What if one of your best friends invites you to visit her new home in Stockholm – but you don’t want to fly? Take the train – and some other things to enjoy the journey.
In September 2024, I took the train from Amsterdam to Stockholm and back – with a friend. Even though there were some points along the journey at which we seriously looked into giving up and taking a flight, in the end, we had a fun trip with minimal carbon emissions. Here are some tips to prepare for such a journey.
Travel with a really good friend
A friend who cares about her carbon footprint enough to spend the extra money and time. Someone you’re willing to share a sleeping compartment with. And who has both a great sense of humor and a sense of adventure. And yes, we’re still friends after 46.5 hours on 10 trains, surviving 8.5 hours of delays.
Stock up on drinks, snacks, and meals
On many trains, there is food available, but not on all trains. And with significant delays, breakfast may not be served until way into the morning. We were very happy to have plenty of cold water, a thermos with hot water for tea and coffee, savory and sweet snacks, and enough food for three meals on both trips. The water also came in handy for brushing teeth.
Bring things to do on the train journey
The scenery was beautiful along the tracks in Sweden, but less so in other parts of the trip. I got quite some work done, using the strong Wi-Fi and the outlets available on almost all trains. Great conversation, magazines, books, and a board game also helped!
Forget one-stop shopping for international trains
It was relatively easy to find train schedules, but impossible to buy tickets for the entire trip. We bought tickets from Amsterdam to Hamburg through the Dutch Railways. And tickets for the sleeper train from Hamburg to Stockholm through the Swedish State Railways.
Invest in comfort
We absolutely loved having a sleeping compartment to ourselves. A bunk bed (with a ladder and safety straps), a sink, and cabinets for storing our foods and drinks.
Plan for sightseeing and significant delays
To ensure we would catch the sleeper train from Hamburg, we allowed for two hours of delays between Amsterdam and Hamburg. In hindsight, we should have planned for even more time in between. It was more than enough to ensure we caught the overnight train – but there was not enough time to head into the city for some sightseeing.
Travel light
Always a good idea, but especially so if you have to get from one track to another time and again. On the way back, due to delays and rail work, we had to change trains six times, instead of twice. We were very happy to have limited luggage – and to have eaten most of the food by then.
Ask for help
There is lots of information available online, but sometimes that is not enough to help you figure out how to deal with delays. At one point, the Swedish and German timetables showed up to three hours difference in the expected delay. Most of the train staff were helpful, with special thanks to the Deutsche Bahn staff in Hamburg. They rebooked our seats to Amsterdam, after the late arrival of our overnight train from Stockholm.
Offer help
Just before the Dutch border, on the return trip, all passengers were told to disembark from the train. We helped an elderly couple from the UK by translating the announcements. And by securing them seats on the next train, which was filled with teenagers heading to the Netherlands for school camp.
Keep the end in mind
Not just the end of the journey in a literal sense, but also the joy of visiting a friend. And doing so without a huge footprint. The CO2e emissions for the train trip were 18 kg per person. Our footprint would have been over 30 times as much if we had taken a flight. And up to 17 times as much if we had traveled in a fossil-fuel car. The all-electric car would have led to a similar footprint and driving time as the train. Yet we would have had to stay somewhere overnight, adding costs and emissions as well.
Would I do this again? In a few years, keeping the above in mind – probably yes!
Marjolein Baghuis wrote this post for the Change in Context blog. It was also posted on LinkedIn. To read interviews with interesting people, book reviews, and other posts about change, leadership, and sustainability, please subscribe.
Photo credit – Swedish lake: Jonathan Petersson via Pexels