Earlier this year, I boarded my 80th flight: a smooth hop home from Singapore onboard the lovely-as-always Airbus A380 (QF2). Technically, it was my 81st time in the sky, if you count the helicopter joy flight (and I absolutely do) over Sydney in 2016.
That milestone has had me reflecting on the shape of my travels not just where I’ve been but how I’ve flown and what it all means in the broader context of climate, privilege and perspective.
Note: Some of this information was retroactively inputted into myFlightRadar24 and is only as accurate as the information contained within my email archive (and the memory of my parents as it relates to my first ever flight in 1999).
My love of flight
My first flight was a gift from my parents: a trip from Sydney to Canberra with Ansett Australia for my 7th birthday. I was obsessed with planes but it took another 12 years before I’d rediscover the joy of flying.
Despite frequent pilgrimages to Sydney Domestic Airport just to plane-watch and occasionally soaking up the magic of the Qantas Club, we were a road trip family through and through. Our holidays were on four wheels, not in the sky. Ironically, the long drives, often scenic and deeply memorable, had a smaller carbon footprint than flying.
Figures from BEIS reported by the BBC found that a petrol car with 4 passengers emits less CO₂ per person than a flight. So, those road trips weren’t just affordable, they were kinder to the planet, too.
My global footprint
My flights have resulted in nearly 30 tonnes of CO2 being emitted or roughly the same amount that would require 1,500 trees growing for one year to offset.
Despite my awareness of the climate crisis, I continue to fly. Not because I don’t care about the planet but because I deeply care about learning about people, cultures and experiences and holding at least part of that knowledge for future generations. Flying remains the most convenient way to have these experiences but it’s a moral tension that’s increasingly hard to ignore.
On recent flights, I’ve made a point of checking what aircraft I’m on and choosing newer models when possible. Some airlines are trying to do their part, too, with Qantas investing in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and allowing frequent flyers to contribute to the greenification of flying via its Green Tier program which rewards environmental actions.
New-generation aircraft like the Airbus A350 can be 25% more fuel-efficient than older models, thanks to lighter materials, smarter aerodynamics and more efficient engines.
How the other half fly
On my 2017 EuroTrip, I sunk a bunch of points to get upgraded to Emirates A380 Business Class. It was decadent with lie-flat seats, champagne before take-off, warm nuts and an in-flight bar.
I loved every minute of it and yet I felt weird about loving it. Business class emits more carbon per seat. And while a comfortable flight isn’t inherently unethical, it does raise questions about fairness and luxury in a world where most people never get an opportunity to travel for leisure, let alone sip Moët at 35,000 feet.
Often, the responsibility to reduce our environmental impact is seemingly thrust onto individuals when really, corporations and the wealthiest in our society hold the key to majorly reducing our impact as a civilisation.
Trains, planes and carbon math
Despite my 80 flights to date, some of my favourite journeys weren’t in the air, they were on rails.
In 2017, I crisscrossed Europe almost entirely by train. The only flights? One into Munich to start, and one home from Schiphol. The rest was steel wheels and window-seat daydreams. The same was true for Japan, the shinkansen didn’t just move me between cities it felt like part of the experience, not a gap between them.
According to Back on Track (using recalculated EEA figures), a conventional electric train emits about 12 grams of CO₂ per passenger-kilometer, while an A320 on a 500 km journey emits approximately 340 grams per passenger-kilometer (dropping to 270 for a 1,000km journey). This means rail travel can be up to 28 times more climate-friendly than aviation over similar distances.
So why, in a country as developed as Australia, are we still waiting for decent rail? The Ghan doesn’t count.
Staying closer to home
Australia’s rail network is patchy, underfunded and woefully behind our global peers. The Sydney to Melbourne rail line, running below one of the busiest air corridors in the world, takes over 12 hours by train compared to a 90 minute flight (excluding the airport ordeal). It’s no wonder most Australians default to the sky. If we had high-speed rail that was faster, affordable and consistent, many would take it. Until then, we’re left choosing between convenience and conscience.
Australia’s so vast and there’s incredible value in seeing our own backyard. But I get why so many young Aussies skip it. It’s often cheaper to go to Bali than it is to visit Broome. Return flights to Asia can be less than the cost of getting to Darwin and accommodation abroad can be significantly cheaper too.
Still, I wish more of us took time to experience the wonder of our local landscapes from the NT’s ochre deserts to Tasmania’s green wilds. There’s an intimacy to domestic travel. It’s less glamorous, but more grounding.
Can travel be ethical?
Ethical travel is complex. But it starts with awareness and small, conscious choices:
- Offsetting carbon: imperfect, but better than nothing
- Choosing fewer but longer trips
- Flying economy when you can
- Spending money in local communities, not just global chains
- Being culturally sensitive: learn, listen, and respect
- Choose trains or shared road transport when you can
It’s also about using the privilege of flight to become a more informed, empathetic human. Travel isn’t just a leisure activity – it’s an education. But like all good learning, it should change how we behave.
A final boarding call
There’s something undeniably magical about flight: the moment the wheels leave the ground, the cities become toy towns and the clouds like cotton paths beneath you. But loving something doesn’t mean ignoring its consequences.
My travel log is a story of joy, curiosity, privilege, and, increasingly, responsibility. If I’m to keep travelling (and I plan to), I have to keep evolving too.
So here’s to:
- Making better choices.
- Swapping a few flights for train rides.
- Staying longer, going slower and travelling with more heart.
- Remembering that the most meaningful journeys are the ones that leave the world just a little better than we found it.
Summary of my travel
- 80 flights and one helicopter joy flight.
- My first flight was an Ansett Australia flight to Canberra in 1999.
- 57 have been domestic while the other 23 have been to/from 4 continents (Africa, South America and Antarctica still await me).
- More than 230,000 km flown or nearly 6x around Earth.
- 322 hours in the sky.
- Flown every year since 2011.
- July is my most popular month to fly (13).
- Monday is my most popular day to fly (17).
- Qantas (36) and the Boeing 737-800 (26) are the most common by a long shot.
- My flights unsurprisingly are most likely to arrive and/or depart from Sydney (56) or an Australian airport (61).
- With the exception of 5 flights in Business class and 9 in Premium Economy, I’m a seasoned Economy flyer.
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