1M2030 Story #9: Future of Train Travel - By Elias Bohun
Hi, my name is Elias Bohun and I am one in a million. This is my story.
In what kind of a world do we live where we can go anywhere we want to go, but not how we want to go. Some trips are possible, but not all of them. Surfing around the world on the internet is possible. Flying around the world – also possible. Going around the world by train - that remains impossible.
In a world where the ocean should be the only limit for international train travel, a lack of will on all sides -to connect us in this way, to set the right priorities for global train travel- is a bigger hurdle. That is why, right now, an itinerary is not created by looking for the shortest or most beautiful route, but the one that is actually possible considering conflicts between or inside states and an inadequate network of infrastructure that leaves a lot to be desired.
My name is Elias Bohun and I want to make worldwide train journeys possible.
Travelling by train is the most ecological way to travel far, no matter where the energy comes from. It also pays local taxes along the way (while a flight does not) and allows people to get into contact with local cultures and people easily.
I founded traivelling.com which is the first platform to offer worldwide train connections from Europe (and connecting busses and ferries) to places as far as Vietnam, Tajikistan, but also within Europe.
To Vietnam by train and back:
The whole idea for Traivelling.com came up when I wanted to see the world after I finished school. Originally, I had already booked a flight to Sri Lanka (together with my girlfriend) but I then cancelled it for environmental reasons. We still wanted to see the world and so I had a look online how far it was actually possible to travel by train – and not pay insane amounts of money, as I wanted to use local transport and not some luxury trains. After around 2 months of daily planning I had the whole journey figured out and it turned out to be the best experience of my entire life.
We told many people along the way about our journey and all were very enthusiastic and open to the idea of this kind of travel but did not know how to book such a journey. So, after I had returned to Austria, I founded the travel agency Traivelling.com.
We now offer train trips all around the world, for local prices, inspired by the trip I once took.
Mindful travel:
Today’s narrative in environmental protection is always about how we can fly less, how we should travel less far because it is bad for the planet. This is generally true. Long trips are much worse for the environment than short ones. However, we also need to see the world to understand it and each other, in order to make it a better place! We need to get to know different people, see different countries, experience other people’s troubles, to develop compassion. Should this international interaction end now because flying is so bad for the planet?
I believe that we should not do without travelling (far), but that we must be mindful about how often and by which means of transport we travel.
DATA:
One person flying Vienna to Munich and back is emitting 13 times more CO2 than somebody travelling by train. Not even taking into account that CO2 emitted high in the atmosphere is around 2,7 worse for the environment than CO2 emitted on the ground.
CO2 emitted by somebody travelling by plane compared to somebody travelling by train:
Vienna – Munich: 131 kg CO2 / Person (10 kg CO2 / Person)
Vienna - Frankfurt: 228 kg CO2 / Person (23 kg CO2 / Person)
Vienna - Budapest: 90 kg CO2 / Person (7 kg CO2 / Person)
Vienna - Zurich: 276 kg CO2 / Person (10 kg CO2 / Person)
(Source: Austrian Federal Environment agency 2017)
From my point of view especially young people need to see the world to make it a better place. Unfortunately, booking a flight is way too easy and using alternative means of transportation is made way too hard.
Let’s turn back time together!
Decades ago, it was possible to book train tickets at the ticket counter as far as China at a local train station in Austria. Things have changed and now one can’t even buy a train ticket from Vienna to Paris anymore at the counter. This is a disaster, as it leaves travelers no option but to fly. Even within the European Union!
My hopes are that Traivelling.com will especially enable young people to make ecological choices, while experiencing distance and foreign cultures in a different way than they ever did before! A train trip to Vietnam is a life changing experience and most certainly changed my life...
I believe that this way of slow travelling can help make this world a better place
I also hope that future generations, and my generation in the future, will travel around the planet much more ecologically while seeing many more different cultures and places at the same time.
I believe that this way of slow travelling can help make this world a better place, as we see much more of it and realize that it is actually not a very big planet that we live on (as we get a whole different feeling for distance). We see more cultures, experience many more different habits and this will give us the hope and power to save our planet.
Elias Bohun is 20 years old and founded a train travel agency (traivelling.com) at the end of 2019. He is eager to talk about climate change and the impact of today’s mobility on our climate. contact: elias.bohun@traivelling.com
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions represented in these articles are personal and belong solely to the author. The content provided by these authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs and viewpoints of 1M2030, or it's affiliates.
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