Are These Tech StartUps The Future Of Travel?

Matilda Cox introduces three tech startups hoping to transform the way we travel.

These Tech Startups Are Changing The Way We Travel

The Problem

Despite a Covid-induced dip, the travel industry is well and truly back, with last year’s air travel rates almost matching pre-pandemic levels. But although we might have missed jetting off to somewhere new and exciting in the holidays, with travel and tourism responsible for around ten percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the climate certainly didn’t. It’s now impossible to ignore the impact that travelling has on the environment, and customers are responding accordingly. According to booking.com’s 2023 Sustainable Travel Report, three-quarters of travellers said they want to travel more sustainably. It might be what consumers are demanding, but is it possible for travel to ever be sustainable? These startups certainly think so.

The Solutions

Viatu

It can be overwhelming to know where to start when planning a trip – especially for those wanting an eco-friendly experience. Viatu curates positive-impact holidays across destinations like Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, offering a choice of luxury or budget-friendly packages. Notably, Viatu only picks partners with hotels and organisations that work to protect the culture, biodiversity, and resources of local communities. The platform also provides carbon calculations for all activities involved in a trip, enabling Viatu to make climate contributions or offset the emissions generated by a user’s holiday. viatu.com

Raus

When it comes to where you stay, hotels often aren’t the most sustainable choice, wasting huge volumes of water, energy, and food in
the name of customer comfort. Startup Raus believes that it’ll be far better for the planet – and, to boot, your mental health – to have your stay out in nature instead. The company offers custom-designed, off-grid cabin getaways across Germany and Austria that are completely self-contained and equipped with cooking facilities, tools, water tanks, and solar power. When booking through Raus, customers can also choose to spend a little extra to fund essential soil regeneration. raus.life

Midnight Trains

When you think of the harbingers of polluting travel, you probably think of planes. Hoping to provide a more sustainable (even comfortable) alternative to short haul flights is Midnight Trains, which is connecting popular locations with its ‘hotel on rails’. Customers can book private cabins of varying sizes, as well as order room service, at a fraction of the carbon cost of travelling by air. Although plans to connect the UK may have been tabled for now, in 2025 Midnight Trains still hopes to launch its first journeys from Paris to cities like Barcelona, Rome, and Venice. midnight-trains.com

Matilda Cox is a content editor at Springwise, the leading global innovation platform with over 14,000 ideas for positive change. springwise.com