Exeter researchers create toolkit for low-carbon European holidays

Researchers at the University of Exeter said UK vacationers and the tourism industry have a "real opportunity" to shift to low-carbon European vacations, mostly by train, according to a Phys.org article on 7 October 2026. Air travel is deeply embedded in the way many people take vacations and has significant environmental impacts, the article said. It added that concern about climate change is increasing among the public.

The Exeter team ran workshops with 50 customers of the travel brands Inghams and Inntravel about their general experiences of train travel for vacations. Some participants raised difficulties with train and ferry travel, comparing those experiences with fast, "seamless" airline booking. Dr. Ewan Woodley, from the University of Exeter, said people do not want to damage the environment when they travel but at present face significant barriers if they choose some low-carbon options.

Woodley said booking a flight from the UK to European vacation destinations is easier and often cheaper than going by train. His key recommendations were to make "no-fly" vacations visible by promoting the green travel experience, and to follow the lead of airlines in making it quick and easy to book travel. He said the aim was to provide a guidebook on how to get there.

Krissy Roe, head of sustainability at Inghams, said lower-carbon travel should be an easy, attractive choice, not the harder one. She said Inghams has grown its rail offering over the past three years so that more than 30% of its resorts can now be reached by train. She said better connectivity, fairer pricing and greater reliability will be essential to making lower-carbon travel accessible to everyone.

Lucy Saggers, sustainability executive at Inntravel, said the company wants to build on the number of customers who already choose rail for at least one leg of their journey to its walking vacations. She said "Travel Towards Net Zero" provides the evidence to support the shift in travel choices that both the company and its customers want to see. She said it also offers practical guidance on steps individuals, governments and tour operators can take to make lower-carbon travel more accessible and easier to choose.

Stewart Barr, a professor, said government, the tourism industry and customers together can change how travel is thought about. He said that instead of viewing travel as how to get from A to B as quickly as possible, people can think about the benefits of "slow travel." He said taking a train through a country gives a greater sense of connection to the journey, making that part of the experience rather than something to be endured before a vacation can begin.