Let’s be honest, sometimes air travel is unavoidable. But, with our deepening concern about the environment, can we fly in the face of this? Is it possible to not only offset but reduce the carbon emissions produced by our travelling? It turns out that lots of little steps can go a long way towards protecting the planet.

Here are Key Travel’s top ten ways to stamp down on that carbon footprint: 

• Take the train
  Long haul flights can't always be avoided, but for shorter domestic trips such as London to Glasgow it may be possible to take the train instead. Carbon emissions from train travel are only a third of their short haul flight equivalent. Key Travel’s dedicated rail consultants can assist with this greener alternative.

• Public Transport
  When you arrive at your travel destination, try to stick to public transport rather than making use of a taxi. If this isn't an option in more challenging destinations then look at how you travel to work in the UK. At Key Travel’s Manchester office we don’t have parking facilities so staff are encouraged to use public transport to and from work.

• Do I really have to?
  Try asking yourself if your journey is really necessary. Sometimes putting your feet up can keep your footprint down!

• Video conference
  Reduce travel expenses and carbon emissions through video conferencing. Key Travel has installed these facilities in each office to reduce the business miles we need to take for internal meetings.

• Walk this way
  Avoid using the car for shorter journeys – walk, cycle or take the bus instead. Short trips use more fuel, especially if your engine is cold.

• Greener fuel
  Whenever possible you may consider using airlines in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group. Along with aircraft manufacturer Boeing, these carriers are aiming to step up the development of sustainable aviation fuels. Airlines supporting this initiative include Air France, Air New Zealand, All Nippon, Cargolux, Continental Airlines, Gulf Air, KLM, SAS, Japan Air and Virgin Atlantic.

• Get the wind in your hair
  Sometimes using a car is unavoidable but there are ways of reducing your impact. Air conditioning and on board electrical devices increase fuel consumption so only use them when necessary.

• Avoid stopovers
  Take-off and landing are the most polluting parts of a flight, so it's better to fly direct. If possible, replace the shorter legs of your journey with a boat, train or bus journey.

• On your bike
  When abroad hire a bike to explore the surrounding area rather than a car.

• A problem shared
  Try car sharing with someone. This not only splits the cost of motoring but also reduces the amount of pollution from cars and congestion.

By following these and other strategies you’ll hopefully balance your carbon emissions and possibly even your budget too. So give an environmentally friendly policy the green light and enjoy the purple patch that follows.

To download a copy of this White Paper, click here