Anna Abdelnoor, co-founder of event sustainability body, isla, took a different route to IBTM World in Barcelona this year. As a commitment to slow travel, Anna opted for rail over air as she headed to the event.
IBTM kicked off on Tuesday 30 November and the journey took two days, through three countries on two different trains, meaning Anna needed to begin travelling on Sunday to arrive in time for the event. Though longer in journey time, this slow travel by train produced 97 per cent fewer carbon emissions than if she had taken a flight. We caught up with Anna to share the details of her journey, her decision not to fly and why this mode of transport should be a realistic option for delegates...
M&IT: How did you get to Barcelona from the UK on the train?
AA: My journey began at Kings Cross St Pancras on Sunday afternoon and took the Eurostar across to Paris. I got to squeeze in some sightseeing along the way as I spent the afternoon and evening in Paris before catching a connecting train to Barcelona on Monday morning.
Why did you decide to take the train to Barcelona instead of flying?
At isla we advocate considered and accountable travel as it is one, if not the single biggest contributor to carbon emissions of an event. I wanted to practise what we preach, to show not only the comparison between slow travel such as a train journey, and flying. There are viable alternatives to flying and by encouraging responsible travel to and from our events we can inspire behavioural change whilst driving down emissions. So much of what we do at isla is about relearning what’s in your sphere of control, what can you do, what decisions can you make that are different and how can you have a better impact?
Although the journey did take up some of my Sunday and ate into my weekend, I remedied this by making the most of my time in Paris. I walked down along the river Seine to Louvre, I had a coffee and took myself out for dinner. I haven’t travelled outside of the UK since September 2019 so this was real treat to explore and soak up some culture in the French capital.
And that’s the beauty of slow travel, being able to build in leisure time to a business trip. If there’s anything to learn from the last two years, it's that taking our foot off the gas and taking in our surroundings is critical to our wellbeing.
Even with a nice stroll and dinner at a French bistro, how can delegates be persuaded to turn a two-hour flight into a two-day trip?
The journey on Monday from Paris to Barcelona was six hours, but it didn’t feel long. The beauty of travelling by train is that you actually gain back a lot of time and the train journey to Barcelona was essentially just a full working day. I rocked up to board the train about five minutes before it left. There are no long check-in queues or security checks where I had to remove half the kitchen sink from my bag and walk shoeless through airport scanners. I had access to Wi-Fi which meant uninterrupted email time and was fully contactable the entire journey.
The extra legroom and ability to freely walk around meant the journey was rather pleasant. There was no dreaded middle seat either so I wasn’t hemmed in as I might be on a flight.
What’s the bottom line of why delegates should take the slow travel option when it's possible and viable?
My outbound journey from London to Barcelona produced a total of 12.44kg CO2 equivalent emissions, with the train travel accounting for 5.94kg and the overnight stop contributing 6.5kg.
I flew back on the Thursday that IBTM World finished as I needed to be home for an appointment on Friday and that one-way, two-hour flight from Barcelona to London contributed 189.92kg CO2 equivalent emission, that’s 97 per cent more emissions than taking the train. Not forgetting that once you factor in waiting at the airport departure lounge, checking in and out luggage, security checks etc the journey was more like 4.7 hours. If I’d managed my diary better I would have definately taken the train back too.
Making just one journey by train halves the carbon footprint, so even if you can’t commit to ground travel in both directions, you can make a huge reduction just by travelling one way overground.
Business travel needs to be about quality, not quantity. If slow travel is twice the cost, you need to make damn sure that the trip is worth going on in the first place.
I'm not saying don't travel. I'm not saying don't get on a plane. I'm not saying don't ever fly. But it's about that assessment. It's the choices that we're making. It's how we do it, how we plan, how we take responsibility for travelling. Because it has to change.
To plan your next business trip by rail, check out Seat 61 for the latest travel routes.
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
