London to The Netherlands: A Sustainable Adventure

I travelled to the northern Netherlands by train to attend the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) conference in Groningen. My journey took me from home to St Pancras in London (1.5 hours), London to Rotterdam by Eurostar (4 hours) and then from Rotterdam to Groningen on Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the Dutch train network (2.5 hours) and back again.

What were the highs? For me, there were many. Beyond the sense of adventure, train travel gave me more freedom. I could pack what I wanted and not worry about suitcase size or decanting liquids into tiny bottles. On the Eurostar I had more space to move around, go and buy a cup of tea, watch the scenery, think. Having headspace was a real luxury.

Arriving in The Netherlands, I had allowed myself 24 hours to explore Rotterdam. I walked for miles, rummaging in vintage clothes shops (of which there are many), drinking coffee that was so strong it knocked my socks off, and enjoying the post-war architecture. In the early evening, I went to see the famous cube houses and stopped for a drink at the old harbour (Oude Haven) feeling very lucky I had been given this opportunity. As a traveller with Coeliac Disease, having the time to seek out gluten free versions of local specialities like waffles, pancakes, and banana bread, as well as being able to have actual McDonalds – yes, gluten free MCDONALDS! – and to explore Dutch ‘free from’ aisles in supermarkets, was another highlight.

On to the conference. Rotterdam Centraal station was a stunning building and easy to navigate. I had prebooked my tickets and downloaded the NS app to check times and platforms. The train to Groningen left on time and passed through lovely Dutch countryside including Gouda (I thought about cheese for the rest of the journey).

 The conference itself had highs and lows: presenting as a psychologist for the first time at an international conference; meeting interesting people; and putting faces to names I’d only met on email were all highs. There was an excellent conference band “Revise and Resubmit” – surely the best name for a band ever?!

However, food was a challenge, with gluten free meals unavailable and the venue a 30-minute walk from the town centre. After eating boiled potatoes for three days, I decided to cut loose and find GF pancakes in Groningen. I walked into town, and as I was travelling back to my hotel in the dark, I took an Uber for safety…but influenced by the Iguana project and not wanting to sully my sustainability credentials I (unusually for me) choose a green Uber. Iguana has changed me!

I wondered if I might regret a longer journey back after the conference, when I would be tired and ready for home. But actually, I appreciated not having the stress of squeezing my large haul of GF waffles into a tiny suitcase and having the flexibility to choose when to travel back to Rotterdam. This was especially true when trains to Schiphol airport were all delayed, but my train to Rotterdam was on time (I tried not the be smug).

The only downside for me was the additional cost of a layover hotel in Rotterdam on the way back: although I could have picked up a Eurostar from Rotterdam to London that evening, I would have arrived in London too late to catch a train home. Considerations of safety, for example not arriving at cities after dark and having a backup plan if trains were cancelled (sleeping in a station feels much less safe than sleeping in an airport) are important for lone travellers, and safety needs to be balanced with sustainability.

So would I do it again? Absolutely! With limited budget in the final year of my PhD I would not have been able to go to the EHPS conference without funding, and so I am incredibly grateful to the Iguana project. But I would travel sustainably again regardless of funding, for pleasure as well as work. Not only did I feel good about how I travelled, but this journey became more than a means to an end, but an experience in itself.