Another advantage of train travel is the flexibility. I was able to change my return journey to an earlier train for only a small fee, which would not have been an option if I were flying. This meant that I returned to the UK at a reasonable time, rather than late in the evening. This then meant more sleep, which again, for a PhD student, is gold dust!
According to the Eurostar website, my train travel used 96% less carbon emissions than flying. So, all in all, travelling sustainably via train for my journey was the optimal choice. But, I can understand when sustainable options may be lengthy and cause more stress compared to non-sustainable options, this choice isn’t so easy.
I have another conference in the USA next month, where I had to choose to fly as there was no other viable sustainable option. I’ve had to think of other ways to make my travel more sustainable, such as reducing the amount of packaging and plastic I take, like using shampoo bars instead of mini toiletries.
We are fortunate in London to have access to Europe via train, and this should be made as accessible as possible to everyone in the UK, which is why the Iguana initiative is so important! It allows early-career researchers like me, who are motivated to travel sustainably but often lack the resources, to do their bit for the environment.
I have shared my experience with other PhD students I work with and other members of my team, who are all really keen to utilise the Iguana initiative for their own travel. Hopefully, these kinds of initiatives will enable more researchers and students to travel sustainably, ultimately allowing King’s researchers to make a real difference in addressing the global environmental challenges we face.