Slow travel resolutions for 2021
One of the most popular questions on Zoom catch-ups with friends must be ‘if you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?’. Travel has undoubtedly become something we will never again take for granted. At Byway, we believe that post-Covid travel should be sustainable and slow, with no zooming at all. Here are our 2021 travel resolutions to inspire and invite you to travel safely, slowly and sustainably.
1. Celebrate A Perfect Planet
It may not have felt that perfect for most of last year, but all the more reason to watch the superb new Sir David Attenborough series, A Perfect Planet, which puts it all into perspective. There is nowhere else we know in this universe that operates in such a perfect, sustainable way as our planet, and one blessing of the pandemic is that we have time to contemplate this and learn about just how fragile our home here is. Watch the series to see how nature performs perfectly to sustain our planet. It’s actually humans who don’t seem to manage to do the same. As we all hold our breaths, desperate to explore it again, remember that low carbon travel is now crucial.
2. Put low carbon travel into action
It’s just a change of mindset really, to decide that flying willy nilly is just silly. According to Friends of the Earth, “Taking one long-haul flight is as bad for the climate as a whole year's worth of driving”. They recommend that if you need to fly, limit it to once a year. There are many people out there, however, who are pledging to stop flying altogether in 2021, and making this pledge public on Flight Free UK. At Byway, we have also joined a movement of over 140 organisations and individuals who have joined forces to find sustainable solutions to the climate crisis, by declaring a climate emergency.
3. Suss out the true meaning of ‘Slow’
Proponents of ‘slow’ have been shouting about the positive impacts of slow lifestyle choices for many years now. However, it has taken a pandemic for us to realise that the biggest silver lining has been slowing down. Many of us have been able to take in the beauty of what’s on our own doorsteps, chat with the local greengrocer, walk, cycle, sign up for a farm box scheme, read more, hang out with our children, even sleep more. It has been, for many, a winter of discontent, but if you read the extraordinary book, Wintering by Katherine May, we could look at this time as one big opportunity to just slow down and ‘winter’. You can also read more slow musings in our blog ‘What is slow travel?’.
“Next year I’m planning on traveling slowly to Wales for the first time. I plan on going to the Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire, travelling mainly by train. I’m excited to see what this great country has to offer, to meet the people and have meaningful interactions along the journey.”
4. Become a Byway member
Sign up to join our ever-growing slow travel movement by becoming a Byway member. There is no cost to becoming a member and if you sign up in January we’ll commit to keep your membership free forever. All you need to do is share your commitment to all things slow. Read more about the benefits of Byway membership, from early bird fares to special offers on eco accommodation.
Commitments from the Byway community
The Byway team is totally married to low carbon travel but each time a customer shares the slow travel love, it feels like we’re taking our vows all over again. When we asked our Byway members what travel resolutions they had for 2021, here are just a few of the replies:
Judy wants to “enjoy the flowers along the way - as well as the destination”, Anna aims to “see as much of the UK (especially Scottish Highlands and Islands) as possible without flying”; and Daisy simply wants to “take trains all day long!”.
We hear you, Richard, when you say “I'd love to explore more of my own beautiful country and bits of Europe enjoying seeing the countryside roll past and avoid the cattle shed that is the airport’; and brava Byway member Helen who has declared “no more flying for me, I want to use trains and boats please. I walk long-distance trails and have dreams of future GR routes in France and caminos in Spain, as well as scenic walking in my native Scotland.”
“I want to explore nature and experience fresh air and scenery without contributing to the very thing that is taking it away. I used to go abroad two to three times a year when I was younger and it was always to the same place. Something this year has taught me is that having less of something makes you appreciate it more and I’d like to spend the rest of my time discovering new places, and making those trips meaningful. Fewer holidays, more new experiences.”
5. Be a digital nomad
With remote working now the norm, being a digital nomad will soon become more and more popular. Because, guess what? We don’t always have to work from our bedrooms. When we are allowed to travel again, we can treat ourselves to a new working environment for a while, be it in a remote UK spot such as the Isles of Scilly, or the Scottish Highlands.
6. Support local tourism businesses
Tapping into local food supplies, transport, local guides and locally-owned accommodation are all features of being a slow and conscious traveller. It is more important now than ever to support small tourism businesses, as they have fought to survive the worldwide shutdown. We only recommend locally owned businesses at Byway and we urge you to do the same as part of your own research. Seek out a local walking guide, go sea kayaking with a local expert, or hire a bike from a small business instead of bringing your own, only to use it once or twice. Think local whenever you can, buying Cornish soap instead of packing your regular pampering product when heading west or leaving your old moth-eaten hiking socks at home and seeking out a Yorkshire craftsperson for some new ones before hitting their hills.
“I definitely won’t be flying in 2021 and, if everything is operating again, I hope to go to Greece by train and ferry. The journey would be Eurostar to Paris, Paris to Milan on the sleeper train, Milan to Bari by train, then Bari to Kefalonia or Corfu on the overnight ferry.”
7. Subscribe to Hidden Europe magazine
Published three times a year by a team of writers who know every train route possible in Europe, and also produce high-quality travel writing without any ads to interrupt it, Hidden Europe magazine is a must have. You can subscribe on their website, and also buy back copies. Hidden Europe’s wisdom and wordsmithery is such that they also regularly publish and update a brilliant book, Europe by Rail — The Definitive Guide. Hidden Europe’s Berlin-based editors, Susanne Kries and Nicky Gardner, have been helping us build Byway, and we asked them what their travel resolution is for 2021:
"We have greatly missed our regular trips to the Czech Republic during the pandemic. The entire country is just perfect for wandering without too much purpose. The Czech Republic has a wonderfully varied rail network, with meandering branch lines of the kind which have long since disappeared in much of Europe," says Nicky. "We'll start by taking the boat up the River Elbe across the Czech border," adds Susanne.
Czech Heritage train. Image: Hidden Europe.
A word from our founder
Our founder, Cat Jones, always has slow travel on her mind, but here is her rail resolution for 2021: “Having spent all of our 2020 holidays in the UK, my family and I are very much looking forward to a couple of weeks this summer holidaying in the French Alsace. We will travel by train from our home in London to Paris, where we'll linger over a leisurely lunch and find a playground for my two and four year old to let off some steam before taking an afternoon train down to Strasbourg. We'll base ourselves in Strasbourg and Colmar to explore the region - and its vineyards - predominantly by bike. Depending on time, we may pause for a couple of nights in Dijon before we head home.”
If 2021 is your year to embrace slow travel, build your bespoke Byway holiday here: