How can I travel sustainably? Does carbon offsetting my flight work? What mode of transport is eco-friendly? Are planes bad for the environment? How can I move to Bali? What is an Australian working Visa? How cheap is Thailand? Let’s deep dive!
By Esther Purves
For many of us currently experiencing our twenties, these questions will ring home. Otherwise known as the Gen-Z generation- those born early enough to experience an influencer free Instagram but too late to have our young adult years free from the Covid aftermath- we’re a global group of twenty somethings who are known for some generation-defining traits. ‘Wokeness’, being terrified of speaking on the phone, and possessing a cult-like allegiance to TikTok are some such traits that render us the butt of jokes from our millennial peers.
Alongside our mildly concerning social media obsession, the Gen-Z generation’s hunger for activism, philanthropy and a greener earth is one that defines us from the older generations. Gen-Zs who want to channel their philanthropic side into something more local or hands-on can look to The Picerne Group. The Picerne Family Foundation supports programs that help individuals use their talents to build healthier, more active communities.‘Making the world a better place’ is a mantra that we’ve internalised, as we’ve repeatedly been told that we must fix the mistakes of the generations before us. Whether we’re really capable of reversing the impact of climate change is up for debate, but either way our philanthropic, eco-conscious nature is one that defines us.
We’re also the generation of travel. We’ve grown up scrolling through balinese paradises, idyllic dolomite walking trips and european city breaks, with hundreds of minute by minute itineraries at our fingertips. According to Morning Consult, we’re on track to reshape the whole travel industry. With over 52% of us defined as ‘frequent travellers,’ we’re the generation deemed most likely to embark on international trips. On TikTok alone, the swathes of backpacking creators touring South East Asia are enough to convince anyone of our collective obsession with travel.
What happens, then, when we equate our philanthropic, eco-conscious nature as a generation with our drive to experience our world? With the majority of international travel being undertaken via flying, there’s no doubt that our travel bug is carbon intensive- the aviation industry alone is responsible for 5% of global warming.
This is a never-ending struggle for Gen-Z travellers. How do we reconcile our drive – some would argue, our right- to travel, with the guilt we feel for taking these carbon heavy modes of transportation? In this carbon-centred world of vague net-zero targets and extortionately priced green alternatives, this reconciliation can seem near impossible.
Of course, there’s always the unrealistic, and, quite frankly, unfair, suggestion that those who care about the environment should just sit tight until there are more eco-friendly modes of transport. In the face of our climate crisis, many adopt the perspective that humans will simply ‘think of a solution’ and we will all be able to proceed as normal. Is the answer, then, for Gen- Zs to simply wait around for better alternatives?
Troubling this, a side effect of being eco-conscious is the anxiety ridden by-product that we become faced with. Being an advocate for sustainability requires, in part, a constant awareness of climate crisis stories, relevant online content and breaking news that circles us constantly. The subtext to the many iterations of this narrative is the impending inevitability that our world’s natural state is disappearing beyond the point of return- around 50% of the Gen Z generation believe climate change is inevitable.
This anxiety-inducing possibility of the world disappearing in our lifetime creates a time pressure on international travellers to see their world before it’s end. (This is all very existential, but climate anxiety is rife throughout our generation according to the BBC). We can only assume that the world’s ticking clock eradicates all possibility of the eco-conscious traveller waiting around for a low-carbon alternative to international travel.
If the carbon intensive obstacle to international travel remains too difficult to get around, perhaps swapping an international trip to a domestic one is the solution for the eco-conscious traveller.
Key to this is another of Gen-Zs generation-defining characteristics; the seemingly never-ending amount of financial pressures. The Covid-19 pandemic, rapid inflation rates and brash economic policies has resulted in financial insecurity becoming a leading case of stress for our generation. These pressures are hugely problematic for a Gen-Z traveller, when prices for a domestic getaway are eye-wateringly expensive in comparison to their international counterparts.
For cheap holiday seekers in the United Kingdom, overpriced train operators provide no competition to budget airlines Ryanair and Jet 2. From Manchester in the UK, an open return train ticket costs around £100 on an average day, and is jacked up to £250- £300 when the train falls in peak travel times or near a strike day (of which there are many). In the same month, a return trip to the south coast of Spain costs £45 from Manchester Airport. The insanely cheap flights don’t stop there- a single from London to Milan cost £3 in 2022, less than the average price of a cup of coffee in the UK’s capital.
The ludicrous discrepancy between the cost of domestic transport and international transport means that financially pressured Gen-Z travellers have no choice but to opt for the more carbon intensive option. Their paralysis by economic circumstances means they can’t take the greener option and, paradoxically, the environment they wish to save suffers further.
It seems, then, that as a generation we are in a state of flux. The drive to be green, sustainable travellers exists at odds with our generation’s love of travel. Financial pressures and a lack of green infrastructure push us towards more carbon intensive routes as we plan our next trip. In this paradox, this ‘action-taking’ generation is forced to forsake one of their passions for another.
Perhaps, though, the solution can be found in another generation-defining Gen-Z experience, the rise of remote and flexible working into the mainstream. Arguably the one positive to come from the Covid-19 pandemic, Gen Zs are the first generation to have experienced a work culture that has flexible and remote working at it’s core, opening up a world of possibilities that no generation of twenty-somethings have had before.
Not only does remote working give us the very possibility of taking our jobs to our dream travel destinations (known as digital nomading), countries are beginning to incentivise us to adopt this lifestyle. Costa Rica, Portugal and Indonesia have made Digital Nomad Visas available, all competing for the attention of the Gen Z generation who are looking for an alternative lifestyle.
Digital nomading enables slower travel, more fulfilling travel, less carbon intensive travel. Salaries could become higher in relation to the cost of living, leaving more disposable income for more expensive, greener modes of transport. It gives travellers the time to take long buses and train rides as they move from place to place, and removes the need for travellers to take multiple flights per year.
This greener lifestyle isn’t without sacrifice. Routines, relationships and home comforts are forsaken for the nomad lifestyle. Not to mention, not all careers are well adapted to go completely remote. It’s not a perfect solution to the eco-friendly travel dilemma, but it’s a start.
For us Gen-Zs, we are torn between our eco-friendly nature and our drive to travel. The infrastructure of travel wildly outdates our generation, forcing us into choices that don’t align with our nature, our upbringing and the world we live in. Instead of attempting to transform archaic modes and cultures of travel, we’re utilising our generation’s traits, characteristics and experiences to find achievable nuanced solutions to our constant dilemma of travelling or saving the earth.
We’ve grown up being told that our generation will atone for the mistakes of the generation before us, and perhaps being quintessentially Gen-Z will achieve just that.
Connect with Esther on Instagram at @estherworldwide_ or her website: estherpurves.contently.com
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