For this week’s edition we discussed the struggles of trying to travel in a more sustainable way. Despite the major gain in carbon savings, flight-free travel can be more expensive, inaccessible, and requires more research and time.
So tell us here: what's the longest non-flight journey you've taken and how did it go? What are your biggest struggles in travelling sustainably?
I took my longest journey some weeks ago and it was from Constanta to Bucharest. It took me around 24 hours with the train. The traintrecks in Romania aren’t really good so partly it is very slow.
I only had a normal seat on my way to Budapest and that was very hard, especially the time from 2am-8am. I was pretty restless. But then I needed to change the train in a small village. Looking back was that probably the best thing about my trip, because I could walk a little bit around the village and take some fresh air before taking my last train.
On my way back to Constanta, I was able to take a sleeping train and it was so much better. I fell asleep as soon as I laid on my bed. It was a much better way to travel then the train before. I slept for 10 hours (I was really tired) and I only had 5 hours left after I woke up.
In general was the long trip something nice. You see a lot of the country and maybe you can get to know people and share a bit of your time with them.
I am in a long-distance relationship (I'm in France, he's in Czech Republic) which makes me travel regularly. I often try to go for overnight buses. The longest trip I remember included two buses and a train, the whole trip took me almost a full day - including a delayed train. Though I was happy when I arrived, I was exhausted and annoyed.
I have also taken a few overnight trains. The rides took over 10 hours, but I was in a sleeper car so it made it more comfortable. But I still remember that one time I had to change wagon in the middle of the night and in the middle of nowhere: I was not sure I was in the right place and it was very stressful because I would have ended up in the wrong place if I was not in the right one!
I don't mind the length of the journey so much, I always find ways to stay entertained. My biggest struggles with traveling sustainably are mainly the comfort and the prices. Buses tend to be cheaper but the comfort is awful (sleeping in a bus gave me countless back and neck pains!). Trains are more comfortable but very expensive.
I took my longest journey some weeks ago and it was from Constanta to Bucharest. It took me around 24 hours with the train. The traintrecks in Romania aren’t really good so partly it is very slow.
I only had a normal seat on my way to Budapest and that was very hard, especially the time from 2am-8am. I was pretty restless. But then I needed to change the train in a small village. Looking back was that probably the best thing about my trip, because I could walk a little bit around the village and take some fresh air before taking my last train.
On my way back to Constanta, I was able to take a sleeping train and it was so much better. I fell asleep as soon as I laid on my bed. It was a much better way to travel then the train before. I slept for 10 hours (I was really tired) and I only had 5 hours left after I woke up.
In general was the long trip something nice. You see a lot of the country and maybe you can get to know people and share a bit of your time with them.
I am in a long-distance relationship (I'm in France, he's in Czech Republic) which makes me travel regularly. I often try to go for overnight buses. The longest trip I remember included two buses and a train, the whole trip took me almost a full day - including a delayed train. Though I was happy when I arrived, I was exhausted and annoyed.
I have also taken a few overnight trains. The rides took over 10 hours, but I was in a sleeper car so it made it more comfortable. But I still remember that one time I had to change wagon in the middle of the night and in the middle of nowhere: I was not sure I was in the right place and it was very stressful because I would have ended up in the wrong place if I was not in the right one!
I don't mind the length of the journey so much, I always find ways to stay entertained. My biggest struggles with traveling sustainably are mainly the comfort and the prices. Buses tend to be cheaper but the comfort is awful (sleeping in a bus gave me countless back and neck pains!). Trains are more comfortable but very expensive.