Trip to The Netherlands

By Dr Michelle Coleman

Lecturer in Law, Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law

I love travel. Traveling to conferences and other events is one of the best parts of research. While meeting online can work for small meetings or shorter events, it is not quite the same. As an early career researcher, attending events in person allows me to meet many people at once and have more casual conversations, which is great for building a network and research community. However, I’ve always been concerned about my impact on the environment, and being from the United States, and having to travel back at least annually to visit family and friends, I try to cut down on my carbon footprint where possible. That’s why I was particularly excited to receive a CARN Eco Travel Bursary.

The Bursary supported a two-week trip to the Netherlands and specifically paid for me to travel by GWR and Eurostar instead of flying. The trip was also supported by Taith funding which paid for the accommodation. The purpose of the trip was to network and to strengthen and form collaborations with partners in my field. I had never done this kind of trip before, so I didn’t know what to expect, however I thought it was a great success! Some of the activities I participated in were attending a networking event at the Peace Palace, meetings with NGOs, judging several rounds of the IBA ICC Moot Court, meeting with colleagues from Utrecht University, sharing a work in progress at Leiden University, and presenting a paper at a two-day conference at Tilburg University. The trip was incredibly inspiring and I came back with a research plan for my own project, some leads on ideas of how to make that research more impactful for partners, and the start of a couple possible future collaborative projects. This sort of networking could never have been done online.

Travel options: time, money and carbon

I live in Cardiff and do not drive so there are three realistic options for me to get to The Hague (about 460 miles away). The first is to take a taxi from my house to Cardiff Airport and from there fly directly to Schiphol in Amsterdam and then take a train to The Hague. The second is to take a National Express Coach to Heathrow, fly directly to Schiphol and then take the train to The Hague. The final option, and the trip I took, was to take the GWR train from Cardiff to Paddington, the Tube to St Pancras, Eurostar to Rotterdam and then a train to The Hague.

There is a wide variance between the amount of travel time and the CO2 output between these options. If carbon use is the only consideration, then train travel is definitely the way to go. While the train only option was the longest trip, the comfort and other perks of train travel also couldn’t be beat. The train includes up to two large suitcases that can be as heavy as you can manage yourself, as opposed to paying extra to check one bag. And there is no limit on the amount of liquid you can bring on the train. While I only brought one piece of luggage, I really appreciated being able to bring full sized toiletries. (Also bring full sized bottles of shampoo, is better for the environment than buying disposable travel sized options and less annoying than decanting your own product into smaller reusable bottles.) For two weeks it was great to bring enough of everything I would need.

The train was also more comfortable than flying. Trains have a lot more leg room than economy flights and you can get up and walk around whenever you want. The air is from outside rather than recycled and the carriages are air conditioned so it doesn’t get too hot. In addition, there is free Wi-Fi and no point on the trip where you can’t use electronics; so, if you want to work during the trip you’ll have more uninterrupted time to do so. There’s a café car but you can bring your own food and drinks onboard. I also noticed there was recycling on the train, so not all the trash would end up in the bin.

The length of time the trip takes couldn’t cover for every situation. Circumstances may require you to travel only over one or two days. For a longer trip, however, it was a great option as it was convenient, competitively priced, and comfortable. Also, the conference on the last day of the trip ended around 2pm and I still got home before midnight.

Bio: Dr Michelle Coleman joined Swansea University as a Lecturer in Law August 2021 having previously been a Lecturer at Middlesex University, London. Her research focuses on international criminal law and procedure, evidence, and human rights. Before entering academia Michelle practiced law including at the International Criminal Court and as a public defender in the United States.