Every Trip Offset: FAQs

Every Trip Offset main page

What is carbon offsetting?
Isn't carbon offsetting just planting trees?
Where does the money from carbon offsetting go?
How does the climate project reduce carbon emissions?
What are the impacts of the climate project?
How do we calculate the amount to be offset? and how is it paid for?
Why isn't each trip calculated individually?
What if I book my flights elsewhere?
What if I'm travelling with children?
I'm re-booking a trip from before 2021, will I need to pay for it?
Why doesn't the project benefit people in Japan/my destination?
Who are Climate Impact Partners?

What is carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting is a way to compensate for greenhouse gases (most commonly CO2) being produced in one area, by helping to fund a project which reduces them in another area. Offsetting projects can reduce emissions in a number of different ways, from supporting the provision of renewable energy to protecting forests.

For example, our trips (including flights and ground arrangements) emit on average 4 tonnes of carbon. We are funding a climate project (Vietnam Biogas Household Project) which provides renewable energy to replace 5 tonnes of fossil-fuel related CO2 production.

Therefore, we are actually reducing carbon elsewhere more than the amount we emit per trip on average - this is referred to as climate positive.

Isn’t carbon offsetting just planting trees?

Reforestation certainly has its benefits for the planet, but this is just one way to reduce emissions. The Gold Standard project that we support (The Vietnam Biogas Household Project) not only reduces carbon emissions by providing households with a clean, renewable energy source, but also has a host of social benefits that help real people, today. Read more about the benefits of the project.

Where does the money from carbon offsetting go?

Towards a fantastic, award-winning climate project. Through our partnership with Climate Impact Partners, we offset all new bookings by supporting the award-winning Household Biogas Program in Vietnam.  The project provides families with renewable energy using their livestock's waste to produce biogas. The biogas is burnt to generate clean, reliable and cost-effective energy for cooking, lighting and hot water.

Specifically, the money goes towards:

      - providing a subsidy to install a biogas digester in a family's household

      - incentivising technology uptake

      - and making it affordable to the local population.

In addition, carbon finance supports:

      - the training of local masons who go on to be certified to install biogas digesters

      - ongoing research and monitoring, with data collection going beyond Gold Standard requirements.

How does the climate project reduce carbon emissions?

The Vietnam Household Biogas Project uses the waste from livestock to produce biogas which is in turn burnt to generate clean, reliable and cost-effective energy for cooking, lighting and hot water.
Therefore, the project is simultaneously tackling:
      - waste
      - air pollution
      - climate change,
As well as transforming the lives of families and households.
With biogas enterprises across Vietnam, the project reduces over 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year. It's no surprise then that this is an award-winning climate and development project, independently verified by the Gold Standard.

What are the impacts of the climate project?

Over 120,000 families have already benefited from a new biogas digester. The benefits of these are numerous and include:
      - Reducing over 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year by providing the means for renewable energy production
      - providing families with a clean and reliable renewable source of energy
      - saving on fuel costs for households, meaning more money to spend on food, healthcare and education
      - saving women an estimated 2-4 hours per day from not collecting wood for fuel
      - creating 2,500 skilled jobs
      - improving the health of farmers and households and cutting harmful indoor air pollution
      - helping educate farmers about how to handle waste - improving livestock welfare and overall sanitation.
The project is already one of the largest Gold Standard carbon reduction projects in the world and they are on track to install 180,000 biogas plants across every province in Vietnam.

How do we calculate the offset amount and how is it paid for?

The short version: average emissions for a flight (accounting for distance, class, and 1.9 altitutde multiplier)



           average emissions for ground arrangements (accommodation, transport and activities in destinations)

                                         =

                      4 tonnes of carbon per person

We will offset 5 tonnes per person on your behalf (therefore your booking is actually climate positive).

The longer version: We have used CARMACAL - a carbon emissions calculator specifically designed for tour operators - to calculate the average emissions of our trips, including both the flights and ground arrangements. For flights, we calculated the average carbon emitted from where our clients generally live (UK, US and Australia) to our most popular destinations (Japan and Vietnam). We then adjusted this based on the average number of clients who fly economy, premium, business and first class, and applied a multiplier of 1.9 to flights, to take into account the extra impact of emissions released at altitude. For ground arrangements, we have determined the average carbon use from our accommodation, transport and activities in destinations. All calculations are based on emissions factors which are produced by BEIS, a UK Government department who are specialists in calculating the carbon intensities of different activities, ensuring accuracy.

From these calculations, we know the average trip to our destinations uses around four tonnes of carbon per person. This is about a third of the carbon the average person uses in the UK every year (13 tonnes). We are going one step beyond this and will offset five tonnes of carbon per person, covering your trip emissions whilst remaining conservative.

Our trip prices already include the cost of offsetting the whole trip, therefore you don't need to worry about any additional fees - it's all already in there.

Why isn't each trip calculated invidually?

There are so many variables to a trip that mean that each one has a different carbon footprint. By far the biggest chunk of emissions comes from your international flight and the precise carbon footprint differs by route, how full the plane is, what aircraft you fly on and what class you travel in. It could even be affected by whether you have a bacon sandwich or a salad on the flight.
That's why rather than aiming to precisely offset the exact emissions of each trip, the purpose of our climate commitment is to help address the overall harm done by the greenhouse gas emissions that are an unavoidable consequence of international travel. We are looking at the overall footprint of all our trips, and to keep things simple we've set a flat fee per trip. In calculating this, we've made sure that we offset more than the average emissions of a trip, so the proceeds that contribute to the Household Biogas project in Vietnam will more than offset all carbon emissions from all the trips taken by our clients.

What if I book my flights elsewhere?

Even if you book your flights elsewhere, we will include the amount for offsetting your flights in your trip price, so you don't have to do any extra work to know that your trip is carbon neutral.

What if I’m travelling with children?

Anyone over the age of 18 months will have the carbon offset fee included in their booking.

What if I�m re-booking a trip from before 2021?

The fee is included in all new trip prices, so if you are rebooking you will not have the carbon offset fee included in your trip. However, if you would like to offset your booking to make your trip carbon neutral, please let us know and we will be happy to add this on for you.

Why doesn't the project benefit people in Japan?

Climate Impact Partners, specialists in carbon market solutions for climate action, do not currently operate any projects in Japan. We feel that the Vietnam Biogas project has a whole host of immediate, positive impacts in a country where half the population lives on less than $2 per day and 16% do not have access to electricity.

Who are Climate Impact Partners?

Climate Impact Partners, specialists in carbon market solutions for climate action are the UK's highest-ranked B Corp, and we've partnered with them to help us develop a robust and effective programme. Through this partnership we support the Vietnam Household Biogas Project, which is verified by the Gold Standard - one of the leading carbon standards globally.