A big hello to Anouk van den Eijnde who is currently working with us on an exciting travel project…
Originally from Holland (hence the tulips), but born in Belgium, Anouk now lives in London. In a previous life she worked at the Futures Company, making short films and interviewing people across the country about wide-ranging issues such as debt and parenting. As a bit of a green travel expert, here’s her short story on some of the ways she’s resolving the emerging tension of how best to travel in a low-carbon world….
I have serious wanderlust. But I’m also serious about preserving our planet.
I have travelled a lot in my life and my favourite part is discovering and immersing myself in new cultures. I’ve never much enjoyed the ‘getting there’ as it often involves flying. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good value, quick and convenient, connects loved ones across the world and opens people’s eyes to different cultures. But for both environmental and enjoyment reasons, I’ve been trying to find a way to add more meaning to the way I travel.
So in 2008 I started a blog about slow travel called slowmoves, writing about enjoying the journey as well as the destination. I realised you don’t have to go far to have authentic, life-changing experiences. I wrote about my encounters, big or small, from cycling across Burgundy in France to discovering a beautiful park in my neighbourhood. I became more in tune with my surroundings. Slowmoves led to Green Traveller, a website I helped set up about green holidays and places to stay, and how to get there by train and ferry.
I started opting for holidays closer to home (the staycation), and took the opportunity to explore the UK’s many national parks, beaches and sights in gorgeous spots like Cornwall, Devon and Pembrokeshire by train. Unfortunately you can’t always count on the weather, but with the Eurostar connecting us to the remarkable high-speed rail network in continental Europe, the possibilities for a little more sun are plentiful. What’s more, you depart and arrive in city centres, the check-in is hassle-free, you’re free to move around the carriage and of course there’s the expansive view of the ever-changing landscapes. I recently took the train to Marseille in Provence, and in just over six hours I was breathing in the sweet scent of lavender and peeling off the layers. From an eco standpoint, that train journey accounted for 15.1 kg of carbon emissions per person as opposed to 176.6 kg by plane [1].
Eurostar now have a range of direct train services from London, including Avignon in the summer and Bourg-St-Maurice in the winter, with plans to extend these services to more destinations such as Amsterdam and Geneva in 2014. Deutsche Bahn will run direct services from London to Frankfurt and Amsterdam from 2013 as the Eurotunnel is being liberalised. Over in the US, Obama has even pledged a six-year $53billion plan to expand the sluggish US rail system.
My resolution seems to be happening at the right time. Now let’s hope the next steps are cheaper, more competitive train fares, as for the large majority, price is the biggest barrier of all.
For useful information on train journeys, see seat61 and greentraveller.co.uk.
[1] The figure given for carbon emissions for trains and planes is provided courtesy of Ecopassenger
A warm (actually very hot) welcome to the Pipeline Project from Costa Rica Anouk! Enjoy. Pura vida! dan
Comment by dan burgess — March 7, 2011 @ 2:16 am
Thanks Dan! Enjoy Costa Rica. Anouk
Comment by Anouk — March 10, 2011 @ 6:25 pm
[...] said bye to Dan as he went to Costa Rica, hi to Anouk who’s joined the gang then hi to Dan as he came back again, full of perspective and new [...]
Pingback by Pipeline Project | Done and dusted -> but where did 2011 go? — January 3, 2012 @ 3:40 pm