Sustainable Travel

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Sustainable travel will be on the rise in 2023, making train travel more popular.

In a recent survey, Virtuoso, a global travel company focused on experience and luxury, found that 74%!o(MISSING)f their customers are willing to spend more money to travel sustainably, and 70%!t(MISSING)hink traveling sustainably gives them a better experience, Forbes reported.

Some ways to travel more sustainably include seeking out hidden gems, packing light, staying in locally owned accommodations, and opting for train travel over flights, Insider previously reported.

"It's about asking, 'How can you make little decisions that add up over time and have a positive impact on the world?'" Kelley Louise, the executive director and founder of Impact Travel Alliance, a nonprofit centered on informing travelers to help improve the world, told Insider.

In addition to being motivated by sustainability, travelers are also interested in the aesthetics of train travel. According to Pinterest Predicts, an annual report of what will be trending in the coming year based on data analysis from its users, train travel is expected to be booming in 2023 since it can be more aesthetic, comfortable, and eco-conscious than air travel.

From September 2020 to September 2022, Pinterest pins for "train trip aesthetic" increased by 205%!,(MISSING) "train travel aesthetic" increased by 40%!,(MISSING) and "interrailing Europe aesthetic" increased by 105%!,(MISSING) according to the data.




Note: It can be done. I have traversed the US four times, and Russia (on the Trans Siberian Railway) once. My all-time travel hero, Katy, travels almost exclusively by train and boat. And I might add, she is on the road 365 days a year!!




But the quandary comes when choosing accommodations. The hotel is there, with a huge footprint. But so is the Airbnb, with a smaller footprint. How does one decide which one is best? This is much more difficult than the plant vs train decision!

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