It’s a scorching 39 degree afternoon in the midst of a June heatwave when a friend asks me “what are you doing for summer?” Whether I fly, drive or hop on a train to escape the record-breaking temperatures of 2025, there will be an environmental and social cost to how or where I travel. The effects of flygskam (flight shame), a Swedish word coined in 2018 that describes the unease of flying for environmentally conscious travellers, still linger when thinking about booking a flight.
While green and eco-friendly tourism is promoted as the ideal way to travel responsibly, it’s not always a feasible option, especially for those with limited financial means. Sustainable choices like eco-certified accommodations, organic local food, and low-emission transport such as trains can be significantly more expensive than budget flights, short-term rentals, or all-inclusive resort deals. In many tourist destinations, the cost of living reflects inflated “tourist prices”, making it hard for locals to afford even basic needs, let alone sustainable options.
While working in a scenic lakeside hotspot, I witnessed how mass tourism drove up grocery and fuel prices, overwhelming the locals in this small community. Tourists came and went, while locals were left to deal with rising costs, environmental damage, and fading cultural authenticity. Overtourism is a growing crisis across Europe. In Rhodes, Greece, there are 26 tourists for every resident. European tourism heavyweight Spain is scaling back campaigns that draw crowds to vulnerable small-scale destinations. While Switzerland is pushing back against “Instagram tourism”, which leads to a superficial, drive-by style of culture consumption.
The EU Climate Pact identifies transport, energy use in accommodation, and food consumption as the top three contributors to tourism’s carbon footprint. So how can we be better tourists and not add to the environmental and social toll?
One option is exploring overlooked secondary cities and lesser-known destinations off the beaten path, which reduces pressure and bottlenecks in hotspots and provides travellers with crowdless destinations. This is an aspect of slow tourism, where spending more time in fewer places reduces environmental impact while enriching the travel experience. Travelling with intention can offer a more meaningful and sustainable way to explore. Slowing down while travelling isn’t just about moving at a gentler pace; it’s about shifting your mindset.
By spending more time in one place and resisting the urge to cram in every landmark, you allow yourself to truly be immersed in the rhythm of local life.
It means waking up without an itinerary, exploring neighborhoods on foot, shopping at markets where locals buy their groceries, and engaging in everyday rituals, from morning coffee at the corner café to quiet evening strolls. Disconnecting from constant digital stimulation also plays a part. By stepping away from the endless scroll of social media and travel checklists, there is more space for meaningful experiences.
Living simply, as a local might, encourages a deeper connection with the place, its people, and its pace. It turns travel from consumption into participation and offers a kind of presence that fast, surface-level tourism rarely provides. Berlin’s 15-minute city concept is an example of this approach. Travellers stay in hotels where everything they need, cafes, parks, and markets are within walking or biking distance. This helps lower emissions while encouraging travellers to live more like locals.
What truly makes a holiday meaningful isn’t the number of sights ticked off in a day; it’s the laughter shared over a meal with the people you’re traveling with. The genuine exchanges with locals who offer insight into their daily lives and the quiet, often overlooked in-between moments, like sitting on a bench watching the world go by, resting under a tree, or wandering with no agenda. A real journey is as much about being in a place as it is about seeing it. When you allow space to slow down and simply exist within a new environment, you open yourself up to a deeper kind of travel, one that nourishes, connects, and lingers.
Tourism can still be a force for good for local economies, culture, and personal enrichment if we travel more consciously. The future of travel isn’t faster or flashier; it’s slower, greener, and more human.
Some practical ways to travel more sustainably this summer:
- When possible, think green when planning the journey; choose lower carbon travel options like a train or public transport, where the journey itself becomes part of the experience.
- Travel slowly, spending more time in one place, which reduces transport emissions and deepens your connection to locations.
- Support local culture, food, and tourism providers, which can help sustain the community’s economy, preserve cultural heritage, and reduce imported goods and services.
- Choose lesser-known locations that are off the beaten track.
- Packing less and packing lighter lowers carbon emissions when flying.
Words by Anna Borrie
Anna Borrie is Associate Editor at Planted Journal, where she explores the intersections between ecology, art, and storytelling. Her work is rooted in a creating meaningful connections between people and their environments. She runs a community garden in Madrid, where she cultivates both plants and relationships with fellow gardeners. Her interests lie in creating collaborative environmental art and promoting zero-waste practices, seeking ways to harmonize creativity with environmental responsibility
