Wikivoyage:Tourist office/Archives/2020/February

How does the world view Germany?

I'm curious. How does the world see the Germans and Germany? What stereotypes are there about the current Germans?--82.82.235.151 21:44, 19 February 2020 (UTC)*[reply]

maine to scotland by ship

I'm no sailor nor do i even prefer it.. i only have a new heroine...Greta Thunberg.

Maine to Scotland... in September... Can someone help me get there via the ocean... i am tired of flying...so much pollution

Asked by: 98.11.103.191 01:05, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@98.11.103.191: The only trans-Atlantic passenger ship that continues to offer regularly scheduled service is the RMS Queen Mary 2, which plies the old New York-Southampton route a couple times a year. For the next voyage, departing New York on May 31, 2020 and arriving in the UK on June 7, you're looking at USD $1,200 per person to start (that's one-way; round-trip fare is USD $2,500). Obviously, unless you're willing to be extremely flexible with both your dates of travel and your route, that's not going to be of much help to you given that you specified Maine to Scotland in September. So the most viable Plan B would probably consist of travel by freighter, which can be an interesting experience for those of the right mindset. Our article on the subject contains a list of travel agencies that specialize in the field; you might want to get in touch with one or more of them. -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 02:01, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

As to pollution, there isn't actually all that much difference between air, car, and cruise ship travel in terms of the amount of fuel burned per passenger per mile. See here and here. Of course Greta T. used a boat that didn't burn any fuel, which is a whole nother matter. --142.112.159.101 03:50, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Well, actually, in terms of emissions, there is a large difference between cruise ships and planes - but not the difference you may think. Cruise ships emit almost twice as much carbon dioxide per passenger mile (0.4 kg) as airliners (0.1-0.25 kg). Basically, unless you're exceedingly wealthy or lucky enough to travel on a zero-emissions yacht like Greta, there's no way to cross the Atlantic without burning a lot of fossil fuels. I shudder to think what frequent flyers rack up.--ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 10:08, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Do you happen to know the figures for the Queen Mary 2 or for freighters? I have to imagine both would be much more efficient per passenger-mile than cruise ships. I've also heard that planes are worse than other forms of transport per quantity of fuel, because they dump the pollution higher up in the atmosphere, but I don't know if that's true. —Granger (talk · contribs) 13:11, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, the first article I saw mentioned the QMII as an example, but it dates from 2006. It turns out to be no better than cruise ships, which is not surprising really, because other than the more constant speed (constant acceleration and braking would normally cause more emissions), ocean liners are more or less the same as a cruise ship, with all the same on-board luxuries which contribute to emissions.

Actually, that's probably (as in, I don't have any figures, just making logical assumptions) where freighter travel is greener. Yes, it's still a massive ship carrying a heavy load, so going to be emitting heftily, but on the other hand (1) on-board amenities are fairly basic, and (2) the ship will do the same journey with or without passengers, so it's not as though demand for travel is causing the emissions in the first place, and those passengers may otherwise be flying or on a cruise ship.--ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 13:39, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

[edit conflict] I suppose the thing about emissions high up are true, but I have seen no detailed discussion. And I suppose freighters are more or less zero emission in regard to passengers: slow large vessels are efficient per tonne and there is just so much weight added for the extra cabins (which even may be there for other uses). Cruise ships on the other hand have a lot of extras, even things like water parks. For going with a yacht you don't need to be wealthy, but you have to keep your good temper coping with the elements and the social aspects of that kind of crossing. --LPfi (talk) 13:52, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I meant specifically a yacht like Thunberg's. A private motor yacht must be the equivalent of driving a bus just for yourself and a couple of friends? --ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 14:06, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

There's another variable, which is that the release of greenhouse gases in the stratosphere has a greater warming effect on the atmosphere than the release of the same quantities of greenhouse gases at sea level. I don't know how that divergent effect is quantified, though. Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:10, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hardly anybody drives a motor yacht across the Atlantic, as you need fuel capacity not available on a yacht of normal size – motoring would be driving your own bus on steroids. So if you go by own vessel and do not own a fortune, you go by sail (probably not by the racer type Greta Tunberg used, though). There are plenty of them going, so if you are in the right place at the right time, and have some social skill of the right type, your chances are good. I don't know about Maine to Scotland, but I suppose that's where the Westerlies blow, somebody could very well go your way. Going back is more complicated, as you use the trade winds, found much more to the south. --LPfi (talk) 18:30, 2 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]