OT: Anyone else not flying for vacation?

[azrider]

So I bend my handlebars a little bit and get labeled a troll (on a bike forum no less) and this thread is trying to flight shame me for going to see family for Christmas and troll isn't mentioned once........................

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

And skipping that one flight a year is not even a drop in the bucket given the scope of the challenge facing all of us.

If people feel that strongly about it, great, don't fly. Or buy the carbon credit to offset the impact of what is already an infinitesimal effect on the environment.

We'd be better served by people flying to take the vacation and then showing up rested and refreshed to vote in politicians committed to climate action.

According to this article, you're mistaken about the relative impact of driving vrs. flying. However, the article did strongly encourage purchasing carbon offsets as you've mentioned. https://www.thoughtco.com/flying-dri...onment-1203936

There are other factors as well. My Partner is from another country (Israel) and has many family members and friends there. Flying is really the only option.

I personally like to travel for bike vacations. Italy and South of France are the only destinations I have a burning desire to travel to. A caveat: I have a fear of flying. That can be a limiting factor. Thankfully, from a cycling perspective, there are few places in the world like the Bay Area.

Since this is nominally an environmental thread as much as an airline travel thread, it's my understanding one of the best things one can do is cut way back on meat consumption.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by azrider

So I bend my handlebars a little bit and get labeled a troll (on a bike forum no less) and this thread is trying to flight shame me for going to see family for Christmas and troll isn't mentioned once........................

In your defense … you have the coolest memes on the Forum.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Kirk007

Well if we really want to solve the climate problem we need to just all die off! But seriously, all of our activities contribute to climate change and environmental degradation; very very few people on earth live a zero impact life, and airline travel is an easy one for people to target.

This is not to say we shouldn't be conscious of or try to reduce. Running an organization with operations across North America, a certain amount of face time is necessary, and driving from Seattle to Florida or Nova Scotia for instance makes no sense nor does trying to utilize our inefficient train system (although we have had employees who have chosen this route for continental travel). That said, we have cut our travel budget for 2020 by 50% and will utilize electronic communications to replace those meetings etc.

At a personal level, yeah I don't fly that much anymore but for destinations, like islands or other continents, if I choose to make one or two roundtrip visits a year I don't feel guilty about it. In fact I'm flying to Hawaii for some sun and underwater sports next week. I devote my professional life to addressing impacts of climate change, drive less than 3000 miles a year, pay extra on utilities to use renewable energy, and wear lots of sweaters all winter so I'm satisfied I'm doing my part.

Thanos was right.

[redir]

I don't not fly because of it but I am very well aware of the impact. As mentioned there are other ways to offset it whether through your own actions or through the free market. If you really want to add controversy into this discussion then there always the big elephant in the room. We chose not to go there and every time I bring it up I get flamed. Recycling and using public transit are all fine and good if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, but to truly make a difference you should have fewer children... There I said it.

[commandcomm]

I don’t need to find ways to be morally superior, so planes, trains, and automobiles work. A car uses twice the energy as a plane, so more efficient to fly. Also, the trees and vegetation need carbon dioxide, so I don’t mind helping them out. They give us oxygen in return.

[Ozz]

Here you go: commercial electric plane test flight

No flying for me....all family lives locally...I will be driving to Xmas Eve dinner at parents home though....30 miles, 5 people in car, gas powered.

Cheers

[mhespenheide]

I don't generally fly for vacations, but that's because flying (at least at the prices I can afford) is a non-optimal experience, shall we say. I'm 6'4", so legroom and personal space is a serious issue for me, and no matter your height almost all the carriers (and airports and TSA) are intent upon making coach as miserable as possible for everyone.

Every 3-5 years we do a big international trip and fly, but only when we can take a minimum of two weeks on the ground at our destination. Less than that and the travel itself detracts from the overall experience.


But!

I've also deliberately chosen to live in the western US, where a day's drive gets me to almost any type of vacation experience that I'm likely to want. Coast, mountains, desert, and red rock are all relatively close. If I didn't have those options within driving distance, I'd be tempted to fly...

[NHAero]

Note that this Yale article is using low mpg vehicles and 1 person per vehicle, compared to a plane. 2-4 people in a very efficient vehicle beats an airplane easily.

Originally Posted by coreyaugustus

Assuming you're going to go to a given destination anyway, I'm not sure that alternative forms of transport are actually more environmentally friendly.

I base my thought process on what I've read here: https://www.yaleclimateconnections.o...ng-vs-driving/
Once you consider that you're splitting the gallon of jet fuel between you and maybe 60-100 passengers vs the gallon of gasoline being split between maybe 4, flying is more environmentally friendly.

That being said, yeah, I do think about it and don't feel great about the impact to climate. If trains were as efficient and ubiquitous here as in Europe, then that would likely be my transportation mode of choice. Not to mention they're much easier than going through effing TSA.

[redir]

Originally Posted by commandcomm

I don’t need to find ways to be morally superior, so planes, trains, and automobiles work. A car uses twice the energy as a plane, so more efficient to fly. Also, the trees and vegetation need carbon dioxide, so I don’t mind helping them out. They give us oxygen in return.

Oh where to even begin...

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by commandcomm

A car uses twice the energy as a plane

fascinating.

[Clean39T]

I generally loathe flying, but have mostly made peace with it given it's a requirement for my job.. Between TSA-Pre, noise-cancelling headphones, and paying for the extra legroom on longer flights, I can just about tolerate it. My SEA>PHL flight yesterday was actually not that bad - a couple podcasts, update a few reports, stand up once to move the blood, and we're there. The 3:30a wake-up call was a bit spicy, but at least there wasn't an traffic on the way to the airport. Most of my trips for work are pretty short - PDX to SAC, LV, or PHX - I only go across the country once a year to see folks at the corporate HQ. So, while I'd rather not fly, it is what it is. I just grin and bear it. And douse myself in hand-santizer....and do a quick delousing in the garage when I get home. Haven't been sick in 2+ years. Magic, I know.

But do I have any desire to do that for vacation purposes? Not really. I would like to see my 92 yr old grandma before father-time takes her - and use the excuse to explore some riding in NC and Northern GA. And I'd like to do a bucket-list trip to ride in the Alps, Pyrenees, and/or Dolomites while I'm still physically capable of it. Beyond that though, not really any desire to explore anywhere beyond driving distance out on the Best Coast....even if going to AZ, I'd rather drive and have the ability to bring more stuff, stop and see places, go for rides, etc. I'm not a weekend-vacation type of guy, so spending a few days getting somewhere is part of the whole experience for me.

We all make our choices. I could live a lower-impact life - local job, no car, no air travel, 100% plant-based diet, used everything, etc. Just haven't forced the issue yet.

[AngryScientist]

unfortunately i'm blessed/cursed with wanderlust. there are just too too many really amazing places on this earth that i have to see and explore to ever limit myself to non air travel. i firmly believe you cant really experience another place/culture/landscape/people through a blog, documentary or other streaming service.

air travel, for me, is a necessary evil.

i do lots of other pro active stuff to reduce my and my families impact on the earth, so i feel i somewhat offset my airline miles with other lifestyle choices.

[Kirk007]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Thanos was right.

Indeed. Felt conflicted in that movie...

[2LeftCleats]

Don’t like to fly. Used to be an adventure, but all the fun’s been sucked out of it. That said, we travel occasionally. I do think about my impact on global climate change, but rationalize that my economy seat’s proportion of fuel usage is less than that of my betters way up there in first class. And I never stow anything in baggage.