It’s that time of year again. Summer holidays means two thirds (66%) of families head abroad on their summer holidays, according to research for the annual Post Office Travel Money Family Holiday Report.

Get ready for the mass exodus as car boots are crammed to the brim, suitcases spill out of overhead lockers, and adventure parks are invaded by exuberant children followed closely by their dogs.

In the chaos there isn’t much time to think about what it takes to support all those people on the move at the same time, but it’s not without tons of engine fuel.

Small changes can lead to real impact

We can be so overwhelmed by the pressures of planning and delivering the long-awaited break that we lose sight of how we can make incremental changes to our routine and play our part in reducing carbon emissions.

At least there is environmental concern among half of every family, as statistics collected by Natural England and Defra reveal nearly eight in ten children want to actively make a difference. Kids are the first to champion best practices in sustainable initiatives yet decision-making about where to go and how to get there is often out of their hands.

It’s interesting to consider what factors are within our control and have a bearing on mode of travel and location – budget and distance can determine the duration of a holiday while demand dictates the quantity of available options.

What if we can think beyond these constraints and approach holidaying differently?

Take for example this year’s desire to go to Corfu and pretend to be a bygone celebrity for little more than a week. But with teenage kids.

I was hoping to take a guided bus tour through the old town, a marine wildlife cruise to swim with turtles, or a scenic horse trek to Glyfada Beach. A glamourous thought for a moment, but thankfully interrupted by a sense of responsibility for all the consumption of resources necessary to achieve the ultimate tourist experience for a family of five.

It’s at that point I decided to cross reference travel plans with a tool introduced to me during a carbon emissions review of our operations at work.

Meet RouteZero’s nifty decarbonisation tool

RouteZero is a climate-tech company tackling Europe’s travel and transport emissions via digital tools that are designed to institutionalise low-carbon behaviour.

After entering the basic search dimensions I was provided with some comparable results that I could swap around and customise.

Zooming closer to examine the exact route, it was obvious the journey all the way to the Ionian island would take thousands of miles with more than six exchanges and be better suited to someone travelling light in their gap year. I wondered if this would be a good time to teach our dependents how character-building backpacking can be.

Despite the long list of directions, I was surprised how, by a combination of trains and buses, we could pitch up at The Achilleion Palace in only a matter of days. It was not that long ago that people would take weeks to reach the starting point of their grand European tours via cruise ship or steam train.

The search results demonstrated that getting us all to Corfu and minimising carbon was ultimately doable with a bit of foresight and loads more organisation. Factors that can easily be incorporated in to planning and booking the next annual adventure.

Actually, the premise and design of the tool nudged me towards choosing a closer destination, and even a different type of holiday – camping in St Avit Loisirs, Dordogne. The experience was easier and cheaper, and I still had the chance to revel in a degree of glamour while dining on classic cuisine and drinking fine wine. The kids preferred to sup on McDo.

RouteZero’s tool achieved its mission in influencing my behavioural psychology. I was already aware and open to alternatives, and the intuitive interface of the customer version simplified my decision-making process.

There is fantastic potential for the decarbonisation tool to extend its reach, embedding within the various travel platforms and search engines used by 74% of families to research travel options. That would achieve significant results through scaling up the power of our collective conscience.

If only there was a magic button for encouraging kids to eat like a local. Our family would be closer to achieving a complete state of sustainable living over the summer break.

Want to change behaviours, revolutionise the way we live in the world and make an impact through the power of location data to? Apply to our Accelerator Programme and join Routezero amongst the many startups who are doing just that!