I wrote about our plans for a #summer#vacation to #Greece without airtravel a while ago. I'd said I wanted to put my money and effort where my mouth is.
Now I wanted to add a follow-up, but the original post is already gone. My fault for setting auto-deletion to 3 months.
Two adults and two children travelled from #Vienna 🇦🇹 to #Corfu 🇬🇷 and back via #Italy 🇮🇹 , with some sightseeing in #Ancona, Corfu Town, #Brindisi, and #Rome without using any cars or airplanes. I had bought additional travel insurance for missed connections, but we didn't need that.
Itinerary: Tram, #Nightjet sleeper, bus, #ferry, bus, bus, (hotel stay with occasional outings by bus), bus, bus, ferry, shuttle bus, bus, (hotel), #Frecciargento train, (hotel, metro and bus for #sightseeing), #Frecciarossa train, Nightjet sleeper, metro. (Busses means regular public transit busses on numbered lines that the locals also take.)
Every single vehicle everywhere had working air condition. They were clean and on time, and all the longer trips had tasty food. There's power outlets everywhere. The Frecciarossa (red arrow) between Rome and #Bologna only got to 250 km/h, not the 300 we were hoping to see, but that was the only slightest disappointment.
The ferries are not at all climate-friendly. I have not found a number for how much #CO² for a crossing, but they are similar to cruise ships. The trips are far shorter than cruises of course, but we see and smell the black smoke from the stacks. It's wrong to feel smug about taking a ferry instead of an airplane. All the busses had #combustion engines. All the trains/metros/trams were #electric, so that depends on the grid. The Austrian ÖBB prides itself on using only "green" #electricity.
We enjoyed the trip very much. I am unsure about any future travel. I would totally do this again in terms of comfort and experiences. But my goals for how much I hope to not pollute and damage the world for my pleasure have changed. I have no answers right now.