Travel decision tree

Student stood at the train station

In recognition of the climate emergency and the University’s commitment to become carbon net zero by 2035, the first step of business and academic travel is to determine whether travel is necessary.

The Lancaster University Travel Decision Tree is a tool designed by Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) to reduce carbon emissions from business travel by guiding staff to choose lower-carbon transport options like virtual meetings, public transport, or trains over flights. Integrated into the university's travel portal, it prompts users to prioritise avoiding travel, consider virtual alternatives, and opt for rail travel within the UK and northern Europe, only allowing high-carbon options with justification.

Student sat at a laptop

Online meetings

Whether you are organising the event or attending, consider whether you could do this virtually.

  • If the event is a meeting, is it necessary to attend in person or would a video call suffice?
  • If the event is larger, could it be made virtual in other ways, e.g. online conference, webinars
  • Have you made it hybrid for people who don't want to travel?
  • Could you nominate one or two people to attend, rather than a whole team or department?
  • Is there an alternative event, closer to home or online that would give the same benefits?

Guidance: Help and training from ISS on Microsoft Teams

Travel in the UK and Europe

If travel is necessary, consider whether you choose a lower-carbon option.

  • If the journey is in the UK, could you use public transport rather than cars or taxis?
  • Flying is prohibited for domestic UK flights (except in exceptional circumstances)
  • Is your destination reachable directly by Eurostar (e.g. Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels)? The train might be quicker than flying.
  • Consider setting yourself a no-fly zone - for example, if you can reach your destination in less than 1 day by train, you won't fly. You might be surprised how far you can travel!
  • Consider the benefits of train travel - many trains have free WiFi and plug sockets. Sleeper trains can also be a great way to travel across Europe.

Guidance: Discover guides to travelling in Europe by train with Seat61

Students stood at Lancaster train station
Two people stood at Sunway campus in Malaysia

Travelling outside of Europe

Flying might be the only option for your event, so consider how you can maximise your travel.

  • Consider combining trips, e.g. could you visit more than one location in one trip?
  • Consider adding on cultural or sustainable trips if part of a year abroad or placement - the Global Experiences team can help with this.
  • You can choose to offset the carbon from your flight - but remember that this doesn't actually remove the emissions from your flight.
  • Can you choose long-distance overland travel for longer trips? Can you incorporate this into your trip?

Guidance: Read the University's travel guidance for full details on travel [sign in required]

Policy owner/author: Sustainability Team - Dr Georgiana Allison (Head of Sustainability)

Version number: 2.0
Approved by: Sustainability Steering Group and Professor Simon Guy (Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global (Digital, International and Sustainability)
Approved Date: October 2023
Date last reviewed: October 2025
Date of next review: October 2026