The train from Luxembourg to Florence took ten times as long as flying would have. I watched forests and mountains replace cities through the window, shared a carriage with travelers from four different countries, watched the dreams from my childhood come to life, and I started to realise that slowing down wasn’t the compromise I thought it would be… it was the experience itself. I’ll never forget the memories made during my semester abroad in England, but some of the moments I now hold dearest might never have happened if I’d chosen to book a flight or high-speed train instead. The moments where I had to slow down, to breathe, gave me memories that opened my eyes to new cultures, new lifestyles, new horizons.
When I boarded my flight to the United Kingdom for my exchange semester, I expected to learn from lectures, assessments, and university life… I didn’t expect some of my greatest lessons to come from railway platforms, overnight buses, and conversations with strangers whose languages I couldn’t quite speak. During my time travelling, I realised that sustainability was not only about protecting the places we visited, but about changing the way we chose to experience them. Whenever I had the chance, I chose trains and buses instead of shorter flights, which mostly meant doubling my travel time and going nights without much sleep, but the overnight buses became peaceful places to re-centre myself, train stations became waiting rooms where you could watch people’s lives intertwining with strangers they’d never see again, and journeys that could have taken mere hours stretching into entire days filled with memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Beyond transportation, I tried to travel thoughtfully; I explored cities on foot, relied heavily on public transport powered by electricity rather than petrol, carried reusable water bottles and shopping bags, and sought experiences that celebrated local cultures rather than mass tourism. I found that the most meaningful moments were the conversations in cafes, wandering unfamiliar streets, and learning the history behind the places I visited.
The continuous choices I made this year reflected the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in subtle ways; they may never have caused disruption or change on a large scale, but these choices have all worked together to change my life, and the way I view the future. Goals’ 11, 12, and 13 were particularly present in my experiences, and it taught me that, although one person’s decisions may seem small, I came to understand that sustainability is built through thousands of individual choices made consistently, and over time, my life started to grow alongside the environment rather than trying to work against it.
As I continue travelling throughout my life, this mindset will remain with me; Sustainability is a commitment to making conscious choices, recognising that the privilege of exploring our world comes with the responsibility to protect it for those who will one day follow in our footsteps.
