Overseas school trips and carbon: Is VR the answer?

If you'd asked me that a couple of years ago, I'd have laughed at you and said you're delusional.

But since then? A few things have made me change my mind.

Firstly, I read an article that completely opened my eyes to the rapid development of and our cognitive reaction to VR. I’d encourage you to read it too, here’s the link: https://www.slow-journalism.com/long-reads/oh-the-places-youll-go  (but to summarise, in about 12 months time, your brain won't be able to tell what was a real 'in-person' experience and what was VR).

Secondly, during the final few years before I sold my school expedition company, STC Expeditions, I went through the process of carbon labelling over 50 adventures around the world - from 5 day trips to The Bioasis to 25 day expeditions in the Himalaya - all with the help of the brilliant Charlie Cotton at the carbon consultancy, 'ecollective'.

If I’m honest, what I learnt going through that process was in no small part responsible for me selling STC Expeditions and going all in on The Bioasis - a low cost, low carbon alternative to overseas school trips and expeditions.

Why?

Because I now know the carbon reality of the trips we arranged (for example, a two week trip to Borneo uses about 35% of a UK individual's already unsustainable annual carbon emissions).

A low-carbon school expedition in The Bioasis

Here are some headline figures - these are per person, based on on a group of 20 people:

• ~ 11,500 CO2Kge (Kilogrammes of Carbon Equivalent) is the already unsustainable average UK person’s annual emissions.

• ~ 4,000 CO2Kge: two week trip to Borneo. (~35% of one person’s annual emissions).

• ~ 920 CO2Kge: 10 day trip to Morocco (~8% of annual emissions).

• ~ 630 CO2Kge: 5 day trip to Iceland. (~5% of annual emissions).

In contrast, 5 days at The Bioasis is just 73 CO2Kge and our 10 day Bioasis Extreme low-carbon school expedition is 125 CO2Kge. Both figures include coach transport from a midlands based school to the Bioasis and back again. For the average person, that's less carbon that if you'd stayed at home for the same amount of time.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a massive advocate of foreign travel. I KNOW the huge positive impact tourism can have in low income countries (if done well). I’ve worked in adventure travel for 20 years, have seen first hand the benefits good tourism can bring, the positive personal growth that comes through adventure and the cross-cultural understanding that comes from spending time in a foreign country. I also lecture on various courses about the nuances and challenges of ethical tourism.

What's more, covid showed us the negative impact that 'no tourism' can have - to the economy, conservation, poaching and lots more. So I feel I have some insight into the impact VR might (or perhaps will?) have and how it would disrupt the industry.

And yet…

In the face of the climate emergency…

In the face of the predictions that global tourism is set to double in size from 2019 levels by 2050 (with emissions increasing by 73 percent)…

Do we have another realistic solution?

For all the fantastic work going on to reduce carbon within the travel sector, it’s simply not going to be enough when it comes to long haul travel.  Not even close.

If you're holding out for airlines and the promises of ‘sustainable aviation fuel’, well, forget it. That’s not going to happen in anything like the volumes we need it to, in the timescale we need it by. Have a read of this if you don’t believe me: https://www.slow-journalism.com/long-reads/flights-of-fancy-2

I used to tell myself the positives of cross-cultural understanding, positive economic impact, education and so forth all outweighed the carbon associated with long haul travel.

But now, in today’s world, faced with all I know on the climate and biodiversity emergencies and the lack of progress made by the wider travel industry, let alone most school travel companies that are simply yet to get off the blocks with anything responsible tourism related?

The scales have definitely tipped.

Some might say I'm over reacting. I'd err more on the side of saying I'm an 'early adopter' and therefore it's not a matter of 'if' the majority get on board, it's a matter of 'when'...

Tourism has no choice but to go more local.

In order to re-write the story of tomorrow - we must first flip the script on how we do things today - in education, business and travel.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.