Participated in an Arup workshop recently with a great diverse group on the future of the business hotel. One insight i had during the workshop seems to be sticking. An emerging travel ethic that seemed to resonate with most of the participants all though it goes against all current trends.
We’re currently in a phase of democratization of business travel due to low costs, more people have international relationships in organizations and many smaller organizations/micro companies. So we’re jetting around the globe, flying back and forth in one day to London, Berlin, Paris, etc. just for a meeting or two. Some people think this is hip and happening - it’s at least something seen as a status symbol to be busy traveller. But i think a very big counter trend is about to emerge because we’re starting to see the extreme liability air travel has compared to other travel forms in terms of global warming. Imagine a comparison between someone biking to work back and forth each day and somebody doing 4-6 business trips a month with 1-4 hour flights in terms of emissions. And technology doesn’t seem to have any easy solutions in a 15-30 year time scenario in terms of big advances of sustainable air travel.
So i propose a travel ethic that i think is like to emerge in 5-20 years:
1. Travel as seldom as possible.
Get as much done with communication tools, really push the need to say “i’ll come to the meeting”.
2. Travel as sustainable as possible (probably means much slower travel).
Take the train, take a ferry.
3. Stay as long as possible.
Get as much done now that you’ve exposed the environment to your travel emissions. See all your local friends, do three months of collaboration in two days, make sure you won’t have to visit the local place again that year/decade etc.
Makes sense? Other points to the ethic?