In the third of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly head abroad, considering the top tourist destinations, whether to visit by land, sea, or air, and just how big of an impact our choices have on the planet.
More people than ever are traveling abroad, and Americans are adding to the numbers, with 48% currently holding a valid passport, contributing to the tourist bucks that accounted for $10.9 trillion of the global GDP and 357 million jobs in 2024. From the most visited cities to the top international airport arrivals, destinations ranging from amusement parks to the world’s most popular landmarks, Jorden and Kimberly consider the impact that tourist traffic and climate change have on these destinations and how countries are coping, along with what airlines and cruise lines are doing (or not) to be more green.
Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:
Which country rules as King of Tourism
What the most popular tourist destinations have that the others just don’t
Why international flights are less terrible than domestic legs
How airlines attempt to be sustainable despite less commitment to SAF
Why public transportation will always be the greenest option
How cruises are even worse for the ecosystem than we thought
What Norway is doing to balance the scales of its dependence on tourism and protect its sights
Recommended Resources
Top tourist cities worldwide
Top international arrivals cities
Most popular country destinations
Most sustainable destinations
All about cruises and Norway’s new policy
Alternative fuels and SAF and fees
Excellent small group travel companies (Exodus, Intrepid)
Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post
