2024: I'm taking this one year at a time! Last year was my first flight-free year. At the beginning of 2023 I took monthly trips from Oakland to San Diego, and discovered that the Flix bus drives through the night to get me back home in time to work the next day. I managed to avoid flying even though I had a family wedding to attend on the opposite side of the country. I took the train round trip from California to Rhode Island (and then "stopped by" Georgia), and it worked just fine! So far so good!
2023: When I learned that air travel burned more fossil fuels than any other form of travel, it was easy to understand WHY I wanted to fly less. How to do it in a way that lets me be with people I love has been the challenge.
For the last 10 years I've been experimenting with riding the bus (Flix or Greyhound) or taking train from my home in Oakland to San Diego, Las Vegas & LA, where most of my family are. Driving my electric car became an option when I got one. I had to change my idea of travel, by making the driving part of the vacation.(as opposed to the work I had to do before the vacation happened)
My best success was last summer, when a friend drove down with me to Ventura, and we spent the night near the beach in Ventura. Then he took the train back north while I drove on to San Diego. On my way back from San Diego, I met up with another friend who had taken the train to San Luis Obispo. We spent the night at the youth hostel there, enjoyed the town, and then meandered up the coast for 3 - 4 days before going home.
I'm still aiming for a 100% flight free year. I almost made it last year, but I felt too desperate about helping Warnock win, so I flew to GA to knock on doors. This year I'm researching how I can drive my electric car to a family wedding in Rhode Island. (I've never driven my Bolt across the country.)
I think the secret is clearing out the time, and having fun along the way. Being able to work a little on zoom as I travel is helpful. Having my brother come along will make it more fun, and will give me even more time with family. It's also useful to remember that spending money on campsites or hotel rooms is just part of the vacation expenses - and that when it comes to the climate, some of the ways I habitually try to save money may actually hurt the planet.