Low-carbon travel: inspiring stories from our community

We know that tourism has a significant impact on the planet: it's responsible for approximately 8% of global CO₂ emissions. The challenge of low-carbon travel is therefore crucial. At HomeExchange, we firmly believe that low-carbon travel doesn't mean giving up on getting away, it simply makes it more meaningful. And our community has fully embraced this vital mission. Today, we're celebrating our members by sharing some stories of their low-carbon adventures!

1. From Toulouse to Lapland entirely by train: Sophie's story

“We traveled to Lapland by train from Toulouse last winter. It was one of our most beautiful trips! Stopping to visit several cities in different countries along the way was really interesting, and seeing the landscape change little by little made us feel like we’d truly earned our final destination! Since then, we’ve been taking overnight trains whenever we can! (Austria and Czech Republic last summer)." - Sophie Lkbn

2. Celine's train journeys

“We’re a couple and live in Nantes near the city center, so taking the train is super easy for us (and affordable with discount cards and a little planning). We always try to think about the least polluting mode of transport, even if it means taking our time, and taking advantage of this to make stops along the way. But we’re not dogmatic about it (if there's really no other choice, we’ll drive and try to carpool).

• August 2023: a 2-week reciprocal exchange in Haarlem (Netherlands) by train.
• July 2024: a 2-week reciprocal exchange in Prato near Florence, also accessible by train from Nantes. 3 days in Milan along the way (in a rental car). A stopover in Paris on the return journey to attend the Olympics.
• End of December 2025: a one-week reciprocal exchange in a village near Brussels.

It's a way of traveling that aligns with our values, and we've had wonderful encounters thanks to home exchanges!" - Céline Dum

3. Going to Polynesia without flying? Julie's unique project!

“We plan to travel for 8 months from France to Polynesia with the lowest possible carbon footprint: transatlantic sailing to the Americas, then taking train and buses, then after that it will be hitchhiking by boat! At the moment, we have booked 50 nights with HE.” - Julie Fournier

4. Lili's train journey from Lyon to Andalusia

“April 2025: A 3-week journey in Andalusia, departing from Lyon, entirely by train (except for one bus during a widespread power outage!). We were able to visit Cordoba (the highlight of our trip), Seville (Cadiz, Jerez), Malaga (Caminito del Rey, Ronda, Colomares Castle, Mijas) and Granada, then returned via Valencia. As a side note, our decision to travel by train touched a HomeExchanger, who opened her calendar for us.” - Lili Zabeth

5. Traveling by bike for 6 months: Dominique's crazy adventure

"Hello! We are young retirees who love freedom and adventure... We traveled by bike for 6 months, from January to June 2025:

• Departure from Avignon, Vaucluse
• Cycled to Genoa (Italy)
• Ferry to Palermo (Sicily)
• Tour of Sicily
• Ferry from Messina (Sicily) to Reggio (Calabria)
• Cycle route of the parks in Calabria
• Then a tour of Puglia
• Ferry from Brindisi (Apulia) to Igoumenitsa (Greece)
• Canyon of Vicos and Meteors
• Albania
• Montenegro
• Croatia
• Slovenia
• Northern Italy via Venice, Verona, Pavia, my grandfather's village near Turin, Val di Viù (il Chiampetto)...
• Then back home to Provence!

In total:
-> 6,500 km by bike
-> 65,000 m of elevation gain
-> 60 nights with HomeExchange that is, 2 months out of 6

And we're off again for six months starting in early March 2026 in Spain and Portugal!” - Dominique Brun-Dupouy

6. Exploring Europe by train, day and night: Valérie tells us about her experience

“I took the train wherever possible - to London, Brussels in December, and various cities in France. Two long trips for exchanges. One to Warsaw. A train journey from Pau with a stop in Freiburg (to visit family) and an exchange in Berlin on the way there. Direct return Warsaw-Pau, a stop to stretch my legs in Berlin and revisit the city where I had spent two weeks on exchange. Night train to France and then the TGV.

I arrived in great shape. It was a unique atmosphere on the train from Warsaw to Berlin, with a lovely neighbor but a complicated conversation due to my very, very weak Polish and my little German and the fact that she spoke neither English nor French.

Another exchange in Stockholm with two night trains (SJ train, a Swedish company, including a cabin for 2 with a sink, pure luxury!) and a day-long journey. One regret: we crossed the great bridges of Denmark in the middle of the night, so we couldn't see anything, but what a joy to wake up to the sight of the red wooden houses and Swedish lakes! There was a significant delay on the return journey, but the company was very responsive and the trip was refunded." - Valérie Esqilat

7. Corinne's railway adventure

"January 2023, a 20-day train journey:

• Avignon - Brussels
• Brussels - Ghent
• Ghent - Antwerp
• Antwerp - Rotterdam
• Rotterdam - Amsterdam
• Amsterdam - Avignon

Home swaps for each stay, between 2 and 6 nights.
This trip remains a very fond memory.

August 2025:

• Avignon to London via Lille. 15 days using train, bus and metro.

We are planning a trip to Norway by train for June 2026.
Regarding prices, we're often disappointed that train tickets are quite expensive. You really have to be retired and very flexible to get good deals.” - Corinne Mandelli

8. Valentin's take on train travel: less impact and more comfort

“This summer we travelled from Liège to Montpellier by TGV INOUI. Very low carbon impact and what a difference in comfort compared to traffic jams on the motorway in the Rhône Valley. We had to rent a car locally to be able to visit the region.

However, from our exchange house in the center of Montpellier, we took advantage of the public transportation and we're trying to do the same for our next vacation. But not all destinations are as easily accessible by train from Belgium. We're really looking forward to the new night train lines.” - Valentin Hautot

9. Laurence's night train to Prague: tested (and approved)

"This summer, I travelled to Prague by night train and made a short stop in Basel, always via HE to break the journey. Trip for two:

• Grenoble / Basel stopover of 1 and a half days
• Basel / Prague where we stayed for 12 days.

"It was a wonderful discovery, both the train journey and the exploration of Prague... and it also made me want to return to Basel for a longer stay (once again by train)." - Laurence Menu

10. Combining train and ferry to explore Northern Europe: Celia did it!

“We took lots of train journeys, all the way to Andalusia, on a night train to Vienna...

But most of all, this summer we went on a great trip: we left Toulouse by train and traveled to Hirshtals in northern Denmark (via Paris and Hamburg - we stayed with a host family for 3 days in Hamburg along the way). Then we took a ferry to the Faroe Islands (for a 1-week exchange), and then another ferry to Iceland (for 3 exchanges over 3.5 weeks). Unfortunately we had to fly back.” - Celia Picard

Low-carbon travel: a challenge for the future

Low-carbon travel invites you to slow down and rethink your travel methods, without giving up the pleasure of going on vacation. The challenge is significant: tourism accounts for approximately 8.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and transport is the main source of this pollution.

According to a study by ADEME (the French government’s agency for ecological transition), transport is responsible for 69% of tourism's carbon footprint and air travel alone accounts for 29%! Conversely, long-distance train travel reduces CO2 emissions by an average of 95% compared to flying.

Low-carbon travel doesn't advocate restriction. It encourages taking alternative paths:

• Choose more sustainable modes of transport
• Travel more slowly
• Travel less often, but stay for longer
• (Re)discover your own country or nearby destinations that are often underestimated
• Prioritize accommodation that is committed to sustainability
• Choose activities that do not pollute, and that support local communities
• Buy local

Of course, it’s not always possible to implement all of these initiatives, but every decision is important. This approach to travel often opens the door to more authentic encounters, a more relaxed pace, and a richer travel experience full of anecdotes and adventures.