When I told some people I was moving out from Spain to northern Sweden by train for my Erasmus year , they said I had “lost the north.” ( “perder el norte” is a Spanish expression used when you just go crazy and do not think before doing something) . Well… maybe I did, but for me travelling 5.000km north from home by train was kind of a way of finding it again.

My green-travel journey through five countries wasn’t always easy (especially when I got stuck on top of a mountain in France for three hours or when all trains to my next destination were cancelled in Switzerland, I could never thank enough the kindest people I met along the way who helped me overcome any situation :) , but it was worth every second. Watching the landscape change from the sunny Mediterranean to the majestic Alps with their highest peaks covered in snow even in summer, made me feel connected to everything that passed by my train window.

Taking the slow way reminded me that sustainable travel isn’t about being perfect (since nobody is!), it’s about being present and thinking about the real impact of your actions. There is something really special about reaching your new home by green-travelling, enjoying every step in between and helping the planet at the same time, just makes you feel you are actually doing something meaningful with your journey and not just jumping from one place to another. And honestly, I’d “lose the north” again any day if it means finding this feeling once again.