As the skies heat up, the wealthy keep flying while the rest brace for impact.

Travel has long been marketed as a form of personal freedom. It’s aspirational, transformative, and—at least in theory—accessible to anyone. But that illusion is starting to fracture. As the climate crisis escalates, mobility is becoming less about wanderlust and more about privilege.
For the wealthy, travel still offers luxury and safety. For everyone else, it’s becoming more expensive, more unpredictable, and more out of reach. Flights are canceled due to wildfire smoke; trains are derailed by floods; entire regions are destabilized by heat. Meanwhile, the richest flyers coast through turbulence in private jets. Climate change is redrawing the lines between who escapes and who endures. The future of travel won’t be determined by curiosity or adventure, but by status, access, and survival.

