Travel has always struck me as one of the most powerful ways to grow. It is not just about the act of moving place to place, but the choice of how we move and what we choose to leave behind. As a Business Management student preparing for an exchange abroad in Boston, I have come to understand that international study is not just an academic opportunity; it is a responsibility. The way we travel reflects the morals and values we hold, and I am committed to ensuring mine reflect a genuine concern for the planet.
Before even thinking about packing for Boston, I found myself researching the city through a different angle. Instead of doing what I normally do, falling down a rabbit hole of tourist traps, I researched the city with sustainability in mind. I found local farmers’ markets, locally owned restaurants, and eco-friendly spots that prioritise people and planet over profit. This shift in perspective is the first of many sustainable acts I am committed to taking. In doing this, I was already practising UN SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), because conscious travel starts with research and not just the arrival.
When I arrive, I intend to make public transport my default, as it already is at home. Whether walking or taking the bus, I rarely rely on cars, and I am committed to carrying this habit over to Boston. The MBTA network is extensive, and choosing the subway over a taxi is a simple yet meaningful reduction a short-term visitor can make. SDG 11 calls for sustainable cities and communities, and there is no better way to honour that than moving through a city the same way its residents do. Public transport does not just reduce emissions; it immerses you in the everyday life of a city in a way that a taxi window never could.
At home, I do my best to shop locally and avoid red meat, so food has always been a natural part of how I live sustainably. That habit was shaped by a Global Challenges module I took in my first year at university, in which each group calculated their carbon footprints, making the impact of red meat consumption impossible to ignore. In Boston, I intend to carry this same mindset, finding local markets, eating seasonally, and choosing independent spots rather than chains. This aligns with SDG 13, Climate Action, and SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production.
What pulls these commitments together is something I have come to believe through my Business Management studies: that good management is inseparable from responsibility. The decisions we make, whether in work or a supermarket, have consequences that reach further than we often realise. Travelling to Boston is, in many ways, an extension of that education. Every commute, meal, and purchase is an opportunity to practise the kind of thinking I hope to bring to my professional career. Boston will teach me a great deal, and I truly look forward to it.
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
https://www.zerowaste.com/boston/
https://www.mbta.com
