Green Travel

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 av Egle Davydovaite

Choosing the Green way: A Sustainable Journey from Kaunas to Luleå

Egle fixes her bike
Boat trip from Tallinn to Stockolm
My journey from Kaunas to Luleå was a way to experience travel slowly, moving through the world with care and intention to reduce my carbon footprint and to acknowledge the beauty of traveling by land and sea. The trip began on January 14th, early in the morning. After saying goodbye to my family, I boarded a bus to Tallinn. The ride felt calm and peaceful. Instead of rushing through the sky in a plane, I allowed myself to move slowly, to watch the scenery shift and to feel the emotional weight of leaving home. From Tallinn, I took a tram to the port and boarded an overnight ferry to Stockholm. Traveling by ferry is not only more climate-friendly than flying, but it also offers a more unique way to experience travel. It gave me time to breathe, to rest, to listen to the soft rhythm of the waves and enjoy the calming motions of the Baltic sea. Arriving in Stockholm the next morning felt like stepping into a long‑imagined dream. Because I wasn’t rushing to catch a connecting flight, I had the freedom to explore the city. I left my luggage at the central station and wandered through the streets, discovering the Scandinavian charm like I had always pictured. It was calm, cozy, beautifully balanced between nature and architecture. Later that evening, I boarded a night train heading north to Luleå. Trains are among the most sustainable long-distance travel options offering a green way to travel. I spent the journey talking with my friends and family back home, then drifted to sleep as the train carried me deeper into Sweden. The next morning I woke up and succesfuly arrived in Luleå, where my mentor greeted me warmly. Reaching my final destination felt like arriving not just in a new city, but like a whole amazing experience. Slow travel gave me the ability to experience places rather than just simply passing through them.

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