Making your abroad hen do UK-based is the same as going vegan for 1.5 years

Frivolous flying needs to stop for the sake of the planet

We get it: travel is epic. You broaden your mind, experience new cultures and get a great tan. It's fact that Brits travel more than other nationalities, but did you know a surprisingly high proportion are for pre wedding blowouts (aka hen or stag dos)?

Research by the environmental charity Hubbub has found that just under half (49%) of all flights taken by men aged 20-45 in 2019 were for stag dos. Just over a third (35%) of flights taken by women in the same age group were for hen dos. That's a pretty big percentage, and put simply, it's not doing the climate crisis any favours.

Incredibly, swapping Las Vegas for Manchester is the equivalent of one person going vegan for one and a half years. We repeat: 1.5 years! And that's somebody classed as a heavy meat eater. Swapping Dubai for Edinburgh is the equivalent of giving up driving for seven months, and by choosing Brighton over Barcelona, a group of 10 hen or stag do travellers from London could reduce their carbon emissions by 98%. This is the equivalent of one person in the group going vegan for 2.2 years or not driving a car for 1.4 years, according to the comparison research compiled by Carbon Credit Capital.

When you consider how harmful carbon emissions are to the atmosphere, cutting down on that one flight could make a huge change for the better.

And it's not just the environmental factor to consider: more than half of those surveyed (Hubbub commissioned a survey of 2,000 20-45-year-olds across the UK to examine existing attitudes towards overseas stag and hen dos) said abroad hen dos were too expensive and they would rather have kept the location to the UK.

On average, men in the UK went on four stag dos last year, spending more than £420 on each trip, compared to £260 per person for those who stayed in the UK for their trips. As a result, the survey found that 58% feel that hen and stag dos abroad are too long, expensive or involve too much travel. Over half, (60%) stated preference for a UK-based hen or stag, due to cost savings.

And so, Hubbub has launched the Why Wing It campaign, aimed at using the pre-existing attitudes towards travelling for stag dos in an attempt to reduce the climate impacts of flying.

Hubbub’s creative partner Jess Wiles said, 'When we asked people about their ideal hen or stag do they told us it would involve a short journey, one or two nights away, a good choice of nightlife and access to adventure activities and spas.

'There is a fantastic range of locations and venues here in the UK that tick the boxes for what people want and they are generally easier and cheaper to get to.'

The aviation industry accounts for around 2 per cent of global emissions, and a number of airlines - from Delta to British Airways - have announced carbon-neutrality targets. Together, let's change our flying habits and make a positive impact to the planet.