Can you travel – especially by plane – if you truly want to take care of the environment? Does broadening your mind and learning about different cultures matter more than the emissions travelling produces? I can’t give strict “yes” or “no” answers to these questions. But I’d like to share some of my thoughts on travelling and a conversation I had with a hitchhiker last week.
I had never hitchhiked before until I moved to Lapland a few months ago. Public transportation in Lapland is not very frequent and I don’t have a car either. That’s why, getting a lift from another person is sometimes the only way I can move from point A to point B. I’ve quite enjoyed all the times I’ve hopped into someone’s car although I would recommend everyone to use their common sense when hitchhiking.
Last week, I was in Inari and all the buses to Ivalo had already left. As I was heading to the main road planning to hitchhike there, I walked by a group of people in the parking lot next to a souvenir shop. They were just about to get into a car. The woman who drew my attention seemed really nice – her style was quite bohemian and she was speaking in English with a wide smile on her face. Spontaneously, I stopped to asked her where they were going and whether they could give me a lift in their car.
For a moment, the woman just stared at me and then started laughing.
“Don’t ask me”, she said, “I’m hitchhiking myself.”
I looked around and indeed, next to the car was standing an elderly Finnish couple who had offered the woman a lift. I turned to the couple and asked if I could join them. First, they looked a bit puzzled but let me hop into the car after all.
We had a nice little journey together. I was sitting on the backseat with the fellow hitchhiker who was originally from New Zealand. I told her I used to dream about travelling to New Zealand but wasn’t sure if it was my dream anymore, and that I didn’t feel good about flying such long distances. About a year ago, when I left for my travels in Ireland, I decided to go by train and ferry. Even now in Finland, the distance between Inari and Tampere where I used to live and around where my friends and family still live, is about a thousand kilometres by car. However, I haven’t even considered flying between these two places when I can go by train and bus instead.
The woman next to me had clearly thought about the environmental impact of travelling and gave me her answer right away:
“I do everything else – I eat organic, I recycle – but I want to travel.”
I can’t say if it’s right to fly or not, but what she said next I definitely agree with. She loved travelling and felt it was something empowering to her:
“We are all part of the environment. You are part of the environment. So, when you take care of yourself, you’re taking care of the environment too.”
She was talking about the environment close to us, like our friends, family and surroundings, but the whole globe too.
Now, I think this is true. When you’re feeling empowered and full of good energy – like this woman surely was! – you are spreading light around you. You are taking action from the place of love, not from the place of fear. That’s when you’re also more able to look after your loved ones and the planet. Whereas, you can be an environmental activist and do all the right things to protect the planet. But if that’s wearing you out or you’re doing it with fear and anger, what good is it for really?
One of my dear friends was backpacking in Asia some years ago. Unexpectedly, she ended up staying with the local poor people in a very rural village in Indonesia. We often talk about travelling, the environment and the reasons people travel.
You see, I think to many travelling is a bit of a competition. When I was travelling in Ireland, so many fellow backpackers asked me questions like, “How many countries have you visited?” and “Have you never been outside Europe?”. They weren’t really interested in knowing if I had had joyful experiences or learned something new during my travels. To them, it was more about who had done the longest and coolest and most extreme trips around the world.
Then there’s plenty of people who are working long hours at a job they hate. When it’s finally time for their holiday, they need to travel quickly somewhere far away just to relax and escape their reality. That’s a poor supplement for living a soulful, nourishing daily life. And of course, some people rather not think about the environmental effects of travelling. They might just hop on a plane and post a few pretty pictures on Instagram.
So, it’s not just black and white whether you should travel or not. For example, someone can travel because of their work but the work itself can be very different. Maybe they’re are working for a big corporation and mainly care about making money. Or maybe they’re filling their soul’s purpose or protecting the wildlife in Amazon or something like that.
I’m not telling anyone to stop travelling – I’m sure I will keep travelling as well – but I’m asking you to think about your reasons to travel and the reasons you choose certain destinations. Are you feeling good about yourself and your life in general? Are you feeling fueled and loving and empowered, or drained out and exhausted and unsatisfied? Is your soul yearning to travel to a new place, or are you looking to be admired by other people? Have you thought about how travelling affects the environment and the people in your destination?
Now, please don’t dive into environmental anxiety and self-blame because of this post! On the contrary, take it as a reminder to take care of yourself first so you can take care of other people, the animals and the planet. And maybe read my previous blog posts “Your Peace Speaks to the Peace in Others” and “How to Feel More Self-Love”. They touch upon this same subject. 🙂
Much love,
Iiris Linnea
