My personal Travel Year 2020 will be all about sustainability. Just a few years ago, I was literally bragging about having completed more than 100 flights in only one year, without any second thoughts about the environmental impact. It was just usual to fly, just a few shy years ago. However, I already started in 2019 but want to intensify it in 2020: I only want to travel by train or long-distance bus services. The climate impacts by trains and buses are way less than taking a plane. However, even trains emit carbon dioxide (starting in the full circle by also producing the train in the first place), therefore, I, in general, want to travel less. Have you already read how to calculate your own personal ecological footprint? Last year, I published my desired travel destinations for 2019. I have visited some, some are still on my list for 2020. But, I want to travel less. Travelling itself is a huge privilege, some can’t even afford one trip a year, and I’m cautious about this. In 2020 I also want to stay mostly offline during my travels, to be more cautious and mindful about my travels. To soak everything in, even to pay more attention to my surroundings than to my phone or the podcast/film I’m watching while I could also just stare out of the train window, to observe nature.
It might sound too apocalyptical, but, due to climate change and our current climate emergency, the broad nature we know today, and that we have known in our childhood, will soon change. And, it already changes in 2019. For example, birds are falling dead from trees, as the temperatures are so dreading and nearing the 50 degrees Celsius mark, those animals are just not used to such harsh temperatures. Same goes for plants, especially witch lacking fresh water. Therefore, I want to enjoy mother nature as often and as intense as possible. I want to go on hiking trips, more frequent than I used to (like never.. 😉 ), especially in the beautiful region I call my home – southern Germany which is very close to the bavarian Allgäu, the Austrian Vorarlberg region, the swiss alp; and the Black Forest isn’t too far away either.
Review: my 2019 Trips
- January: –
- February: Nuremberg, Madrid, Amsterdam
- March: Brixen in South Tyrol
- April: –
- May: Berlin, Netherlands, Munich
- June: –
- July: Liechtenstein
- August: Basel
- September: Mallorca, Frankfurt, Florence, Bologna, Rimini
- October: Davos
- November: London
- December: Ulm
My Travel Goals for 2020 and destinations I want to visit
As I’ve mentioned above, I want to travel more mindfull and more sustainable. To not harm our planet more than needed. I want to go on hiking trips nearby my home town, the bavarian allgäu and Austrian Vorarlberg are the first destinations I want to explore by foot. Mainly, as they are both between 30 and 60 minutes away by slow regional trains. Or, maybe I’m walking parts of popular pilgrim routes, such as the parts of the famous Jakobsweg in Germany, from Ulm via Lake Constance to Switzerland (which is, too, close to where I live), or the “Schwabenweg” (Swabian way) from Konstanz to Einsiedeln in Switzerland.
However, there are still some miles in my Miles&More Account, and I have always wanted to visit Miami. To explore the art deco buildings, history, and art. Therefore I might book this trip for the spring of 2020, I’m not yet sure about this, but I want to view it as my “last big flight”. If it doesn’t work out with Miami, I want to visit Asia, either Beijing or Tokyo, with the same miles I still have in my account. We’ll see… Of course, I will co2 compensate for the flight, which is not the 100% best solution (taking no flight is still better), but, it will be the “last one” in a non-electric aeroplane. Let’s word this that way… 😉
In July/August I finally want to make it to the Opera Festival Sferisterio in Macerata in the Marche region of Italy. I have already had plenty of train trips to and in Italy, and I finally want to pull the plug and book this trip. What’s better than enjoying a world-class opera in a historical surrounding, in Italy, while enjoying pure nature and indulging in Italian delicacies. Yes, there is nothing better.
Not particularly in the hot summer months, I finally want to board my first overnight train. Since I found out the national Austrian rail company, OBB is operating a night train from Munich in Germany all the way to Rome (or Florence) in Italy, and I’m hooked. Maybe sometime in spring or one the low season in fall starts, you will for sure be able to read all about my experience onboard an OBB night jet overnight train. There is also a nightjet from Bregenz in Austria all the way to Vienna, the capital of Austria at “the other end of the country”, maybe I will try this one, too, but let’s be honest, Rome is just a bit nicer than Vienna. But, only a tiny bit 😉 (the Romans invented Pasta Cacio e Pepe, the Viennese not, that’s my main reason pro-Rome 😉 )
If I enjoy my night train experience, I want to take a trip to Budapest as well. Departing in Munich, again. As I haven’t been to either Hungary or Budapest before, I’m quite looking forward to this trip (maybe in spring or fall).
So, yeah, compared to my last years travel goals (for 2019), this is pure rambling. But now I’m interested, what are your travel goals for 2020? Do you have anything special planned, to you, too, want to travel and live a more minimal and sustainable life?
