During her spare time, she likes to get out and explore places by bike. So, when Daphne Odekerken needed to travel  to a conference in Wales last September, cycling there was the obvious choice . "Although in England you don't have as many good cycling paths as here, there is a network with very nice routes. On the way, I mostly slept in my tent, but besides that, I didn't bring much. I asked a colleague who came by car to bring my laptop and a set of decent clothes."

Environmental protection is one important reason why Daphne chooses to travel sustainably. But above all, cycling is a way for her to clear her head. "I work with my head and sit still almost all day. Cycling is the opposite: you are in motion and don't have to think much. Moreover, a conference is a very social event, I like to have the time to be on my own for a while, before and after. A bike ride is ideal for that."

Train to southern Italy
This bike journey  was not Daphne's first sustainable business trip. Three years ago, she went by train to a congress in Amantea, a town in southern Italy. "Just before that, I had flown to a conference in Canada. When I got home, I thought: That’s enough for now, I don't want to fly again. I felt a bit guilty about it."

The train journey to Italy went "very well," she says. "It was a beautiful route: you go through Tuscany, past Rome and Naples, and the last part went along the southern coast, where the railway is right by the sea. Moreover, you can take the night train for part of the route. That makes the journey feel less long."

Mini city trips
When planning a train route, Daphne plans extra-wide transfer times. "You are bound to have delays, and I am a lot more relaxed in my seat if I know for sure that I will catch my connection. If I have a lot of time to spare, I just walk into town. Train stations are almost always right in the centre, so I don't have to get bored."

During her trip to southern Italy, she had as many as five of these mini city trips: "I visited Cologne and Frankfurt, I ate and took a walk in Munich, and I was in Rome for an hour. On the way back, I even had a whole day in Venice, because I arrived there on the night train in the morning and would catch another night train in the evening. In case you are too busy to go into town, you can also use that transfer time to work in a café with your laptop."

Holiday feeling
Travelling by bike or train feels like a holiday to Daphne. “I think that is the big difference from flying: the journey is part of your experience, rather than a necessary evil. After all, flying is mostly waiting until you get there. It is often stressful too, with all those security checks and long queues. Travelling by train or bike is relaxing and you experience all kinds of things along the way. Because you travel slower, you see a lot more.”

Moreover, the trips lead to interesting encounters. "On the night train, you can choose to share a compartment with other travelers. I was able to practice  my presentation with some fellow travelers beforehand. Later, I sat opposite a bunch of Italians who didn't speak English. With a dictionary, I had my first conversation in Italian. A bit clumsy, of course, but together we kind of figured it out."

Tip for colleagues
Admittedly, not every UU employee has the ambition to cycle for a week to a congress. But travelling by train is feasible for everyone, Daphne believes. Her tip for colleagues? "Take your time. In the end, it doesn't matter much if you spend half a day longer on the road. And it saves a huge amount of stress if you book your transfers well in advance. Trains are regularly delayed; if you don't take that into account, your day will be stressful."

Whether she sometimes encounters obstacles on the way? Daphne laughs. "Definitely! My bike is quite old, so things break down from time to time. In Bath, my luggage rack broke off. A nice bike shop repaired it for a small fee. And when he saw I wasn't wearing a helmet, he gave me one for free." She finds that bad luck often leads to something good. When she did miss a transfer on the Italian train, she got a free upgrade to first class. "They came to bring me a newspaper, I had a luxurious seat... nothing wrong with that!"

Whether Daphne will never catch a plane again? "I dare not say that, but I do intend to no longer go to conferences for which I would have to fly. We all emit far too many greenhouse gases, while there are excellent travel alternatives. Suppose there is a world-class conference in Japan where I get to present my research, I might make an exception. But for now, I will try to stay in the neighbourhood."