.2-mile low-vacuum tube, although the exact speed was not disclosed.

Robb Report , in an article shared by Yahoo News, said the state-owned company has boasted it is the fastest speed ever achieved by a maglev vehicle.

The transportation system straight out of science fiction was also a dream of Elon Musk , who released a paper on the possibilities of the travel method in 2013. Musk even created a test track under his SpaceX company, which was constructed in 2016 .

Other companies took the reins of the technology and prototype infrastructure in the following years, including Richard Branson's Virgin, but little progress was made in bringing it to fruition. 

Hyperloop One, as it was called at that point, shut down in late 2023, according to Bloomberg .  

But development in China seems to be gathering pace. According to New Atlas , the next step will be to extend the track to allow for testing at even greater speeds — possibly as fast as 621 miles per hour.

If it's successful, it could be the next potential solution for high-speed travel across relatively short distances. Short-haul flights produce a lot of planet-warming pollution, so alternatives like night trains are being revived to make traveling across the country — or across a continent — comfortable and efficient for passengers who are mindful of their environmental impact. 

As Robb Report observed, maglev trains don't create any harmful pollution while in operation, thanks to the system of magnets that help propulsion. While some maglev trains are already in service in China and Japan, for example, they don't travel at the speeds that a hyperloop system would aim to achieve. 

But China is a leader in high-speed rail , which is also touted as a solution to avoid polluting air travel. Unfortunately, few countries have delivered the infrastructure to make this method possible. 

China is working on a system to rival Elon Musk's shelved Hyperloop idea — now, the train can reach an incredible 387 mph first appeared on The Cool Down .

If it's successful, it could be the next potential solution for high-speed travel across relatively short distances.

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COMMENTS

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