As a political science major drawn to the study of power, migration, and the disparities between the global North and South, I have come to understand that how we move through the world is itself a political act. The carbon-intensive infrastructure of modern travel, like cheap flights, congested motorways, and constant extraction, all reflect the same uneven patterns of consumption and consequence that I study in the classroom. The global South, including the Caribbean nations that shape my own family history, bears the sharpest costs of a climate crisis it did least to cause. I cannot study these inequalities with integrity and then ignore my own footprint when I travel to learn about them.
That conviction shapes how I intend to experience my placement in Europe. Rather than flying between capitals, I plan to move overland and by sea wherever possible: electric and high-speed rail across the continent, and ferries and boats where the route allows. Europe’s rail network is one of the most developed and lowest-emission systems in the world, and traveling this way is not a sacrifice but an opportunity. A train from London to Paris, or to Brussels, Amsterdam, or Berlin, lets me observe the continent at ground level through the eyes of a political scientist. I will see firsthand how nations are physically and politically connected, how infrastructure encodes history, and how the Windrush routes and old cotton ports I study in the classroom still mark the landscape today. Slow travel becomes a method of inquiry, not just a means of getting somewhere.
This approach aligns directly with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Choosing rail and sea over air advances Goal 13 on climate action by sharply reducing my travel emissions, and supports Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities by relying on shared public infrastructure rather than private or aviation-heavy alternatives. By engaging with how different European states invest in green transit, I also connect to Goal 9 on resilient, sustainable infrastructure. (https://sdgs.un.org/topics/sustainable-tourism)
Beyond transport, I intend to keep my placement sustainable in daily practice: living without a car and relying on public transit and walking, minimizing single-use plastics, supporting local markets and businesses rather than imported convenience, and being deliberate about energy and waste in my accommodation. These are small individual choices, but they reflect a larger commitment to consistency between my values and my conduct.
I believe the most meaningful education abroad is one that does not treat the destination as something to be consumed and discarded. By traveling slowly, deliberately, and sustainably, I can deepen my understanding of Europe’s political and economic landscape while honoring what drew me to this field in the first place: the idea that fairness, accountability, and care for those who bear the greatest burdens must guide not only what we study, but how we live.
