Veronika Wild

The ascensor "Gloria" - just one of several ways to get around Lisbon's many hills When I booked our fares to Europe I was offered a  € 22 fare to Portugal. I’d always wanted to go to Portugal - I've had the guidebook since 2006, and it seemed like an offer too good to refuse. I didn’t know it didn’t include luggage, a return fare, insurance or sundry other costs which took it up to over $700. The low -cost airlines now have a new wrinkle. They even charge for the emails they send you to tell you that they have randomly changed all your travel arrangements. My German friends and relatives laughed out loud when I told them this. They have all been caught themselves. While it has long been a problem with the likes of EasyJet and Ryan Air, now even the flagship airlines are doing the same things. It cost granddaughter and I an extra $262, just to be able to sit together on the flight to Europe and almost another $200 to get off in Zurich instead of flying through to St...

  How air travellers can cut their door-to -door emissions right now – by as much as 13% on the Sydney-Melbourne route MDRX/Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA Rico Merkert , University of Sydney and David Li , University of Sydney Our climate is changing, and airlines are under pressure to reduce emissions from air travel. For many of us, especially in Australia, flying is an essential form of transport, so how can we reduce its environmental impact? Getting to and from the airport is an overlooked aspect of air travel that offers an immediate way to cut total carbon emissions from the trip by a surprisingly large amount. Our newly published research shows for an average economy passenger flying from Sydney to Melbourne, the carbon emissions from using a fossil-fuelled car to get to and from the airports make up a staggering 13.5% of the total door-to-door emissions. At a global scale, this number reaches 12.1% for long-haul flights a...

  Tourism can be very beneficial. For individuals it can provide a welcome break from normal routines and bring enjoyment, exercise, relaxation or mental stimulation according to their needs. Communities and countries benefit too, because tourism can create employment, introduce new ideas and bring in foreign exchange – sometimes the only source of revenue in poor countries for the goods and services they need. It can also promote good will and understanding. Unfortunately it can also contribute to Climate Change and have a negative impact on residents and local cultures. For the moment we will focus on the Climate Change aspect because this affects the whole world, including ourselves and the places we’d like to see. In the second part of   the Future of Tourism, we' ll talk about ways in which at least some of those issues are being tackled.   Long Distance Travel   - Air and Sea Unfortunately, the very definition of Tourism implies some kind of transport and con...