Justifying Travel in the Climate Change Era – Episode 183 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

As this episode goes to air, nobody is travelling. Covid-19 has us all stuck at home, which makes the question my guests and I ponder here even more pertinent. If we know that travel has a negative impact on the environment – and even if we only account for the carbon footprint of planes and cruise ships, it’s hard to deny – then can we justify continuing to travel? Does it make a difference what kind of travel it is? What are the reasons and benefits of travel, anyway? All of these questions and more are discussed in this episode, which is already one of my favourites, so I hope you enjoy it too.

SHOW NOTES: EPISODE 183 OF THE THOUGHTFUL TRAVEL PODCAST

JUSTIFYING TRAVEL IN THE CLIMATE CHANGE ERA

So, here’s a big question for you: can we justifying travelling in the era of climate change? It’s a question that’s been on my mind for quite a while now, and I’ve found two amazing travel journalists to help me ponder it more deeply. Episode 183 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast features Louise Southerden and Catherine Marshall and their very articulate thoughts on whether or not we can, in the future, still justify travel. Spoiler alert, though: nobody knows the answer.

First up, I chat with Louise Southerden, in a conversation recorded before Covid-19 decimated travel completely – but her message remains the same. We talk about the benefits of travel personally and about Lou’s responsibility as a travel writer, encouraging others to travel, to do so in a sustainable way.

I then talk to Catherine Marshall and we cover topics like flight shame, whether travel is a selfish pursuit, what drives people to need to travel and what benefits travel can bring us and the world. We also touch on how the Covid-19 pandemic might influence all this – hopefully for the better.

Links:

• Louise Southerden – No Impact Girl
• Catherine and friends at Time to Wander
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers

You might also like:

Ecotourism and Responsible Travel – Episode 118 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast The Thoughtful Travel Podcast: Episode 2 – The Terror of Getting Lost While Travelling The Thoughtful Travel Podcast: Episode 9 – The Story’s in the Scary Bits The Thoughtful Travel Podcast: Episode 16 – On Grief and Travel