Vacation Traveler Carbon Guide

The Vacation Traveler Carbon Guide ranks transportation options by carbon emissions for solo travelers, pairs, and families of four across distances of 100, 500, and 1,000+ miles. Motor coaches are consistently ranked as the best option across all categories, while first-class flights and SUVs generally represent the worst options, depending on the distance and group size.

• Motor coaches are identified as the most carbon-efficient travel option regardless of the number of travelers or the distance traveled (100, 500, or 1,000+ miles).
• The relative carbon efficiency of travel modes changes based on the number of passengers; for a family of four, driving a typical car or SUV is ranked as more efficient than taking a train or flying economy for distances of 100 and 500 miles.
• The analysis utilizes specific fuel economy assumptions for vehicles, estimating 23 mpg for typical cars and 18 mpg for typical SUVs.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2008). Vacation Traveler Carbon Guide. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/vaca_trav_carbon_guide.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Vacation Traveler Carbon Guide. 2008. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/vaca_trav_carbon_guide.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Vacation Traveler Carbon Guide |date=2008 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/vaca_trav_carbon_guide.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2008vacation, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Vacation Traveler Carbon Guide}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/vaca_trav_carbon_guide.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }