How best to lighten your travel footprint?

BEING an environmentally aware traveller used to be pretty simple - "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints" went the mantra. Now, even footprints are enough to make us feel guilty. Carbon footprints, of course.

For anyone not quite in the know, a small refresher: Your carbon footprint is the amount of CO2 you contribute to the atmosphere through your activities over a given time. For travellers, this largely translates to the way you get there and back. Transportation burns up a lot. This is common sense, of course. It doesn’t take a physicist to realize that driving your car requires more fuel per passenger than taking the bus or MRT, and that cycling produces almost no CO2 emissions by comparison.

Still, when one considers that each litre of petrol burned produces 2.3kg of CO2, some of the numbers stack begin to stack up alarmingly.

Let’s look for a moment at a one-way trip from Singapore to Penang (608 km) using six possible transportation methods. Here's how much CO2 you'd produce:

With global warming, high fuel prices and the prospect of climate change on everyone's lips these days - not to mention air travel usually demonised as the worst CO2 producer - maybe it’s time to think of some holiday alternatives. Even if you’re nowhere near the Lion City, think of these destinations as metaphoric. You can easily find your own parallels using the same means of transportation.

Four flight-free destinations from Singapore

IPOH (Malaysia)

Mode of travel: Train

Travel time: 10.5 hrs

Why Go?

Alongside its fame for white coffee and tin mining, Ipoh offers other attractions for the short-term visitor. It was once the second administrative centre for the British, and historic sites such as the Town Hall and Padang still reflect that past (the elegant old rail station is sometimes called "the Taj Mahal of Ipoh"). Even the museum of Perak is located within the mansion of a former tin tycoon.

Outside the city, there are jungle treks in the Menglembu Hills, rock climbing on limestone cliffs at "The Lost World of Tambun" and soaking in the Tambun Hot Springs. There's plenty of golf too - not the greenest of pastimes, admittedly. Ipoh is also a stopping off point for the Cameron Highlands, though you'll have to take a bus to get there.

Total Carbon Footprint: 26 kg CO2

KRABI (Thailand)

Modes of travel: Train to Hat Yai, bus to Krabi

Travel time: 19 hrs (with overnight stop in Butterworth)

Why Go?

A bit on the far side, but still possible without touching an airport, Krabi is often looked at as "Phuket, 20 years ago", highlighting its unspoiled (or at least less touristy) natural beauty. True, the international airport that was completed in 1999 has accelerated tourism, but it's still a secondary destination compared with Phuket or Koh Samui. Here, you have all the trappings that southern Thailand is famous for: Karst rock formations and green bays, sandy coves and coral reefs, quiet resorts with their own long-tailed boat transport, and all sorts of adventure activities, from sea kayaking to forest nature treks. It's also just a short trip to reach famous names like Phi Phi Island or Phuket.

Total Carbon Footprint: 46 kg CO2

NIKOI ISLAND (Indonesia)

Modes of travel: Ferry to Bintan, taxi to jetty, launch to Nikoi

Travel time: 2.5 hrs

Why Go?

Since its development in 2007, this small boutique resort off the east of Bintan has marketed itself with sustainable tourism in mind. Even its design, from solar water heating to the use of local natural materials (driftwood for construction and insulated roofs), insure a minimal environmental impact during your stay. That said, the resort doesn't skimp on luxuries. One visitor on TripAdvisor.com termed it the "Robinson Crusoe Ritz.”

Nikoi has all the trappings of a proper island getaway - white sands, coral reefs, sailing activities, rock climbing and mountain biking. The resort even organises games such as beach volleyball and capture the flag. Two thirds of the island retains its natural forest cover, and the owners, presumably, are committed to keeping it that way.

Total Carbon Footprint: 38 kg CO2

PULAU UBIN (Singapore)

Mode of travel: Bumboat from Changi Village

Travel time: 15 minutes

Why Go?

This island off Singapore's north-east offers a last glimpse of kampung life as it once was. Being closest to urban Singapore, it's also the greenest destination on the list. Except for the bumboat ride from Changi village, you'll probably walk or cycle throughout your stay (though local taxis are available). Highlights include the intertidal flats at Chek Jawa for marine life viewing, excellent mountain-bike trails (complete with wild monkeys), mangrove forests for fishing and wildlife, abandoned rubber tree plantations that look straight out from a Somerset Maugham story, and decent beaches for picnics and swims. There's also an orchid farm with local wildlife, and outdoor sports offered at Kampung Ubin, where you can stay in comfort.

Total Carbon Footprint: 6 kg CO2

Admittedly, for Singaporeans (like urbanites in most other world cities), favourite destinations are often still a plane flight away. So if you absolutely must fly, then consider some greener alternatives. Airlines like Cathay Pacific, British Airways, and Qantas offer volunatry extra fees (or the donation of air miles) to help ‘offset’ your carbon footprint. The money goes toward planting trees or funding environmental causes and charities.)  For the frequent or obligatory flyer, this might prove another way to ease your carbon conscience.