Photo of the Week!

F 4; 1/400; 24mm.

Shot at Haleakala National Park on Maui, Hawaii.

Happy Earth Day!

Last year’s “Photo of the Week!” entry had a relatively cheery tone — if you want to travel in the COVID-landscape, you should consider going outside! This continues to be true — most parks are easily accessible, they’re tailored to every kind of traveler, and they frequently make for memorable vacations — as evidenced by this week’s Earth Day-themed entry, which was captured at Haleakala National Park. With the orange hues and steep drop off to clouds far down below, the scene here is almost Martian; it was definitely unforgettable.

With each passing year though, it becomes increasingly more difficult to be optimistic about the state of the environment. Climate change is real, and its effects are terrifying and are increasingly unavoidable; it will take everyone to save the planet from this crisis of our own making. Of course, these proclamations of environmental doom and gloom are neither new nor novel. Eco-anxiety and environmental guilt have become real things among others, as has flight shaming (which is obviously relevant to this site).

The Higher Flyer is committed to a sustainable business model — THF offsets its high carbon footprint generated by frequent flying — and urges its peers and its readers to do the same. At the minimum, when you feel comfortable traveling again, please be sure to do so ethically and sustainably. Travel makes the world a better place, so let’s all work to make it better than we found it. Fly higher (and fly greener too)!

Click here to see more on Instagram @TheHigherFlyer.

Click here to see more photos of the week (and other similar things!)…

Click here to learn how to offset your carbon footprint while traveling.

Click here to see a list of national parks in the United States (for some travel inspiration).