WHO AM I?
Well, the short answer is:
I am Carlos García, a 20-year-old student from Spain who will be spending this year as an Erasmus student in Umeå, Sweden.
But if you catch me in one of those 2AM conversations with one of those friends who always ask random (but somewhat deep) questions, and you ask me what I wanted to be as a kid, I would probably tell you that I have always dreamed of being a traveller.
Well, maybe not always. I first wanted to be a pig carer (yes, really). I imagined spending all day petting those cute animals, not realising what the job actually meant. Looking back, I think there was something meaningful behind that innocent dream — maybe it was an early sign of some environmental awareness growing in me. I didn’t know what “environmental impact” meant back then, but I knew I loved animals, nature, and the idea of taking care of the planet.
As I grew a bit older, that dream transformed. Soon, I wanted to see the world: I wanted to discover places and people, to learn from them, and to understand how connected everything actually is (including the impact of human activity on the environment).
Of course, at that age, I could not travel that much on my own, so the traveller spirit inside me had to wait for later. That’s why when I got the chance to go on Erasmus, I knew it was my time to explore! But I also knew I wanted to do it differently, I wanted to do it consciously and with as little impact as possible on the planet I live and love.
I HAVE FINALLY BEEN GRANTED AN ERASMUS, NOW WHAT?
When my home university confirmed me, I was finally going on Erasmus to Sweden, I could not be happier! As soon as I could, I started doing my research on my destination and how I could get there, and I soon realised I might have underestimated how far up north my Erasmus destination was…
However, I was determined to start my Erasmus in a different way, as sustainably as possible, so I had to start thinking about options to cover the 3.000 km ( on a straight line, which, spoiler, turned out to be more by land) between my town in the Mediterranean and my new home close to the Arctic Circle.
Flying would have been the easy choice. But I felt like something was off if I took the most polluting option (not only once, but twice) to reach my destination just because it was the fastest—especially with Sweden being the motherland of Greta Thunberg. So I started looking through alternatives. I soon had an answer: I would travel by train.
WHY I DID IT?
Trains are fast, comfortable, green and reliable ( well, perhaps not every railway company, ehem,ehem…) Moreover, I’d also been wanting to do an Interrail trip across Europe for a long time, so this felt like the perfect opportunity. I could visit international friends, discover new places, and make the most of my Erasmus journey before it even started.
*Check out the Interrail pass for Erasmus+ students since it gives you 4/6 travel days in 6 months, allowing you to complete the return trip or do some other eco-friendly trip during your Erasmus :)
Of course, the environmental impact of this trip played a big part in the final decision. I checked the Erasmus Goes Green Calculator (it’s easy to use and free!: https://egg.civil.auth.gr/#calculator ) and the results blew my mind.
Taking the train instead of flying for my 5.000 km journey (4.866km to be more precise) released only around 0.02 tonnes of CO₂, compared to 0.33 tonnes by plane. That's more than 15 TIMES LESS! To put this 0.31-tonne difference into perspective, it would be the equivalent of offsetting your carbon emissions by planting 16 trees!
Knowing this made me feel that every train ride, every stop, and every km that I was moving further was a small but sincere act of care for the planet. I wasn’t just travelling; I was making a conscious choice to leave a smaller footprint while still seeing the world.
THE JOURNEY ITSELF
My adventure began on August 13th quite early ( yes, I somehow managed to wake up at 4AM), to get the first train of the day. I’ll admit I was a little nervous at first, I guess you don’t start a 5.000 km journey everyday, but I couldn't wait to start this journey.
Once I was ready, I went down to the bus stop closest to my home and got into the bus, and guess who was waiting for me as the bus driver? My dad. Was it a coincidence? Maybe not, but it was the perfect way to say goodbye since I was leaving for a LOOONG time.
After a short connection in Barcelona, I continued to Girona, a charming town in northern Catalonia, where I stayed for a night. I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful, but I really enjoyed discovering its medieval city centre on my own. The next day, after uncountable train connections in cute little French villages*, I finally arrived in Grenoble, surrounded by the Alps. Once there, I took a cable car up to a viewpoint, which suddenly stopped working due to a storm warning. At first, I panicked a little, but then I realised I had food and one of the best views I could ask for. So I just stayed there for four hours, ate my dinner, and watched the storm fade into the sunset. This made me realise that there are two things that are quite unpredictable: travelling and weather, and sadly, the latter is becoming more and more unpredictable due to climate change. In the end, I was glad the storm was just a small one and that they preferred to stop the cable car for safety reasons, since extreme natural hazards (such as the floodings in my region, Valencia, last year) are becoming sadly more and more often day by day and it is important to have a plan to act against them to prevent bigger losses.
* (TIP : seat reservations of fast trains between Spain and France sell out fast, especially in summer. If you don't manage to get a place in advance, don’t worry, you can still take regional trains, which allow you to explore smaller towns along the way, it will be slower, but you will also get the chance to see much more;)
After my short stay in France, I continued my way to Switzerland, and I couldn’t help but play “End of Beginning” by DJO in my headphones since that country always brings me back to good memories from my first high school exchange. During my week here, I met some friends, hiked, took a boat on Lake Thun (included with the Interrail!), and just enjoyed being back there again.
Then, I headed to the lively Berlin, a city that completely surprised me (from its rich history to its vibrant clubbing scene ). My friend who lives there showed me around and lent me his bike, and I fell in love with this fun way of discovering a new city. I enjoyed it so much that I decided my first purchase in Umeå would be a second-hand bike. Is there any green means of transport that gives you more freedom?
Finally, after a long night train to Stockholm (with a bit of a delay) and another fast train 6 hours up north, I made it to Umeå around midnight. I was exhausted, but really happy. Standing there with my luggage and the cool northern air around me, I realised that the end of this long journey was actually the beginning of a new chapter.
REFLECTIONS
This journey was far more than a way to reduce emissions; it was truly a chance to reconnect before starting my Erasmus adventure. I reconnected with nature in Switzerland, with history in Berlin, and with myself throughout the long train rides, looking through the train window.
I also reconnected with my faith in humanity. I met so many kind and generous people — from strangers who helped me when I was losing my way to old friends who welcomed me warmly at their homes. It reminded me that, deep down, most people are good and that this is what keeps the world moving.
Most importantly, this journey taught me that travel is not just about reaching a final destination. It’s about the experiences along the way, the people you meet, and the things you learn along the way. And it even becomes more special when you know that you are doing it in a way that harms as little as possible the planet where we all live and that we should take care of, because we all know that there's no planet B, but there is for sure a plan B for starting your Erasmus in a more meaningful and eco-friendly way.
So, to anyone preparing for their Erasmus:
Be brave enough to take the long way.
Because sometimes, losing your way is exactly how you find yourself.
