If you’re worried that travel is ruining the planet but can’t resist a holiday, consider a trip to the Earthship ‘Perrine’ just outside the sleepy, polite village of Ger in Normandy, France.
This wonderful self-catering house is suitable for families and couples, sleeps six and is entirely off-grid – meaning it isn’t connected to any main utility lines such as gas or electricity. It produces all of its electric power with solar panels and wind turbines. In the event of the end of civilisation, in theory one could survive here – once they get the vegetable patch and chicken coup up and running that is.
You have to be quite a dedicated greenie to get here. It’s a long old haul. Driving from London to Calais is a breeze. The SeaFrance crossing a mere one and a half hours, but then France reveals it’s enormity as the drive down through Neufchatel-en-Bray, Caen and Vire takes a good four-and-a-half hours. We arrived around midnight, the stars are diaphanous in the black sky and the small, winding Normandy roads Hammer-horror-ish with low hanging fog, swooping bats and the odd owl. Well worth the mileage in other words.
While being green is good you will still want to pack in all the essential technology you require for your trip. One of the most important things to pack in would be the best travel adapter so you never have any power plug issues!