Written by Jess Tyrrell

Viatu is committed to reshaping travel as a relentless force for good. One way we do this is by participating in the decarbonisation of the tourism industry. Read on to learn how we calculate the carbon labels of our trips and the total footprint of our travellers, and the climate project we offset our travellers' emissions with!

Reduce, change, avoid

We promote a reduction in travel by travelling slowly, less frequently, and for more extended stays. Secondly, we advocate for a change in travel behaviour where travellers opt for low-emission modes of transport, choose economy class in accountable airlines, and pack lightly. Lastly, we make climate contributions for the emissions that our travellers cannot avoid.

We believe trip carbon footprints should be fully transparent from the outset. We achieve this by displaying carbon labels on all our inspirational trips to help consumers understand their impact while booking and empower them to make informed decisions.

Our climate partner for estimating trip emissions

How we calculate our travellers’ carbon footprints

For roadtrips

We use myclimate’s car calculator to calculate the carbon footprint of our travellers’ car journeys. The car calculator deduces the greenhouse gas emissions based on the fuel or electricity consumption of the vehicle used for the trip. To determine the consumption, we record:

• the total road distance travelled by our traveller/s (km)

• the car’s average fuel consumption, and

• the car’s fuel or energy type

This information is used to calculate the total consumption and then the resulting carbon footprint.

If the vehicle’s average consumption is not known, a vehicle size category can be selected which uses an average consumption of the corresponding category as an approximation. This information is then used to calculate the emissions produced during the journey as well as the emissions produced by the processing and provision of fuel or electricity.

For hotel stays

• The emissions from hotel stays are calculated according to the establishment's star rating, number of rooms, and nights. 

Local Climate projects we contribute to through purchasing offsets

We hope that by displaying our trips' carbon labels and breaking down traveller footprints, we are empowering travellers to understand and quantify their impact on the environment. And likewise, we aim to hold ourselves accountable within the tourism industry. 

Head to our site to check out all the carbon labels of our trips! If you find one that tickles your fancy, rest assured that you will have complete clarity into your impact.