Travel Decision Tree: a tool for making more sustainable travel choices

Every business trip is an opportunity to reflect on the impact of our choices. With this in mind, USI has developed the Travel Decision Tree, a practical guide designed to support faculty members, researchers and staff in planning travel related to academic activities.

Through a series of simple questions, the diagram encourages users to consider whether travelling in person is genuinely necessary, whether effective online alternatives are available and, when travel is justified, which mode of transport is the most sustainable. For example, it recommends choosing the train for destinations that can be reached within a reasonable journey time, highlighting its environmental benefits as well as practical advantages, such as the opportunity to work while travelling and direct access to city centres.

Where flying is the most appropriate option, the Travel Decision Tree offers practical suggestions for reducing its environmental impact, including choosing direct flights, travelling in economy class, considering airlines and aircraft with greater fuel efficiency, and, where possible, combining several activities into a single trip.

The tool complements the Interactive Travel Map, the platform developed by USI that enables users to estimate the carbon footprint of their academic journeys with just a few clicks and compare different modes of transport, helping them make increasingly informed and sustainable travel decisions.

Discover the tools:

• Travel Decision Tree (attached)
• Interactive Travel Map: https://www.interactivetravelmap.usi.ch/