by Anna Hughes, director of Flight Free UK

GCC’s new Guest Blog series puts the spotlight on organisations across the world who are all working in creative ways to secure an environmentally responsible future. Views expressed are the author’s own. 

Could you be flight-free in 2024?

That’s our challenge to you: to stay grounded for twelve months.

There are lots of reasons why we ask people to take a year off flying. Firstly, to reduce emissions. Cutting out flights is one of the most effective and impactful ways to reduce your carbon output, especially if you’re in the habit of jumping on a plane three or four times a year to go on holiday, or travelling frequently for art fairs. Even if you do lots of other things to reduce your carbon emissions, such as following a vegan diet, or giving up your car, or powering your home with renewable energy, just one flight could wipe out all your savings. As we face up to the climate emergency, we need to look at the big stuff, not just doing the recycling.

The second reason why we challenge people to take a flight free year is because it's a great way to try the alternatives. Not flying doesn’t mean not travelling, and we are so lucky with the huge variety of destinations on offer nearby in Europe. Travelling flight-free is easier than ever, with night train routes connecting many of Europe’s major cities, and new flight-free travel agencies and platforms taking the stress out of booking.

Long-distance coaches are a great option for budget travel, and ferries add an extra layer of adventure and excitement to your holiday. You can go skiing, or lie on a Mediterranean beach, or even go trekking in the Atlas mountains, all without getting on a plane.

The third reason is that travelling overland is as good for us as travellers as it is for the planet: overland travel enriches your journey in a way that flying just doesn’t. The holiday starts the minute you board your train or your coach, with time to work, read, play cards, have a picnic, snooze, or just look out of the window at the incredible views. It might take a bit longer, but time spent travelling is time well spent. In any case, by the time you’ve factored in airport transfers and baggage claim, flying is not really that much quicker.

Finally, joining the Flight Free Challenge helps us to shift the social norm away from taking flights as the default. We are influenced by the behaviour of those around us, so as more people choose not to fly, many more will follow. This also has an impact on the industry, which is strongly influenced by consumer behaviour. As demand for low-carbon travel increases, so will supply, which is why we are seeing an increase in rail connections across Europe. All this feeds into the system change that we so desperately need if we are to make low-carbon travel the obvious choice.

Over the past few years, thousands of people have taken the Flight Free Challenge, and it has almost always been a positive experience, with 95% of pledge-takers saying they would sign up again for another year. Taking it one year at a time is a good way to gradually adapt to a lifestyle that doesn’t completely rely on flights. Many of us fly because we’re in the habit of doing so, so a flight-free year is a great way to break that habit and see what else is out there.

The pandemic showed us that it’s possible, but it’s much more empowering, enriching and fun if we choose it rather than be forced – and it’s more likely to stick.

We recognise that not everyone can be completely flight free, so if you have work or family commitments overseas, there’s an option to make your own customised pledge to reflect your personal circumstances.

It’s crunch time for the climate. We urgently need to make meaningful reductions in our emissions, and in reality that means changing everything about the way we live. We can’t rely on future technology and offsetting to save us, despite what politicians and the airlines might tell us. We need to reduce emissions now – we don’t have time to wait for trees to grow or for new technology to be ready. The most reliable and immediate way of bringing emissions down is to fly less.

Our website has loads of information on why we should be reducing the amount we fly, and how to make the most of your flight-free year, as well as inspiring testimonials and travel stories from people who have taken the Flight Free Challenge in the past.

So if you are ready to go big on climate action, take the Flight Free Challenge today and see where staying grounded could take you.

Find out more and take the challenge at flightfree.co.uk.

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Anna Hughes is a behaviour change specialist, climate campaigner and flight-free adventurer. She has not been on plane for over 10 years, and set up Flight Free UK in 2019 to help other people do the same. Flight Free UK is a registered charity that encourages people to travel without flying by giving information about the climate impact of aviation and inspiration for travelling in other ways, and by challenging people to take a flight free year with the Flight Free Challenge.