Flying is deeply valuable for travelers. Yet unlike other environmentally destructive choices, there are no obvious sustainable alternatives for long distances. In this paper I ask whether, and in what sense, long-distance leisure travel (LDLT) is (ir)replaceable. I first argue that in standard accounts of well-being it is hard to show why LDLT could not be replaced by more local goods. Outside of a few exceptions, LDLT could largely be replaced. I next argue that if anything makes LDLT irreplac…
Read moreFlying is deeply valuable for travelers. Yet unlike other environmentally destructive choices, there are no obvious sustainable alternatives for long distances. In this paper I ask whether, and in what sense, long-distance leisure travel (LDLT) is (ir)replaceable. I first argue that in standard accounts of well-being it is hard to show why LDLT could not be replaced by more local goods. Outside of a few exceptions, LDLT could largely be replaced. I next argue that if anything makes LDLT irreplaceably valuable it is this: it allows us to understand ourselves in our proper global context. I lastly explore the role that non-flying modes of transport can play in LDLT and show how we might evaluate slower forms of transport that can still enable LDLT.
