TO fly or not to fly, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the pitfalls of alternative forms of transport or to go for that package holiday in the sun leaving in your wake a sea of troubles.

It may hardly be poetry, but it is quandary that many face at this time of year as we pack our bags and head for that well-earned rest somewhere a bit sunnier. But in treating ourselves to that special couple of weeks of rest and recuperation we may end up paying for it for the rest of the year in terms of what it has cost not just our wallet but what it has cost the planet.

A single return flight to, say, Greece (a distance of around 4,000 miles) generates approximately 0.9 tonnes of carbon equivalent per person which averages around a 10th of your total annual footprint. This is the carbon equivalent of a train journey of 15,000 miles (or 94,000 miles on the Eurostar), making 12,500 cups of tea, eating over 200 burgers or leaving your heating on for 35 days.

For those who are carbon conscious, doing their recycling all year round and watching their energy use, a single holiday trip can negate all their efforts and blow their carbon budget sky high.

But there are alternatives if you still want to travel and enjoy a guilt-free getaway. Here in Cornwall, we are spoilt for holiday destinations to explore but if you still want to go a bit further then look into travelling by ferry or train.

Once this holiday is over and you start to plan your next break, why not set yourself a carbon budget as well as a financial one so that you ensure your holiday does not end up costing the Earth?