On the road

[raino]

Since yesterday morning I’ve taken train, ferry and am now sitting in a bus, somewhere in Skåne area, Sweden. Top deck, front seat with view. Had a breakfast while golden fields, fluffy clouds and cute little towns rolled past. Managed to sleep reasonably well (secret weapon: woollen socks).

I just enjoy traveling so much. Even if a bit cramped, shower overdue, and not completely rested, I feel energized and excited. Coffee tastes better, sunshine is more golden, life in general feels fuller.

Do i have to admit my flight strike is fueled not only by environmental concern but also the desire to just be in transit longer?!

Comments

[kareina]

I love it when the "morally correct" option and the "option I will most enjoy" happen to align. Hope the trip continues to be fun, and I will look forward to reading posts about your adventures.

[raino]

Thanks! I'm now nearing Holyhead in UK, and still having great time! I'll make a separate post afterwards about the whole trip, but highlight so far was starting a random chit chat with some dude in bus from Copenhagen to Hamburg, and it just happened he was a researcher of green energy grids and we had the most amazing discussion. Then, at Hamburg, as we were getting off the bus, a third person joined us - he had just completed his phd on hydrogen electrolysis and had been eavesdropping on our discussion. More fascinating impromptu discussion! And all of us had chosen to travel by bus instead of flying. We had a little measuring contest, who has the longest ground travel, and ofc I won because Helsinki > Dublin is hard to beat :D

[kareina]

My personal best for distance driving to an event was going from Alaska to Texas for the SCA 20th year celebration. There were people there who came from further (Australia, Europe), but we drove the longest.

However, afterwards we didn't drive back to Alaska, only to Arizona, where we were about to start attending a new (to us) University, so that may have been cheating...

[raino]

That’s an impressive distance! How long did it take to drive?

[kareina]

Oh, dear, how much can I remember--that was 1986, and in those days I didn't keep a journal, nor did I have email...

Let's see, we drove only four hours the first day, from Anchorage to mile 150 on the Richardson Highway, where my aunt and uncle lived at the time to visit them. Then we drove through Canada, staying (I think) two nights in hotels along the way. I don't recall if we stopped in the Seattle area or not, but we stayed one night in the Bay Area with Duke James and Duchess Verena, and the next day we drove all the way to Phoenix, Az, where we dropped off the non-SCA stuff in the car with some of his friends to keep till after the event. I don't recall if we stayed one night somewhere between Phoenix and the event, or if we did that stretch in one go. So at least five days, possibly seven?

[redbird]

There's nothing to "admit"--you're on vacation, you can do it the way you like, even if that's not what most people expect you to like. It can be interesting telling people that I would rather take a train than a cab, I'm not just trying to save money.

[raino]

Not admitting to like an ethics committee but just to myself - I do try to be mindful of my own motivations to the extent that is possible... but really, this way of traveling has many advantages, not the least aesthetic: greetings from a cute little 2-coach train going between tiny villages and green fields dotted with grazing sheep.

[basefinder]

I've been on a limited "flight strike" for years, not for environmental reasons (though they are eye-opening) but because the TSA and airlines make it such a horrible and claustrophobic experience. I'll fly on our annual trip to Florida (from Colorado) because we just can't afford the time off to drive it every year.

I'm glad you are enjoying your trip!

[raino]

Thanks! compared to flying, one upside of bus/train travel is minimal waiting times (except for Eurostar which goes under the English Channel, it was set up like an airport with matching long security check up and check-in lines). Other than that, it's just show up approximately 15 minutes before the vehicle leaves, no hassle no waiting.

[cordjostler]

sounds like fun!

[raino]

it is! so much fun! excitement of new places combined with brain puzzles like "locate correct platform" and "find out where to buy metro tickets when all information is in Flemish and French".