Is it ethical to take a vacation? A question I asked myself this week.

Life can be stressful here in modern America.  Sadly we have become a country where a parent may worry that they will never see their child again as they board that school bus or go out with friends.  Not to mention the additional stress of worrying about our countries direction; and the direction of the planet, as a whole.

We live in trying times, but worrying about the future all the time is only a recipe for sleepless nights and ulcers.  We all need that proverbial margarita by the pool sometimes.  In many ways I looked forward to taking the past week off and traveling to Niagara Falls and upstate New York with my wife.

It has been nearly 30 years since either of us had been to the Falls, and on the way up we passed solar farm after solar farm and more than a few windmills generating power, we even passed a hydroelectric plant.   Green power is the future and in a way my heart sung that so much renewable power was being generated.

However I also thought about the gas that we were burning as the miles under our wheels increased.  I also thought about the morals of taking this time off.   If I claim to be working towards a better world, how could I justify undoing any progress I have made by traveling hundreds of miles in a single week?

Would it have not been better to stay at home and accomplish some things that I had been putting off?  Would it not have been better to stay home - trying to reduce my carbon footprint even more - than burning gasoline?

Would a staycation have been a better option?  I will actually be doing exactly that for a week in July, staying at home and working around the house.

 

I'm not going to justify why it is or is not ethical to take a vacation.   However such breaks are needed for both our physical - and mental - health.  It gives our bodies and minds a moment to relax, to heal and rejuvenate.  Even taking a day off now and again is good for the proverbial soul.

These are questions we have to ask ourselves however as we face an ever increasing uncertain future.

Emily Thomas, in her wonderful book The Meaning of Travel, argues that travel is more than the movement of an individual between points on a map, it is engaging with our fear of the unknown and to satisfy our natural curiosity.   

It seems that we have to travel as a species.  We cannot be like the serfs of old and bound to the dirt, although there is some evidence that they actually worked less hours than we modern Americans do. 

Recently there have been questions about waste in the cruise industry, and talk about the carbon footprint of a single plane flight.  Anyway you slice it, we have to cut our travel in some way.   Or the industries will either have to change voluntary or be forced to change.  Neither seems likely to happen anytime soon.

What you can do, and I do highly recommend travel to expand your mind and to relax, is to travel as ethnically as possible.  For example, travel by train is not only a more relaxing way to travel but is better for the overall environment.  

Bus tours are another option as well.  

If your looking to travel internationally then, generally speaking, any company that is truly responsible travel businesses might be affiliated with international organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy, or the Rainforest Alliance for example.   They may also have certification from organizations such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council or the Center for Responsible Travel, which prove that they have met certain recognized standards for sustainability.  

Pack for a purpose as well depending on where your trip may take you.  

The best thing we can do when we travel is just be smart about how we travel.  While I'm not sure that zero waste travel is possible, we can all follow some simple steps to reduce our carbon footprints.   For example rent that hybrid or electric car instead of the sports car.   Much of what you already do at home conservation wise can be done on the road as well.

I can't tell you what to do, or how to live your life...and frankly I didn't give much thought to any possible damage that our trip did until I passed all those solar panels and windmills.  All I can do is plan better for the next trip.

All I can do is learn from this, and hopefully you can too.  Travel, I think, is needed for our minds and souls and I'm reminded of the words of Jack Kerouac:  "Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain."  

Just try to do so ethically and in an environmentally friendly way.