Green Queen 2020 Trend Predictions: Travelling More, Flying Less, Offsetting It

With the Nordic concept of flygskam (aka flight shame) taking off late last year, 2020 is set to be the year where people will opt for alternative ways of transport more than ever before. People aren’t willing to give up travelling, and for good reason. Travelling is a wonderful way to learn about different cultures, explore new sights and connect with people and communities, but across the globe, people are becoming more conscious about their travel footprint and are willing to swap in convenience for responsibility.

What this means is not that we will travel less, far from. In fact, we’re going to be travelling more and travelling better. Budgeting for our transport won’t just be about the $$ price tag, it will mean taking into account the cost it leaves on our planet. As a result, we’re set to see more people taking trains – which we’ve already seen happen in Sweden, where tågskryt (train bragging) has become the next thing – and choosing to walk, hike, cycle, coach during their adventures. Even Skyscanner is now showing the carbon emissions of your itinerary, a testament to the fact that airlines seriously have to contend with the fact that their core business leaves behind a huge carbon footprint, fuelling our climate crisis.

Empowered with the availability of carbon offsetting options, which have skyrocketed last year thanks to the “Greta Thunberg effect”, this flying-less attitude will also mean that more of us will choose to neutralise the environmental footprint of our mobility. We expect to be seeing more individual actions taken to purchase offsetting subscription plans from certified platforms like Chooose and use apps like Carbon Capture to track their daily travel emissions and neutralising them through supporting tree planting projects. 

Lead image courtesy of Bangkok Attractions.