Regular readers will know that since I founded Ski Flight Free in 2019, I have cut down on my flights considerably in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint.
Flight Free in 2024
Last year, in 2024, I stepped up another level and committed to the ‘Flight Free Challenge’ – created by Anna Hughes of Flight Free UK – of taking no flights at all.
This was very straightforward. I travelled by train to Les 2 Alpes, Chamonix, Verbier, Crans Montana and Scotland, as well as driving (in the low-carbon option offered by ‘Vans For Bands‘) to Les 2 Alpes and Tignes.
We also took a family summer holiday by train to Corsica, incorporating the night train to Nice and ferry to Corsica and I travelled by ferry and hire car to Portugal to take part in the European Duathlon Championships.
Flight Free in 2025
I am pleased to confirm that I have taken the ‘Flight Free Challenge’ again for 2025.
This year I plan to be even more ambitious, with trips planned by train to Sicily and Greece, as well as the Dolomites. The photo below is from my recent trip to Courmayeur and Chamonix in a BMW iX electric car using the IONITY charger network.
Challenging the default view
My reason for taking the Flight Free Challenge is to reduce my own carbon emissions, but I also hope that my actions can help inspire others to make changes in their own lives.
So much of the work that I do with Ski Flight Free is to challenge the default view that it’s too difficult or too expensive to look at alternatives to flying.
I genuinely believe that one day our descendants will look back at this period and ask “What were they doing? Why did people fly so much when they knew the impact it would have on the planet?”
Travelling without flying is not a burden, and we need to make that shift now, before it’s too late.
