One Redditor's post clarified that they wouldn't be participating in the viral trend called "micro-traveling" anytime soon. The trip in question was an Instagrammer's "day trip" to Colorado from New York City and back by plane, prompting the original poster to exclaim: "I don't understand this at all."
Why was this person annoyed by someone else's travel plans? Their contention appeared to be an "exhausting, highly consumptive form of travel" that doesn't leave time to enjoy the area. However, someone noted: "That is the entire point. These people get paid by promoting consumption."
That consumption goes beyond purchasing a plane ticket (and possibly some high-priced airport food) but likely refers to the dirty fuels a typical plane uses. According to Flight Free, a 1,623-mile flight from John F. Kennedy Airport to Denver International Airport produces 0.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent round-trip emissions per passenger.
The OP mentioned that "travel from the airport to the mountain also included a 1.5 hour Uber ride." According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average passenger vehicle emits about 400 grams of CO2 per mile, so that ride produced roughly 33 to 44 pounds of CO2 unless it was an EV or a hybrid.
One of the reasons clean energy initiatives are valuable is to help offset the negative impact dirty fuels have had on the environment through air and water pollution, weather patterns from carbon and methane trapping heat, and health concerns such as asthma and certain cancers.
Another possible reason for this trend is the lack of paid time off. European Union residents must get at least four weeks of annual paid leave, but there is no such government mandate in the United States. In relation, one commenter sharply quipped: "Given how many days annual leave people seem to get in the states, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often!"
On the flip side, there is no loss of day-trip options from NYC by less carbon-producing options like a train or a shorter car trip. "Probably could've gone to Vermont or New Hampshire in less time than it took to fly to Colorado," said one. Another remarked: "I guess the slopes in the Poconos or upstate didn't offer to comp his visit?"
People have the right to travel where they choose. However, such micro-traveling probably meant not enjoying Colorado's many natural wonders like its Great Sand Dunes, mountains, skiing, lakes such as Lake Mead, and national parks.
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