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Guy, from the School of Psychology, travelled to Amsterdam in the Netherlands for ICPR 2022 (Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research), and for a workshop on breathwork as this is his research focus (Breathwork as Psychedelic Therapy).

His favourite form of transport has always been the train, and he was conscious of saving carbon emissions too, so he was happy to find out that Eurostar trains can take you to Amsterdam through Brussels. Another great thing is that trains between Brighton and London St Pancras International are direct.

He used the School of Psychology's ‘Travel over Train Fund’ and booked his trip through Key Travel.

This was his first trip on Eurostar, but he absolutely loved it. Although the journeys took around two working days in total. Guy particularly enjoyed the comfort of travelling by train (compared with flying) and feeling much less restricted and less stressed. He connected with researchers and clinicians and made friends with a lecturer at Kings College London on their way to a conference in Utrecht.

‘I would encourage everyone at Sussex to use the train instead of flying when travelling within the UK and/or mainland Europe.’

Business Travel at Sussex

We have a lot of staff and students at Sussex who travel regularly to conferences. Although there is often an online option to join these events, attending these in-person meetings is valuable.

Considering our carbon footprint when traveling for reaserach or business events is very important for the University, and the CO2 emissions when traveling by train are substantially smaller than the carbon footprint of flying, sometimes even by up to 90%. Unfortunately, train travel is often more expensive than the equivalent journey by plane, which acts as a barrier to choosing more sustainable travel.

Have you tried looking at the The Man in Seat 61 | The train travel guide for travel advice?

If you are planning to travel for University business, you are asked to consider the following:

1. Is the travel for an activity which is deemed business critical?
2. Is the travel needed, or can a suitable alternative be explored? i.e. online remote based meetings or conferences

All travel for University business must be authorised in advance by the appropriate Executive Dean, Head of School, Director of Professional Services, or delegated staff member prior to booking or paying for travel or accommodation. Authorisers will review applications for travel in light of the questions above.

If you want to know more about Key Travel and how to reduce your carbon footprint while going on business trips/ research trips, get in touch with Monika, our Sustainable Travel Adviser: m.farkas@sussex.ac.uk

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