There’s a lot to be said for holidaying in the UK. You don’t need your passport, you won’t face any long airport queues (baggage reclaim and security check, we’re looking at you!), and not to mention you’ll be helping the planet in the process. Staycations, which are a holiday spent in your home country, will mostly avoid air travel, one of the worst offenders for contributing to carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, according to a paper published published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change, tourism accounts for around eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions with airplanes being the main culprit. In the UK, we’re lucky enough to have four countries, 94,525 square miles, 7,723 miles of coastline, 69 cities, 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 15 national parks – in other words, we’re spoilt for choice in destinations to choose from. Convinced? Let’s get planning!
The first things to consider are your location and accommodation. “Use local, independent hotels,” advises Bruno Correa, founder of Bee + Hive, a non-profit association that unites hotels and partners committed to sustainable tourism experiences (beeplushive.com). “Employees will be fully dedicated to welcome you and they will be proud to show you the best of what their region has to offer. Also, check if the hotel is member of an association that supports sustainable tourism, like Bee + Hive and The Long Run (thelongrun.org), or if it has certifications from Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC, gstcouncil.org). These institutions do a great job evaluating and confirming sustainable operations.” Bruno recommends checking a hotel website for manifestos and their view of sustainability, too. “Genuine sustainable hotels are proud of their vision, and put it forward in a compelling way,” he adds.