Sustainable staycations and low-impact holidays close to home

For most people, flying is one of the largest single sources of personal carbon emissions. A single long-haul return flight can easily equal or exceed six months of home energy use. Holidays that avoid flights — or replace them with train or coach travel — make a real, measurable difference.

Why holiday closer to home

The case for lower-impact holidays isn't about self-denial — it's about rethinking what makes a good break. Closer holidays tend to be:

• Significantly lower in carbon. Aviation accounts for a disproportionate share of individual carbon footprints, particularly short-haul flights where the carbon-intensive take-off and landing dominate. Train and coach travel can be an order of magnitude lower per passenger-kilometre. See our sustainable travel guide for the numbers.
• Cheaper. Once you drop the flight, the hotel near the airport, the airport parking, and the cost of eating in terminals, local holidays often cost considerably less — leaving more for actually enjoying yourself.
• Less stressful. No queues at check-in, no security theatre, no middle seat. A train journey through the countryside is a pleasure, not an ordeal.
• Better for local economies. Money spent at a local guesthouse, independent restaurant or regional attraction stays largely within the community rather than flowing to a multinational chain.

Ideas for low-impact breaks

The biggest barrier to staycations is often a failure of imagination. Once you start looking, there's usually more nearby than you'd thought:

• Explore your own region properly. Most people have a long list of local places they've always meant to visit. A holiday is the perfect excuse to actually go.
• National parks, nature reserves and coastlines. Access to landscapes like these is genuinely world-class in many countries, and they rarely require flying.
• Camping and glamping. A tent or a well-equipped yurt can be an adventure on its own. The simplicity of camping — cooking outdoors, no commute, disconnecting from screens — is the point, not a compromise.
• Train trips with the journey as part of the experience. A scenic train route, a sleeper train overnight, or a series of stops along a rail corridor can be memorable in a way that an airport never is.
• Cycling holidays. Combining low-carbon travel with exercise and a slow pace through the landscape — whether touring self-supported or using a luggage-transfer service — works surprisingly well for a variety of fitness levels.
• House swaps and house-sits. Swapping homes with someone in another city or region costs almost nothing and often provides much more space and comfort than a hotel room.
• Off-season travel. Visiting popular places in shoulder season — spring or autumn rather than July and August — typically means lower prices, smaller crowds, and a more authentic experience.
• City breaks by train. Many cities are easily reachable by train in the time it would take to get to and from a distant airport. A weekend in a city you've never explored properly is a real holiday.

Getting there the low-impact way

How you travel is usually the biggest factor in a holiday's carbon footprint, far outweighing accommodation or activities. For domestic and regional travel:

• Train first. Rail is consistently among the lowest-carbon ways to travel between cities, and the journey itself can be relaxing and enjoyable. Book early for the best fares, and look for rail passes if you're planning multiple stops.
• Coach/long-distance bus. Often the cheapest option and, when full, very low per-person emissions. Journey times are longer, but overnight coaches can double as accommodation.
• Shared car journey. Travelling with three or four people in one car brings per-person emissions close to rail for many routes. Carpooling apps make it easier to share with people you don't already know.
• Electric vehicle. On a reasonably clean electricity grid, an EV significantly lowers the footprint of a road trip compared to petrol or diesel. Combined with a full car, the per-person footprint drops further.
• Avoid solo driving for long distances where rail or coach is a realistic alternative — the difference is substantial.

For a detailed look at the options, see our transportation guide.

Where and how you stay

Accommodation choices matter less than transport, but they still count — and choosing well supports the right kind of tourism:

• Prefer smaller, locally owned places — independent guesthouses, B&Bs, family-run hostels — over large chains. They generally keep more money in the local economy and often have a warmer atmosphere.
• Self-catering lets you shop locally and cook with regional ingredients, which is both cheaper and a more authentic experience than eating all meals out.
• Reuse towels and linen. Most hotels offer this as an option. Daily linen changes use significant water and energy. If your accommodation doesn't ask, just hang up the towels and indicate you're happy to reuse them.
• Conserve energy and water as you would at home. Turn off lights, heating and air conditioning when you leave the room. Take shorter showers. Don't leave the tap running.
• Choose accommodation with good green credentials where you can — some guesthouses are certified by local eco-tourism schemes, use renewable energy, or have strong local sourcing policies.

Support local and leave no trace

A low-impact holiday isn't just about carbon — it's also about respecting the place and the people who live there:

• Eat at independent local restaurants and buy food from local markets. The money stays in the community, and the food is usually better.
• Buy souvenirs from local makers rather than mass-produced tourist tat, or skip them entirely and spend on experiences instead.
• Stick to marked paths in sensitive natural areas, especially coastal dunes, moorland and protected habitats.
• Take your litter home — or at the very least use provided bins. Leave natural things where they are: shells, plants, stones.
• Respect wildlife. Keep a sensible distance, don't feed animals, and follow local guidance in nature reserves.
• Be considerate of residents. Popular tourist areas sometimes have strained relationships with visitors; being quiet, respectful and spending locally helps.

Make it feel genuinely special

The most common objection to a staycation is that it won't feel like a real holiday. This is mostly a planning problem. A few things that help:

• Book accommodation somewhere different, even if it's 30 minutes from home. The physical change of environment is what triggers "holiday mode," not the distance.
• Plan specific activities in advance — a boat trip, a guided walk, tickets to an event — the same way you would for an international trip.
• Disconnect properly. Leave work email alone. Resist the urge to run errands. The point of a holiday is rest, not geography.
• Go somewhere you've genuinely never been. There's almost always somewhere within a few hours that you've always meant to visit.
• Travel slowly. Arriving by train, walking from the station, taking time to explore on foot — this is how places actually reveal themselves, and it's rarely how flying works.

Your sustainable staycation checklist

• Choose a destination reachable by train, coach or a full car rather than a flight.
• Book somewhere new — don't just stay home in your usual routine.
• Look at off-season dates for lower cost and smaller crowds.
• Book independent, locally owned accommodation where possible.
• Plan two or three specific activities or visits before you go.
• Reuse towels and linen; conserve energy and water as you would at home.
• Eat at local restaurants and shop at local markets.
• Stick to marked paths in natural areas and take all litter home.
• Switch off work email and actually rest.