This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
A round trip between Montreal and Paris by plane is equivalent to approximately 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person. Given that every human on Earth would have to “spend” a maximum of two tons a year to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a trip to Europe alone eats up a good chunk of our annual budget. What can we do to at least minimize our impact once there?
“Flying already explodes the carbon footprint of travel,” says Guillaume Cromer, who has been working for Sustainable Tourism Actor for several years. He admits it, however: it is much easier for a European to explore his continent by public transport than for a North American.
“The first piece of advice I can give is to stay as long as possible on European territory,” he said. From the moment you set foot on the continent, it is easy to get around by train without too much stress. To plan his trips, he recommends using the Trainline application, which aggregates all the trains.
A great passion for rail travel, the author Bart Giepmans is one of the collaborators of Eurail, which allows travel on board trains operated by different railway companies in 33 countries. sustainable tourism and slow travel are part of his hobbyhorses.
According to him, travelers should turn more and more towards what he calls the “ second best ». “You don’t always have to go to Rome, Amsterdam or Venice. Several other destinations are easily accessible by train. Just go one station further to avoid the crowds. There are so many cities that aren’t capitals, but are interesting! »
Not only does going to trample the same natural sites as the masses and travel to already crowded cities during high season contributes to the problem of overcrowding, but the travel experience is inevitably affected. More and more tourist offices are encouraging visitors to discover attractions outside of peak periods. Airlines are also trying to convince their passengers to travel before or after the summer to better enjoy their stay.
In addition to helping to preserve the places visited, “traveling a little outside of the main periods also allows you to get closer to local people, believes Marie-Ève Vallières, advisor, public relations and content marketing strategy at Transat. We encourage our customers to choose less conventional destinations and less busy times if their schedule allows it. »
Transat also offers to combine air and TGV in a single booking when landing in Paris. “It is possible to do this for 18 cities in France as well as to go to Brussels. » In case of delay, the train ticket will be changed at no additional cost.
Why not Slovenia?
Director of Voyageurs du monde Canada, Aurélie Cartier sees the enthusiasm for the same destinations returning year after year. “It’s always the same thing every summer: Greece, Portugal, Spain and France. To her clients who are looking for other places, she suggests in particular Slovenia, an eco-responsible destination par excellence. She is currently noticing a renewed interest in Croatia, whereas this interest had waned a bit over the past few years. “It’s a great idea when you’re looking for a less busy destination. »
Mme Cartier also notes a growing interest in train travel on the part of Quebecers, but above all for the experience. “When I tell my customers that it’s greener, they’re delighted, but it’s not usually this aspect that makes them lean towards this mode of transport at first. »
The great return of night trains
While luxury rail cruises, such as those aboard theOrient Expresshave never ceased to appeal to well-heeled globetrotters, the more modest night trains had almost disappeared from the radar since the arrival of very low-cost airlines.
The current craze in Europe is, according to Bart Giepmans, directly linked to the entry on the scene of Greta Thunberg, whose trips have been highly publicized. ” Thanks to Greta, a movement has been created to travel in a more ecological way. […] In Europe, people want to fly less and travel further. With night trains, you can travel great distances. »
Northern Europe seems to be particularly popular with this type of trip. ” There are more and more. Each year, 5 to 10 new lines are added. Several interesting projects will emerge over the next five years. »
However, their popularity comes with drawbacks, such as the need to book, as places are limited. “With the Eurail pass, the train journey is included, but not the reservation, specifies Bart Giepmans. You have to pay an additional amount. »
To make the most of this type of adventure, the expert makes a few recommendations. “Travelling by night train always seems very romantic, but it can also be stressful. I recommend choosing a route where you can leave early in the evening, to have time for dinner on board. To fully experience the experience of a night train, a trip of at least 10 hours seems ideal to me. You can drink wine or have breakfast in the Alps, for example. So the journey is part of the experience. You can see so many different landscapes crossing four or five countries! »
Which are the greenest capitals?
To compensate for his trip or not?
Night trains to take, according to Bart Giepmans
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.