Transport
Words by
Diana Jarvis
Portugal
Portugal’s 12 Historic Villages, a series of beautiful hilltop fortifications and castles clustering the Spanish border, are a delight for travellers. However, they aren’t always easy to reach, especially by public transport.
From the manor houses of Castelo Novo (pictured) in the north down to the Roman-founded Idanha-a-Velha, you need your own car, especially if visiting more than one. Thankfully, a pioneering project to supply village residents and visitors with access to free electric vehicles is now making them more accessible and cutting down on emissions. (Photos: Shutterstock)
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Zambia
Harnessing the sun to power vehicles is a potentially game-changing development in Zambia’s wildlife tourism industry.
Green Safaris have now retrofitted 4WDs (pictured) at five of their camps to run on solar electricity, which not only makes these vehicles carbon-free but whisper-quiet, too, therefore better for viewing wildlife. The operator also offers e-bike tours (above) from Chisa Busanga Camp that explore the Busanga Plains, as well as the chance to silently cruise down the Zambezi from Tongabezi Lodge in a hand-crafted wooden dhow retrofitted to run on electricity. (Photos: Green safaris)
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Western Australia
Western Australia is now home to one of the world’s longest connected electric vehicle (EV) charging highways, making exploring the vast distances of Australia’s largest state much more carbon efficient.
EV drivers have access to 110 fast and ultra-fast charging points across 49 locations, from Mundrabilla near the South Australian border to Kununurra in the far north. In some of the more isolated locations, chargers are being supported by standalone power systems, drawing on solar and battery storage. Plenty of car-hire companies now have EVs available, making a road trip one of the best ways to sustainably explore Western Australia’s vast expanses, not to mention its huge diversity of nature, wildlife, coastline and Aboriginal cultural experiences. (Photos: Shutterstock)
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Illinois
Route 66 is one of the USA’s most iconic road trips.
While the highway was officially decommissioned in 1985, large chunks of the ‘Mother Road’ still exist, particularly in Illinois where you can drive nearly 500km of this historic route in an EV. Start your journey in Chicago, where you’ll find a mass of fast-charging stations, before heading south-west. Cities such as Joliet, Pontiac and Springfield feature convenient charging points, often near attractions such as the Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum in Pontiac, the Gemini Giant in Wilmington or the historic Ambler-Becker Texaco Gas Station in Dwight, now a visitor centre. (Photos: Shutterstock/Adam Alexander Photography)
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Julian Alps
With the introduction of waymarked hiking trails, dedicated cycle routes and traffic-free days in the valleys of Triglav National Park, the Regional Integrated Transport strategy for the wider Julian Alps area is an impressive example of joined-up thinking.
Initiatives include seasonal shuttle buses, the Bike Alpe Adria portal and plans for cross-border cycling connections. Electric vans also now serve the area, managed via a digital platform. In 2024, over 150,000 passengers used seasonal shuttles, and more than 25,000 Julian Alps community cards (offering free admission, transport and parking) were sold. (Photos: Shutterstock / Bled Tourist Board)
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