Flygskam & Other Sustainable Travel Trends

Updated 2025

Sustainable travel trends have formed many global business opportunities, where they cover sustainable travel, zero waste and plastic-free living, food sourcing, and embracing the circular economy in hotels and luxury accommodations.

With all this, there is the need to distinguish between genuine sustainable actions of corporations and green washing.

With that said, what sustainable travel trends are making waves today?

Sustainable Travel Trends

#Flygskam

The Swedish “flight shaming” movement takes off like a rocket in 2019 and Greta Thunberg embraces this concept when she sails to NYC for a U.N. summit. Flygskam encourages no flying to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In 2023, the aviation sector accounted for 2.5% of global energy -related CO₂ emissions, seeing a rebound as flying increased in the wake of the pandemic and lockdown. This has spurred the production and adoption of sustainable aviation fuels for commercial airlines that are currently being tested in certain western countries and with participating airlines.

For Europe, embracing flygskam is easy as residents and travelers  can bus, train, or bike within or between cities and even countries. On a previous solo travel, I took a 40min train ride from Copenhagen to Malmo for a day trip and rolled luggage on a BeNeLux trip into buses between Brussels and Amsterdam.

 

Try traveling between NYC and London without flying, but in Sweden, flygskam has been making an impact as rail travel is seeing a spike.

While continental Europe easily implements flygskam with accessible and affordable transit options, the Americas and Africa are left floundering as air travel and cars are predominant.

The word “shame” in this definition is another hurdle to overcome because how can you encourage a culture shift by inciting shame?

#Tagskryt

…and on to trains we go!

The natural progression from flygskam or “flight shaming” is tagskryt, or “train brag” in Swedish. This is another sustainable travel trend that is easy to accomplish depending on your location.

Tagskryt is where people encourage train travel and tag each other on social media, like you do.

I absolutely love scenic train travel whenever I travel, such as from Italy to Switzerland across the Alps, day trip between London and Brighton, or a Puffing Billy heritage steam train journey in Australia.

Pose for the ‘gram, kids! *click*

Sustainable Travel Trend

#Sleeper Trains

This sustainable travel trend harks back to the days of luxurious sleeper trains where grand dames and pipe-smoking gentlemen are frequent guests on cross-country routes.

Sleeper trains remind me of Agatha Christie’s Night on the Orient Express and I am glad to see them making a resurgence once again.

For example, the Chicago to NYC 4-day Lake Shore Limited Experience combining historical tours and hotel accommodation in both cities, and the Grand Canyon Railways to Los Angeles.

Paying for each of the tour components separately is still less than its total price and this is why air travel will always be lucrative in North America – it is cheaper and more established than train routes – and flygskam will never take hold here.

Sleeper trains in Europe are making a comeback after reduced services over the years. With escalating CO2 emissions, countries are bringing sleeper trains back on track.

The biggest night train operator in Europe, Nightjet, has a new sleeper train service from Vienna to Brussels and sleeper trains within UK, Ireland and Europe are making a comeback with a Malmo to London train service with multiple changes and stops for those keen on an intercontinental adventure!

Sleeper trains might replace short-haul flights within Europe thus reducing CO2 emissions and opening job opportunities with a reviving train industry.

 

Sustainable Travel Trend

#Microcation Millennials

In 2019, Forbes introduces us to microcations, a vacation less than 5 days, taking a hold among Millennial corporate workers.

Microcations allow more travel throughout the year and reduce vacation shaming that is endemic in corporate American culture. Furthermore, Millennials and other demographic use microcations to explore their backyard, reduce flying, and for mental health rejuvenation.

I have been taking microcations all my working life without even realizing that this was a sustainable travel trend. These include multiple weekend getaways to Washington D.C., a 4-day Niagara Falls adventure, weekender to the Jersey Shore, and many microcations within New York State.

#Clothing & Luggage Rental

Imagine not having to sit on a tiny carry-on to zip it shut; just grab your bag, travel documents, and off you go on the next adventure.

There are companies that specialize in clothing rentals – hello, Rent the Runway – but imagine renting specific clothing in your destination city for an activity. Ski clothing comes to mind, with Kit Lender offering ski, camping, and swimming gear rentals.

Scrolling the interwebs, I come across a luggage rental company with everything from duffel bags, ski bags, to full suitcases. Seeing as most of us don’t the space to store different-sized luggage for any length of travel, this business model actually makes sense as a subscription model.

This will definitely appeal to city dwellers with cubicle spaces and zero storage.

What do you think of this sustainable travel trend? Yay or nay?

Sustainable Travel Trend

#Ecohotels

Do you stay in eco-hotels when you travel?

Many luxury hotel chains market sustainability as part of their wellness package as more travelers demand that brands conduct business with purpose. Alas, branded eco-hotels are beyond the budgets of most regular travelers, thus only the elite can afford to experience this sustainable travel trend.

It is my humble opinion that hotels not charge an arm and a leg for eco-friendly services as these should be embedded within standard services.

I’ve always wanted to stay in an eco-hotel so imagine my shock when my package deal to Costa Rica books me a lovely eco-hotel full of lush green and monkey families.

My eco shower has dark stone tiles without a drain as water drains naturally between the stones. Plus, the stone doubles as a pumice for foot scrubbing, so it’s a 2-in-1 use for this sustainable travel trend.

 

Sustainable Travel Trend

#Equipment Rental

Backpackers and travel bloggers pack camera equipment that take up half of carry-on, and Heaven forbid that the airline forces you to check-in camera equipment. You spend the whole flight praying that an over zealous agent does not toss your equipment like they are at an Olympic shot put event.

Here are ten places that rent camera equipment in New York City. This saves the purchase of gear you might only use infrequently.

Not only is this rental sustainable by reducing equipment over-manufacture, over-stock, and equipment waste at end-of-life, but it reduces luggage load and anxiety on travelers.

Do you believe this sustainable travel trend will catch on?

#Responsible Travel

Responsible travel, sustainable travel … these terms are interchangeable to describe the same thing – experiencing travel in a way that leaves as little trace as possible, supporting local tourism and participating in an exchange of culture.

We live in the 21st century so traces abound, but the aim is to reduce and eliminate plastic and other wastes, offset carbon dioxide emissions and use reusable and compostable products that pose minimal impact on the environment.

Certain travelers, like independent backpackers, make sure to leave no trace and keep money circulating within their host community, and for this travel group, responsible travel is more than just a sustainable travel trend. It is a lifestyle that helps to regenerate local economies of places they visit.

Sustainable Travel Trend

#Out With Over Tourism

This goes without saying that popular cities are drowning in crowds because of cheap air travel and accommodation.

Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Venice are suffering so badly from over-tourism that locals have signs of “tourist go home” in downtown areas. This wave of dislike, turismofobia, is rife in major European cities and is spreading.

As a result, many conscious travelers choose second-tier cities, for example, Rovinj instead of Dubrovnik and Granada instead of Barcelona, for travel.

Amsterdam is not left out of over-tourism and in 2020, the city government imposed a tourist tax and limited tour groups within the Red Light District.

I love Amsterdam and can understand this move to limit over-crowding hence I recommend a day trip to Haarlem or the Dutch countryside in everyone’s travel itinerary.

This move is a double-edged sword because on one hand, limiting tourism harms local economies … but over-tourism erases culture and displaces locals.

Over-tourism prompts Madrid, Barcelona and Prague to limit or eliminate Air Bnb in their cities with Prague stating that their city is now a “distributed hotel“. Yikes!

Do you think travelers will avoid major cities as a sustainable travel trend?

 

#Say No To Geo-tagging

Many conscious travelers don’t geo-tag locations of sensitive sites to prevent inevitable overrun by curious crowds.

The rise of Iceland as a tourism destination in recent years is from Justin Bieber showcasing Fjadrargljufur Canyon in a music video, resulting in such over-tourism to the area that vegetation was destroyed. This led Iceland’s Environment Agency to shut down the canyon. You didn’t know that, did you?

Stateside, National Parks see over-crowding and destruction of trails after a geo-tag picture goes viral and visitors are encouraged not to geo-tag locations.

There are two sides to this:

Some travelers see geo-tags as encouraging accessibility to marginalized folks while some see it as broadcasting delicate trails to the trampling of uncouth urban masses.

I geo-tag major cities and establishments (e.g. NYC, Hudson Yards) for reach but I will be mindful of geo-tagging sensitive areas if I visit.

I don’t hike but I hope we think before geo-tagging sensitive ecosystems to prevent destruction and over-tourism.

Do you think a #nogeotag travel trend will imprint on travelers?

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Do you see yourself embracing one of these sustainable travel trends? Do tell. I love train travel and ride Amtrak in the Northeast as much as I can, so I get my fix whenever I visit Europe … and yes, I fly there.

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