Question
How does Paul RYKEN plan his travels to minimize carbon footprint?
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minimize carbon footprinttravel planning
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Summary
I focus on three big levers: distance, speed, and mode of transport.
Key Focus Areas
- One continent at a time: Instead of ping‑ponging between regions, I try to stick to one continent per year. That cuts down on long‑haul flights, which are by far the dirtiest part of my travel.
- Slow travel: I stay longer in each place, so I take fewer flights overall and can use ground transport more.
- Greener transport: Where possible I choose trains, buses, public transport and shared vehicles instead of flying or driving solo.
- Sharing economy: I use house sits, homestays and shared accommodation, which spreads the embodied carbon of buildings and appliances across more people.
Behind the scenes, I even use a spreadsheet to compare scenarios like overlanding in a diesel vehicle versus backpacking with occasional flights, and I offset the remainder by supporting native tree planting and reforestation.
Is there a specific type of trip you’re planning that you’d like to make lower carbon?
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