I’m going on my first holiday in three years – and the climate guilt is real

I try to do my bit when it comes to aligning my lifestyle with my planet-conscious values so couldn’t I please just enjoy one little holiday, asks Harriet Williamson

I should’ve booked a UK staycation instead, and temperatures are not too different from those in the Med this summer (Getty)

It’s been three years in coming, but I’m finally going on holiday. My hand luggage requirement-compliant suitcase is packed, I’ve purchased the requisite tiny bottles of toiletries, and I’m ready to set my automatic out-of-office reply on email.

Am I excited? Hell yes. Do I also feel conflicted and more than a little guilty? Also hell yes.

Donnachadh McCarthy, the author of our climate column, wrote recently about having “zero sympathy” for travellers caught up in airport chaos. He describes holiday flights as a “criminal” due to the impact they have on the planet, and calls for them to be banned.