The Five Best Sustainable Travel Destinations For 2020

Ethical, eco-conscious travel is the hot topic for the new decade. From rewilding in the Highlands to reef conservation in Belize – here’s where to go and what to do to help reduce your carbon footprint on holiday.

Embark on a sustainable odyssey in Norway

While you might quite like to take a year off work to kayak UNESCO-listed fjords and camp out under the stars, with sustainable-travel start-up Much Better Adventures you can get lost in Norway’s epic wilderness while using just a day and a half of your holidays. Based in London, the company specialises in weekend activity breaks led by local people; your cash goes to the community and the tours are designed to have as little environmental impact as possible. What’s more, all packages are sold with carbon mitigation as standard.

Explore the Segla mountain in Norway on a sustainable trip

Reconnect with nature in the Scottish Highlands

Visit Helsinki, one of Europe’s most eco-friendly cities

The Finnish capital aims to be carbon neutral by 2035. To help itself get there, it has launched a programme that points people towards the most environmentally friendly cafés, bars and hotels in the area. The aim of Think Sustainably Helsinki is twofold: help visitors get into the sustainable spirit and encourage local businesses to adopt greener practices in order to win their favour.

Helsinki counts sustainability as a priority and aims to be carbon neutral by 2035

Learn to dive and conserve coral in Belize

Once you see firsthand what humanity stands to lose as a result of climate change, it’s hard not to become an ambassador for the cause. This five-day package from Brighton-based Responsible Travel teaches you to dive – on the world’s second-largest barrier reef, no less – and throws you into the conservation effort; you’ll be earning your PADI while helping to protect underwater ecosystems for future generations.

Responsible Travel helps travellers to get involved in conservation

Visit Bhutan, the greenest country in Asia

This Himalayan kingdom isn’t just carbon neutral – as most nations dream of being – it’s carbon negative. This is thanks to its extensive forests, which are protected by the country’s constitution: amazingly, 60% of Bhutan will always be the domain of trees. When it comes to visitors, the government prefers small numbers and deep pockets to minimise the impact to the environment. You have to book your trip to the country through local tour operators, so it’s not the easiest place in the world to get to, but the sky-high monasteries and beautiful temples make it worth the effort (and every penny).
This story appears in Issue 5 of Culture Trip magazine: The Celebration Issue.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.