Wherever you live, nearby wonders and hyperlocal adventures are there for the finding.

Name: Earth Alliance
Price range: $

Taking closer vacations opens your eyes to your own backyard in unexpected and culture-forward ways. It also significantly reduces global CO2 emissions—so hop on a train, bus, or short car ride and discover regional delights you never knew existed.

Featured
Creator

Frequent travelers can impact emissions by focusing on how they travel. Most of the average individual's travel emissions—about 70%—come from driving, while 12% comes from flying.¹ In the future, we’ll need alternative lower-carbon fuels to decarbonize air travel, but more research is needed before they can be used widely.² In the meantime, there are opportunities to change our behaviors around how often and where we choose to fly.³

Taking a vacation closer to home can be great for both your wallet and the planet—but it doesn’t mean it’s any less eye-opening. Check out these creators who stay local but live large. They explore different cultures in their neighborhood. Hit up the hippest new bars in their zip code. Jump on a train. The possibilities are endless.

@‌thesojournies does solo train travel right.
Painter @‌emmacarlisle_ makes art inspired by the landscapes around her in southern England.

Each day at home with @‌highlandcows_bythesea is an adventure in itself.
@newyorknico posts intel about NYC’s most flavorful characters and businesses, such as Latin record store Casa Amadeo in the Bronx.

@‌seniorizz’s sleeper train trip in Malaysia goes viral.
Artist @‌rachel.pohl inspires with dispatches from her current backyard in Lofoten, Norway.

@sejsejlija’s short vlogs about daily life close to the North Pole have earned her millions of followers.
@shiadanni roams her neighborhood on foot to keep her legs looking good.

15% of global emissions come from travel and transportation. — Travel and transportation are 15% of global emissions. 70% is from vehicles and 12% comes from air travel, so staying closer to home has a massive impact. ⁴ **A 6+ hour flight has nearly the same per-person carbon emissions as driving for a year.**

Graph illustrating that one long flight emits 1.7 tons of CO2 which is almost equivalent to driving for a year, which emits 2 tons of CO2. — Mean, per capita greenhouse gas emissions, per year (adjusted globally) Source: IPCC Report, Figure 5.8 of Mitigation of Climate Change, 2022

Cultural org I AM CARIBBEING dreamed up this weekend itinerary staying close to home in Brooklyn's Little Caribbean, a vibrant neighborhood brimming with Black-owned cafes, bars, markets and nuff vibes. From delicious roti and jerk, to patties, calypso, soca, dancehall and compas, Flatbush is home to one of the largest, most diverse immigrant communities in the world.

African Record Center is a vinyl record shop-cum-gallery owned by the Francis brothers who first introduced African artists, notably Fela, to the US in the 1960s.
Little Mo Wine & Spirits' lineup of rum & spirits is inspired by neighborhood flavors and has a blackboard of pairings with West Indian food from local restaurants.

Mr. P’s is Little Caribbean's newest ice cream parlor serving up familiar West Indian flavors such as peanut punch and soursop.
A vibrant artsy bar on the corner of Rogers and Lenox Road, The Rogers Garden transports you to the islands one sip at a time alongside live sets by Brooklyn’s hottest DJs.

From plant-based patties such as lentil, plantain or ackee to yucca fries and smoothies, Veggies on Nostrand never disappoints with a menu centering Caribbean health and wellness.
Zanmi is a must visit for authentic Haitian dishes such as griot (fried goat), lambi (conch), riz djon djon (traditional black rice), smoked herring nestled between plantains, and modern takes like kafou wings and signature flatbreads.

Aunts et Uncles is a community cafe owned husband-wife duo Mikey & Nicole who push the boundaries of ital (plant-based) Caribbean dishes such as fried bake and saltfish substituted with hearts of palm, and refreshing cocktails such as sorrel sangria.
While you are walking around this bustling, colorful Brooklyn neighborhood, look out for murals depicting Caribpolitan life such as the annual West Indian Day Parade, the legendary Bob Marley and more.

Vlog about a regenerative trip
Regenerative travel—one step up from sustainable travel—aims to give back to both planet and people.
Start a National Park hiking challenge
Most countries have their own national wonders. Wherever in the world you live, why not try to visit all of your country's national parks, and making a game of it?
Visit your neighbors
Visiting neighboring countries can give you a fresh dose of culture while saving transport costs and emissions.
Create the escape
Meaningful gatherings can also be a transformative local experience. Try hosting innovative and themed parties, potlucks, and gatherings.
Use climate friendly transportation
Learn a climate-friendly mode of transport — sailing, long distance biking, kayaking, horse riding—and take to the road.
Be like this guy
A British man used the government's £2 cap on bus fares in England to travel 137 miles across the country.

View all sources

1. “In 2019, direct GHG emissions from the transport sector were 8.7 GtCO2-eq (up from 5.0 GtCO2-eq in 1990) and accounted for 23% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Road vehicles accounted for 70% of direct transport emissions, while 1%, 11%, and 12% of direct emissions came from rail, shipping, and aviation, respectively” from IPCC Report TS.5.3 of Mitigation of Climate Change, 2022. Back
2. “The scope for reducing CO2 emissions from aviation through improved airplane technology or operations is limited and unable to keep up with the projected growth, let al.ne reduce beyond the present emission rate at projected levels of demand (assuming post-pandemic recovery of traffic). Thus, the literature outlined here suggests that the only way for demand for aviation to continue to grow without increasing CO2 emissions is to employ alternative lower-carbon bio- or synthetic aviation fuels (Klöwer et al. 2021)” from IPCC Report 10.5.3 of Mitigation of Climate Change, 2022. Back
3. “Transport emissions can be reduced by options including telecommuting (0.3%), taking closer holidays (0.5%), avoiding short flights (0.5%), using public transit (0.7%), cycling (0.6%), car sharing (1.1%), and carpool commuting (1.2%); all reduction estimates reflect cumulative per capita emission savings relative to baseline emissions for the period 2011–2050, and assume immediate adoption of behavioural changes” from IPCC Report 8.4.5 of Mitigation of Climate Change, 2022. Back
4. “IPCC Report, Figure TS.6 of Mitigation of Climate Change, 2022. Back