My Low-Carbon Journey to ECNP 2025: Eurostar from London to Amsterdam!

Thanks to IGUANA funding I experienced a more sustainable (and much more fun) way of travelling to the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2026 Congress in Amsterdam with the Eurostar! I had never travelled in the Eurostar before, but I have heard stories about the beautiful scenery as the train goes around the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, so I was looking forward to it.

The trip began at London St Pancras International, a very familiar train station. Boarding was straightforward and far quicker than an airport check-in. No long journey to the airport, queues, no liquid checks, no boarding gates closing in panic. Once seated, I had space to work comfortably, access to Wi-Fi, and a window view that quickly shifted from the English countryside to the fields and villages of northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

One of the things I was impressed the most by is the rapid change in architecture style as you travel around the countries. There’s something uniquely satisfying about watching the landscape change as you move from one country to another. It offers a tangible sense of distance and connection that flying simply doesn’t provide.

In just under four hours, the train rolled into Amsterdam Centraal Station, right in the city centre and just 10 minutes away from the conference centre. No need for airport long border controls or extra carbon emissions from taxis or buses. I’ve flown the London–Amsterdam route once before (guilty), partly because I was not aware of how easy the Eurostar was. While flights appear faster on paper, I believe the total travel time was lower in the Eurostar. Getting to the airport (London airports are REALLY far from London), clearing security, waiting for boarding, and then travelling from Schiphol to the city often takes longer.

Travelling by train also made it easier to relax or stay productive. I reviewed my poster, prepared talking points for discussions, and even watched a film on my laptop connected to the Wi-Fi. Instead of being a stressful process, the journey became a calm, useful part of the conference experience.

Academic travel represents a significant portion of universities’ carbon emissions. As scientists, we’re deeply aware of the climate crisis, yet our professional habits don’t always reflect that awareness. Initiatives like IGUANA make sustainable choices realistic by removing practical and financial barriers, and they also allow researchers to experience first-hand what low-carbon travel is really like. This experience has made me reflect on how and where we travel for conferences. While international meetings can be exciting and valuable, sometimes they offer programmes that closely overlaps with excellent national or European conferences.

For travel within Europe, train connections like the Eurostar offer an efficient, comfortable, and far greener option. Beyond the carbon savings, the maybe slower but more relaxed pace encourages a welcome change from the constant rush of airport travel. Contrary to my initial believe, I have also realised that if you plan your travel in advance, the cost of a train like the Eurostar is not much higher than if you combine the travel to and from airports, the flight tickets, and the expense of buying anything in an airport.

I’m very grateful to IGUANA, first for enabling this low-carbon journey and for encouraging me to consider alternatives that align with our environmental values. For future conferences, I’ll prioritise rail travel whenever possible. It’s a small shift that can make a meaningful difference to the footprint of the research community.